THEY look like a giant teabag with the leaves missing: a mass of stretchy, white tissue with thousands of perforations. In fact, they are a pair of disposable knickers, called Zero Panties, which have just gone on sale in Boots. Many women will remember throwaway panties from the Sixties and Seventies - and by all accounts they were only too glad to dispose of them for good.
"They were like dish cloths" and "totally useless for anyone with a big behind" were two comments from colleagues who recall them first time around.
But the briefs are back, based on a skimpy M&S style, and makers Dailys say they should have more sex appeal than before.
"They are sexier than you might think," enthuses Dailys' Rebecca Lewis. "It is a re-invention of the product." They are useful for travel, or if you are staying the night away from home, she adds.
So a generation on, are they any better?
We decided to find out and asked three women in their 20s and 30s (who were still in nappies when throwaways were all the rage) to wear the new knickers and report back. Our three women normally take a size 10-12 in knickers and tried out the medium-sized pack of Zero Panties. Here are their verdicts:
Tester one
The packaging says the pants are perfect for 'sport, travel, freedom' so I decided to wear them to the gym. They looked very small and I feared they wouldn't fit, or worse they'd burst as I hit the exercise bike. However they proved to be remarkably robust. I hated the mini-brief style because I prefer M&S size 12-14 high legs (or "apple-catchers" as my man calls them).
At first, I felt as if I had a piece of paper down by backside. But as the work-out progressed, I soon forgot about them and the VPL was slightly less than from a pair of normal knickers. They passed the work-out test, but would they pass the check-out test by my partner? 'Oh my god,' he shrieked, when I flashed him a look. 'What are they? It's like something you'd wear in hospital...or a nappy.' With his clear zero tolerance for Zero Panties, I don't think I'll be buying any more.
Tester two
I was surprised. I thought they would be horrible and scratchy and uncomfortable. I expected them to rustle and rise up, but they didn't. I normally wear a size 10-12, and I found that these fitted me except at the back, where they were baggy around my bottom. I found them too low at the front. I wore them all day Saturday with my jeans as I did housework and played with the kids. I found my jeans rubbed against the low seam at the front.
But they didn't rip, which really surprised me. It didn't feel like I was wearing disposable pants, they felt different, but not flimsy or like paper. My husband was surprised too: he didn't think they were as bad as he expected. But I wouldn't buy them again: if I needed a change, I'd rather carry with me two pairs of knickers and a plastic bag.
Tester three
They reminded me of hospital pants. When I showed them to my mum, she thought they were like a hair net. My boyfriend didn't see them, but was horrified at the description. The best thing about them was that I didn't get a VPL, but that might have been because they were baggy at the bottom.
I usually wear a size 12, and I was horrified that after wearing them for a couple of hours at work, they began to come apart at the gusset seam. I wasn't aware that I was wearing disposable pants, although I felt they were too low at the front: like 1970s bikini briefs. I wouldn't wear them again. I didn't think they felt as hygienic as wearing cotton pants.
Zero Panties, available in small or medium, priced £1.25 for a pack of three, from Boots
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