Founding a Viral Brand

Most viral brands look effortless from the outside. A sudden surge. A trending product. A “lucky” moment.

Skimpies was none of those things.

Skimpies was built the hard way—by listening closely to women, solving a real problem, and showing up every single day on the platforms where community actually lives.

The Problem No One Was Solving

Bette Bentley didn’t set out to disrupt the underwear category. She was simply living her life.

As a mom juggling breastfeeding, workouts, school events, Zoom meetings, and everything in between, she lived in leggings—like millions of women do. But there was a constant frustration she couldn’t ignore: there were no good underwear options designed for leggings.

Traditional panties created lines, bulk, and discomfort. Going commando wasn’t ideal either, raising concerns around hygiene, comfort, and even the longevity of expensive leggings.

It felt absurd that leggings had become a wardrobe staple, yet underwear hadn’t evolved to meet them.

So Bette did what founders do best—she decided to fix it herself.

Inventing an Entirely New Category

What Bette created wasn’t just another underwear brand. It was something entirely new.

Skimpies became the first-ever strapless, waistless undie, designed to stick to your pants—not your body. No waistband. No sides. No visible lines. Just breathable, unbleached organic cotton exactly where it’s needed.

The product would later be named the Leggings Liner™, but at the time, it was simply a solution born from lived experience.

From the beginning, Bette was adamant about materials, comfort, and real-world functionality. Skimpies had to work through workouts, long days, rehearsals, travel, and life—not just in photos.

Growing Without Paid Ads

What happened next is what truly sets Skimpies apart.

Instead of relying on paid advertising, agencies, or massive budgets, Bette leaned into something she understood deeply from her background in storytelling and viral content: community and authenticity win.

She showed up on TikTok—consistently, honestly, and without polish.

She explained the problem.She demonstrated the product.She answered questions.She went live.She listened.

And women responded.

Skimpies quickly became a TikTok-viral phenomenon, driven entirely by organic content, live selling, and creators who genuinely loved the product. No scripts. No manufactured hype. Just real women telling other women, “You need this.”

The brand climbed to become the #1 product in its category on TikTok and one of the platform’s top live-selling brands—all without paid ads.

A Cult Following on College Campuses

One of the most unexpected—and powerful—signals of Skimpies’ success came from college campuses.

Skimpies spread through sororities, dorms, gyms, and group chats the same way cult beauty products do: by word of mouth. Once one woman tried it, she told her friends. Then their friends. Then their roommates.

It became a quiet secret that wasn’t really a secret at all.

Today, Skimpies is loved by hundreds of thousands of women—from college students and dancers to athletes, moms, and fashion lovers—because it solved a problem they didn’t even realize they were allowed to question.

More Than a Product—A Movement

At its core, Skimpies isn’t just about underwear. It’s about comfort, confidence, and refusing to accept “this is just how it’s always been.”

Bette built the brand with joy, humor, and openness, creating a deeply engaged community known as the Skimpies Sisters—women who support each other, share advice, and celebrate feeling good in their bodies.

It’s this community-first mindset that allowed Skimpies to grow without paid ads, without celebrity endorsements, and without cutting corners.

What’s Next

With a proven viral engine, unmatched community loyalty, and a product that genuinely performs, Skimpies is now bringing its energy into physical retail—translating digital demand into in-store experiences that feel just as fun, educational, and empowering.

For Bette Bentley, the journey has never been about chasing trends. It’s been about listening, building with intention, and trusting that when you solve a real problem for women, they’ll show up for you.

And they did.