Reflection: “Be Careful Who Knows the Size of Your Underwear”

Ellis Jackson Whitt, circa 1970, in his home in Paintsville, Kentucky.

By Marc C. Whitt

When I was growing up — and even well into my college years — my Papaw Whitt would occasionally throw out a saying that made me pause. He’d grin, lean back in his chair, and with that trademark Appalachian twinkle say:

“Be careful who knows the size of your underwear.”

As a kid, I thought it was just Papaw being Papaw — quirky, a little humorous, maybe a touch embarrassing. But as the years passed, that odd little line grew heavier with meaning.

Somewhere along the way, I realized it wasn’t about underwear at all.

It was about trust.

Papaw was reminding me that not everyone in life needs access to my private world — my worries, my missteps, my hopes, my insecurities, my plans. Some people earn the right to know those things. Others simply don’t. And wisdom lies in knowing the difference.

Today, working in communications, his words ring louder than ever. We live in a time of oversharing, where the lines between public and private can blur in an instant. But Papaw’s advice remains steady:

Guard what’s personal.

Share intentionally.

And value the people who prove themselves worthy of your confidence.

His old saying, humorous as it sounds, carries a truth I appreciate more with every passing year: Healthy boundaries aren’t about secrecy — they’re about self‑respect.

And Papaw was right all along. We should be careful who knows the size of our underwear.