As Valentine's Day approaches, love is in the air and in some cases, lingerie is lying on the floor.
Lace, ruffles, leather and fishnet are the tip of the iceberg when it comes to sexy lingerie, available for purchase at stores such as Frederick's of Hollywood or online distributors such as shopthebunny.com.
In today's society of "Sex in the City" and Victoria's Secret models invading the homes of television viewers, it has become even more apparent that sex sells.
"Victoria's Secret makes money out of women feeling obligated to wear this clothing each year," Carolyn Kapinus, associate professor of sociology, said. "Men feel obligated to purchase it for their partner and the partner feels obligated to wear it."
Kapinus also said that adolescent girls are being exposed to more magazine and television advertisements and feel the need to conform to media ideals of beauty.
However, students whose bodies do not match the size 0-12 body type, often do not feel as though lingerie is marketed to them. Graduate student Jen Wilczynski is one of these students.
"If you look at the Victoria's Secret models they're all tall, skinny girls that look anorexic," she said. "If you can see their ribs, that's just wrong."
However, Kapinus said Lane Bryant is one company that appears to be marketing lingerie to the plus size market.
The commitment level and length of the relationship factor into the likelihood of lingerie being purchased, Kapinus said.
"I think it depends on how sexual the relationship is," she said. "I think it depends also on the individuals involved and how far along they are in the relationship and how important sex is in the relationship."
Wilczynski has been married for a little more than two years and said that on a regular basis her undergarments are chosen more for practicality than sex appeal.
"On the honeymoon I had fancy outfits and stuff, and after that it sort of drifted off," she said. "Although I've been told by my husband that he'd like it if I wore it more."
Lingerie is not always purchased for the sake of a partner, Kapinus said. Some women enjoy purchasing it because it makes them feel sexy, and around Valentine's Day stores have an ample supply of merchandise to choose from.
Pei-Wen Hsu, graduate student, said she purchases lingerie because it looks cuter and is more beautiful. Hsu said she developed a fondness for lingerie as a young girl through her mother.
"My mother loved this kind of thing and when I was young, I shopped with her," she said.
However, all college students know that shopping trips are no longer courtesy of mom and dad; the financial burden now falls onto the student. So while beauty and sex appeal factor into the decision about whether or not to purchase lingerie, one must also consider price.
Wilczynski said she often does not purchase lingerie because of the price.
"I'm really frugal," she said. "I won't even pay $40 for a pair of jeans."
For students such as graduate student Han Wang, the cost of lingerie is worth the beauty.
Wang was submersed in lingerie at a young age because her father works for Triumph, a well-known lingerie company in Taiwan.
"I've been around it since I was a little kid," Wang said. "My parents were not overprotective."
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