NOVEMBER
      23,
      2006
     
    
   
   
    
     
      THE
      CADRE
      @
      9
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      OPINIONS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Panty
      Raid
      -
      Do
      you
      color
      code
      your
     
     
      underwear?
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Alison
      Jenkins
     
     
      Contributor
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      It
      has
      recently
      come
      to
      my
      attention
      »
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      some
      women
      coordinate
      their
     
     
      bras
      and
      panties.
      And
      they
      don’t
      just
     
     
      match
      colours,
      they
      buy
      the
      sets
     
     
      together.
      One
      of
      my
      friends
      won’t
      buy
     
     
      the
      bra
      if
      there
      is
      not
      a
      matching
      panty
     
     
      available.
      I
      was
      shocked.
      Speechless,
     
     
      even.
      I
      may
      not
      be
      dressed
      to
      kill
      very
     
     
      often,
      but
      I
      clean
      up
      good.
      And
      I
      like
     
     
      to
      get
      dressed
      up.
      But
      I
      have
      never,
     
     
      ever
      thought
      of
      buying
      a
      matching
      set
     
     
      of
      underwear.
      Ever.
      I
      just
      wear
     
     
      whatever
      is
      clean
      and
      doesn’t
      show
     
     
      through
      my
      shirt.
      And
      I
      avoid
      visible
     
     
      panty
      lines,
      when
      possible.
     
    

    
     
      Am
      I
      odd?
       Tomboyish?
     
     
      Prudish
      maybe?
      I
      didn’t
      used
      to
      think
     
     
      so.
      I
      have
      a
      half
      a
      dozen
      bottles
      of
     
     
      shampoo,
      over
      eight
      kinds
      of
      scented
     
     
      lotion
      leftover
      from
      gifts
      and
      AVON
     
     
      catalogues,
      pockets
      full
      of
      lip
      gloss,
      I
     
     
      wear
      skirts
      on
      occasion
      —
      I
      have
      a
     
     
      girly
      streak.
      But
      my
      feminine
     
     
      confidence
      was
      shaken
      by
      my
      friend’s
     
     
      revelation.
      I
      began
      to
      be
      shy
      of
      my
     
     
      underwear
      at
      the
      gym
      and
      pool.
      What
     
     
      if
      the
      other
      girls
      match
      and
      I’m
      in
      the
     
     
      corner:
      the
      tall
      awkward
      one
      with
     
     
      cotton
      panties
      and
      a
      bra
      that
      doesn’t
     
     
      match?
      Does
      anyone
      notice?
      Maybe
     
     
      everyone
      notices!
      How
      did
      I
      not
     
     
      notice
      them
      noticing?!
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      How
      well
      do
      you
      know
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Andie
      Bulman
     
     
      Assignment
      Editor
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      allay
      my
      fears,
      I
      began
      an
     
     
      informal,
      non-scientific,
      non-random
     
     
      survey
      of
      friends,
      acquaintances
      and,
     
     
      well,
      really
      whoever
      I
      could
      find,
      male
     
     
      and
      female.
      It
      was
      my
      preoccupation
     
     
      for
      a
      week.
      So
      here
      it
      is.
      The
      results
     
     
      section
      of
      my
      experimental
      write
      up:
     
     
      To
      my
      relief,
      a
      few
      people
      are
      like
      me
     
     
      and
      had
      never
      thought
      of
      matching
      as
     
     
      at
      all
      important.
      The
      majority
     
     
      however,
      take
      matching
      seriously
      and
     
     
      that
      while
      it
      needn’t
      be
      a
      priority,
     
     
      coordinating
      underwear
      is
      nice
      for
     
     
      special
      occasions.
      All
      the
      girls
      were
     
     
      clear
      that
      ‘special
      occasion’
      is
      just
      as
     
     
      often
      exclusively
      for
      the
      wearer
      as
      it
     
     
      is
      for
      significant
      others.
      Some
      women
     
     
      mentioned
      that
      they
      like
      to
      match
      their
     
     
      underwear
      to
      their
      outfit
      (Ohmigosh!
     
     
      Really?)
      Yes
      really,
      but
      not
      all
      the
      time.
     
     
      However,
      one
      woman
      does
      coordinate
     
     
      everything
      all
      the
      time.
      Bra-panties-
     
     
      outfit,
      every
      day.
      I
      encountered
      a
      full
     
     
      spectrum
      of
      underwear
      coordination
     
     
      values.
     
    

    
     
      At
      first
      I
      was
      amused
      by
      the
     
     
      apparent
      triviality
      of
      matching
     
     
      something
      that
      is
      hardly
      seen.
      It
      seems
     
     
      like
      a
      lot
      of
      effort
      to
      keep
      it
      all
     
     
      organized.
      And
      really,
      what
      if
      I
      find
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
      bra
      that
      I
      love
      and
      that
      does
      wonders
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      What
      Color
      Panties
      do
      you
      Like
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Photo:
      Google
      Photo
      Search
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      for
      my
      favourite
      sweater.
      I
      don’t
      want
     
     
      to
      have
      to
      feel
      obligated
      to
      hunt
      down
     
     
      and
      buy
      the
      appropriate
      panty.
      And
      I
     
     
      hate
      spandex
      on
      my
      bum.
      But
      the
     
     
      more
      I
      thought
      about
      it,
      and
      the
      more
     
     
      women
      I
      spoke
      to,
      the
      more
      I
      realised
     
     
      that
      I
      had
      been
      naive
      before.
      I
      began
     
     
      to
      see
      that
      coordinating
      lingerie
      has
     
    
   
   
    
     
      very
      little
      to
      do
      with
      having
      your
     
     
      underwear
      seen
      by
      anyone,
      it’s
      related
     
     
      to
      self-esteem.
      Underwear
      is
      a
      bit
      like
     
     
      make-up,
      or
      perfume
      —some
      women
     
     
      are
      really
      into
      it,
      some
      women
      aren’t,
     
     
      and
      as
      long
      as
      she
      feels
      good
      about
     
     
      herself,
      she
      is
      beautiful.
     
     
      cotton
      bikinis.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Even
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      your
      professors?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Michael
      Arfken,
      one
      of
      the
      newest
     
     
      and
      youngest
      professors
      on
      UPEI’s
     
     
      campus,
      he’s
      only
      thirty,
      has
      proven
     
     
      So
      popular
      with
      his
      psychology
     
     
      undergrad
      students,
      that
      many
      have
     
     
      taken
      to
      referring
      to
      him
      as
     
     
      Mr.Humanistic.
      Arfken
      discussed
     
     
      some
      of
      the
      differences
      between
      the
     
     
      deep
      south,
      where
      he
      received
      his
     
     
      degrees,
      and
      PE.I.,
      his
      unique
      career
     
     
      path
      and
      the
      uniqueness
      of
      the
      classes
     
     
      he
      teaches.
     
    

    
     
      “T
      did
      my
      undergrad
      in
      the
      deep
     
     
      south,
      bible
      country.
      I
      didn’t
      vote
      Bush
     
     
      and
      had
      leopard
      print
      hair.
      Needless
     
     
      to
      say,
      I
      stuck
      out
      a
      little,
      where
      here
     
     
      in
      Canada
      all
      that
      stuff
      is
      OK.
      I’m
      also
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      disbelief
      about
      how
      cold
      it
     
     
      “supposedly”
      gets,
      I
      feel
      like
      people
     
     
      are
      exaggerating
      a
      little,
      Arfken
      said.
     
     
      Interestingly,
      Arften
      skipped
      his
     
     
      Masters
      degree
      and
      instead
      took
     
     
      several
      years
      off
      between
      his
     
     
      undergrad
      and
      PhD
      programs.
     
    

    
     
      “After
      I
      graduated
      from
      my
     
     
      undergrad
      degree,
      I
      worked
      at
      a
      box
     
     
      plant,
      which
      was
      no
      fun
      at
      all.
      Then
      I
     
     
      was
      a
      character
      in
      an
      online
      computer
     
     
      game,
      which
      was
      kind
      of
      weird.
      Later
     
     
      I
      operated
      a
      ski
      lift
      at
      a
      resort
      and
      went
     
     
      to
      Europe
      for
      a
      glorious
      month.”
     
    

    
     
      Arfken’s
      decision
      to
      postpone
     
     
      grad
      school
      wasn’t
      entirely
      voluntary.
     
     
      “J
      would
      have
      went
      back
      to
      school
     
    
   
   
    
     
      much
      sooner
      except
      I
      broke
      my
      leg
      the
     
     
      night
      before
      the
      graduate
      record
     
     
      examination
      test
      in
      a
      very
      intense
     
     
      snowball
      fight.
      That
      set
      me
      back
      an
     
    
   
   
    
     
      entire
      year.
     
     
      Dr.Arfken
      teaches
      several
     
     
      humanistic
      psychology
      classes
     
    
   
   
    
     
      including
      Social,
      Personal
      Growth
      and
     
     
      Holistic
      Psychology
      which
      he
      believes
     
     
      provides
      students
      with
      new
      insights.
     
    

    
     
      “My
      courses
      should
      be
      taken
      by
     
     
      students
      hoping
      to
      gain
      new
      insight
      and
     
     
      a
      unique
      viewpoint
      of
      psychology,
      it’s
     
     
      something
      that
      I
      think
      students
      need.
     
     
      Psychology
      should
      be
      about
      critical
     
     
      thinking
      and
      examining
      issues
      in
      a
      new
     
     
      light.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Photo:
      UPEI
      Website
     
     
      Michael
      Arfken