In Takasaki, Japan, police recently arrested 37-year-old Hideaki Matsumoto, an unemployed man who confessed to stealing approximately 90 women's panties and bras from neighbors' outdoor drying lines since last summer. His explanation? "I am interested in women's underwear." The case, reported by Tokyo Reporter, echoes a centuries-old phenomenon: the fetishization of intimate apparel as a proxy for the wearer herself.
Lingerie has long occupied a liminal space - part functional garment, part object of desire. In the 19th century, corsets were marketed as "instruments of allure," while bloomers sparked moral panics. Today, brands like Agent Provocateur (founded 1994 by Joseph Corré, son of Vivienne Westwood) and Victoria's Secret (founded 1977 by Roy Raymond) build entire identities on this tension between concealment and revelation. Matsumoto's hoard - bras and briefs treated as trophies - mirrors the collector's impulse that drives vintage lingerie auctions, where a 1920s silk chemise can fetch thousands.
Matsumoto was caught in April attempting to steal from a garage, leading to a broader confession. Police are now investigating links to other unsolved thefts in Takasaki. The case recalls a similar incident in Pattaya, Thailand, where a remorseful thief left a note with compensation: "Please forgive me. I will remember this as a lesson." Both men reveal how lingerie, stripped of its owner, becomes a charged artifact - one that museums preserve, but collectors covet for more private reasons.
Originally reported by Lenta.RU