So, it seems to me that the lessons here (for writers) are:
Reserve the word "panties" for use in dialogue by a person that you want your readers to find annoyingly cutesy or condescending.
Any other phrase you use for underwear (is "underwear" universally safe?) is bound to annoy someone, so either avoid referring to such garments, or flip a coin to find out who you want to annoy in this book.
