From The Sunday Times September 20, 2009

Urban Myths: Should you beware of flesh-eating underwear?

Women have been known to remove their clothes in a hurry after hearing a persistent rumour about the dangers of newly bought underwear. According to a warning that has circulated via e-mail and internet message boards for several years, it is extremely dangerous to put brand-new bras and knickers on straight away, because they can harbour vicious flesh-eating bacteria. The messages, which often come with ghastly photographs of afflicted women, stress that freshly bought undies should be thoroughly washed before they are worn. The warnings seem to carry a racist subtext about imported goods: as one worried woman with an interesting take on grammar puts it, 'We tend to forget that the clothes we buy have been who knows where and who touched them.' At no point do the messages explain why the evil bugs choose to lurk only in 'smalls' and not in skirts, blouses, stockings or other garments. This is because the whole idea of flesh-eating underwear is a hoax. The anonymous prankster behind it may derive excitement from the idea of people stripping in a panic, or from the sight of frilly items rotating in a washing machine.

Have any mudcatters fallen for this :-)