Ban on lacy underwear leads to panty protests in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan
Law blocking sales of lacy underwear leads to arrest of 30 women in Kazakhstan protest
Russian consumers and their neighbours have taken to the streets to protest about a trade ban on lacy lingerie.
The ban will outlaw any underwear containing less than 6 per cent cotton from being imported, made, or sold in Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan.
And it has struck a chord in societies where La Perla and Victoria's Secret are panty paradises compared to the unflattering and unshapely cotton underwear of the Soviet era.
On Sunday, 30 women protesters in Kazakhstan were arrested and thrown into police vans while wearing lace underwear on their heads and shouting: "Freedom to panties!"
The ban was first outlined in 2010 by the Eurasian Economic Commission, which regulates the customs union, and it won't go into effect until July 1. But a consumer outcry against it is already reaching a fever pitch.
Photographs comparing sexy modern underwear to outdated, Soviet goods began spreading on Facebook and Twitter on Sunday, as women and men alike showed their dismay at the proposed changes.
"As a rule, lacy underwear ... is literally snatched off the shelves," said Alisa Sapardiyeva, the manager of a lingerie store in Moscow, DD-Shop, as she flicked through her colourful wares.