What do leggings, cycling shorts and other form-fitting pants have in common? An ability to unflatteringly hug the groin, highlighting the private parts in the most conspicuous fashion.
It's happened to the best of us: we don our new activewear, only to be informed by a flatmate, friend or partner that we've fallen victim to camel toe, sometimes referred to as the 'front wedgie'.
It's believed the phenomenon was affectionately nicknamed 'camel toe' back in the 1990s, due to its supposed visual resemblance to the two toes of a camel's foot. It can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, and lead to hours of self-conscious adjustments.
But camel toe could now become camel no, with a woman sharing her top trick to combat camel toe once and for all. Sophia Edmunds, a 22-year-old student studying fashion merchandising at Kent State University in Ohio, has taken TikTok by storm after divulging her secret to successfully wearing spandex - without showcasing the shape of your bits to the world.
In her video, which has since been viewed more than 6.5 million times, Edmunds prefaced: "I have a PSA for all girls who don't want camel toe in their biker shorts or leggings. I was a dancer for 15 years and all I wore was the spandex, Nike Pros, the biker shorts, the leggings, so I'm pretty knowledgeable in this area."
According to Edmunds, the key to camouflaging camel toe is taking an old pad from the cup of a bra and cutting it into a triangular shape.
"This triangle shape will fit into the insert of your thong or your underwear," she explained.
"You'll stick it in, you can work out, go about your day, take a walk - whatever. And then, once you're finished with it, I throw mine in the washer. And I've had mine for years. It's reusable, you're not putting a panty liner in there. And trust me, I've tried the panty liner trick - very uncomfortable."
She elaborated: "Since the bra pad has a little bit of a scoop at the bottom, it's very comfortable and it gives you a straight line in between your legs. Someone please try this out or say that you've done this before... you have to try it!"
To illustrate, Edmunds filmed a follow-up video in which she shared a demonstration on how to insert the padding. She first turns a pair of underwear inside out and points to the gusset - the lining sewn into the crotch of the underwear that resembles a small pocket.
"What you're going to do is turn your underwear inside out. Some underwear has this lining in it - this extra fabric - and some don't. So, if you don't have it, unfortunately, this little insert will not fit," she said.
"You're going to take your underwear and this little triangle insert and place it right in there. Sometimes, depending on the style or cut of your underwear, you will need to wiggle it in there just a bit.
"You'll turn it right-side out and it'll just fit comfortably in that area and you'll be supported. Other people have also had concerns about hygiene, and I completely agree - you should not be wearing this same insert for 12 hours, five days a week... I highly recommend you to only wear this when you need it."
It's safe to say the hack has been a hit with impressed converts, many of whom verified that the padded insert works a treat at fixing the dreaded fashion faux pas.
"Saw this at 5am, tried it at 8am, confirming at 11am that it works," one shared. "You are an angel!"
Speaking to BuzzFeed, Edmunds reiterated that the idea was inspired by her former career as a dancer, during which she constantly was required to wear spandex and clingy materials.
"I lived and breathed dance and found that I was uncomfortable having my spandex creep up and cause discomfort. It wasn't originally about looks but, as I kept wearing the spandex, I needed a solution," she told the outlet.
"I had a large collection of unused bra pads that I cut into the shape of my thong lining, put in the open lining, and it was the most discreet fashion adjustment [sic]."
She said the curvature of the padding - which is designed to support the breasts - allows the insert to align seamlessly with the shape of the body.
Edmunds is now entertaining the idea of patenting a product that works to combat camel toe, telling BuzzFeed: "I would love to progress with the innovative ideas I have in order to make a pure, versatile, and inclusive business to provide more comfortable care for women."
Last week, she officially launched a GoFundMe titled 'No Show Hack via TikTok', with the fundraiser already receiving US$205 in donations.
"I have made it available for you all who support my ideas of creating a helpful product to provide better support in your biker shorts/leggings/underwear accessible by donation," she wrote.
"I appreciate all the love, support, and creative ideas being shared in order to push me to make this a business."
