If your thighs don’t touch, this story is not for you. But if having a so-called thigh gap is as alien to you as it is to me, I have some good news: After decades of suffering painful thigh chafing, I’ve been saved. Thigh Society’s The Cooling Shorts have improved my summers and my life. Warm weather and cute dresses are pleasant again.
“Chub rub,” as any thick-thighed person can tell you, describes the painful, angry chafing that erupts when sweaty inner thighs rub together. More than just a nuisance, it can actually cause scabs. I’ve spent more than one vacation day waddling around like a toddler, with raw, inflamed patches zinging on my legs. I’ve gotten it wearing dresses. I’ve gotten it wearing baggy pants and shorts. I’ve gotten it in maxi skirts. Where there is sticky summer skin touching, there is friction. And where there is friction, there will be chub rub.
For a long time, when I was younger, I was embarrassed about chub rub. Like a lot of normal, often female, experiences, it was somehow construed as a sort of failure. Touching thighs? For shame! Thankfully, chub rub has come out of the closet and into the free market. I’ve guinea-pigged many thigh-chafe-alleviating gimmicks—from deodorant-like sticks to garters—and Thigh Society’s The Cooling Shorts are hands down my favorite, life-, pride- and thigh-saving solution.