Are skimpy undies a thing of the past in our #MeToo times? Deirdre Reynolds looks at the rise and rise of big knickers as Victoria’s Secrets sales start to slide

My new boyfriend bought me some “sexy” underwear for Christmas that I hate. I wore it once, hoping that would be enough, but ever since he has kept hinting that I should wear it again because he enjoyed it so much. I don’t want to hurt his feelings - but I don’t know why I have to get dressed up for sex.

We use it to support, suppress, hide and expose our bodies. Underwear through the ages tells us a lot about ourselves, writes Suzanne Harrington, as she checks out the new Undressed exhibition at the V&A.

"I'm keeping his underwear," she also wrote.