Remember your grandmother telling you to always make sure you were wearing a clean pair of underwear in case a bus hit you? Well, now it appears the modern-day version could be to keep a spare pair of sexy undies in your handbag… just in case.

While the generic handbag items include wallets, phones and cosmetics, a survey conducted in Britain revealed that nearly half of the women surveyed also carry a spare pair of knickers. Learning from Bridget Jones’ mistake when her granny-style undies were exposed on a hot date, 43 per cent of women admitted to carrying a spare pair with them.

The survey of 2500 adults also revealed that while many women chose tummy-sucking, bottom-sculpting underwear for special occasions and even everyday wear, 60 per cent would never admit it.

And it may surprise you to know that it was the curvier sizes that were opting for the ‘sexier’ lingerie.

Size 8s tended to choose sensible cotton pants, while size 16s chose sexier 2-piece matching sets. And as for size 14s – watch out! They were the most likely to choose a suspender belt or to sometimes even skip the idea of underwear altogether.

Toni-Ann Lindsay, TU at Sainsbury’s Lingerie Buyer said that these statistics highlighted the fact that women are embracing their curves and feeling confident about their bodies.

“You might expect classic model-sized ladies to be more confident and adventurous. However it seems that the curvier ladies are more likely to choose sexier and chic underwear this Valentine’s Day,” she said.

Regardless of size, it’s clear that this day is at the top of women’s minds. Over half of British women (54 per cent) said that they will be selecting special underwear for a Valentine’s date, and a third will be buying brand new lingerie for the day.

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