underwear VS panties

I have a tattoo, actually I have 3 tattoos. My first was a butterfly, I just had to get because it was valentine's day when I got it and I realized then I was headed to a divorce, butterfly= freedom. My second tat is of a Celtic knot in the shape of a heart. My dream is to see Scotland, especially the castles of Scotland. One day that dream will come true. Third tat I have is of a pink pantie. The reason I have the pink pantie is because I love guys in panties but that is not what I tell those who ask about the tat. One day a colleague of mine asked about it recently, she called it underwear. I just smiled and nodded. It seemed as if she was afraid to use the word pantie. I don't know why women won't acknowledge the name of the garment for what they are panties. It seems it is a difficult word for women to use when referring to this garment but not for the guys. To me it just seemed strange a garment I wear all the time, I refer to as panties why can't other women use the word.

Just another thought after looking at the Fruit of the Loom advertisement, panties VS underwear does it make a difference? The picture is my pantie atttoo.