Sunday, October 17, 2010

Boxers or Briefs?



Remember that commercial with Michael Jordon? I'm sure that wasn't the first time the boxer vs brief question was asked, but it did make the question popular.
Me, I'm a rebel. I prefer boxer briefs on my hubby. You get the best of both worlds. They're tight enough to be sexy -- because I hate that baggy boxer look -- and yet, they don't make me think of panties -- as briefs do -- when I look at them.
And because my hubby has really sexy legs and I like the way they look in boxer briefs . . . but I digress.

The first men's underwear was probably the Loincloth, a simple strip of material or leather. A loincloth was also used to describe material pulled between the legs and fastened like a diaper. Not a good look for anyone :(  Greek and Roman men reportedly wore loinclothes.

During the Middle Ages, loinclothes were replaced by loose trouser like pants called Braies. Braies were a step-in design and laced at the waist and mid-calf. Wealthy men also wore chausses. 

By Renaissance, braies became shorter to accommodate longer styles of chausses -- and chausses gave way to hose. But since neither braies nor chausses were meant to be worn beneath they weren't technically underwear.

Braies were replaced by cotton, silk or linen drawers which were worn for years and years and years. And years. I couldn't find much information on how much -- if any -- the basic design changed. However, in the mid 1800's mass production of underwear began and people started to buy their drawers instead of making them at home. The Unionsuit also became popular in the mid 1800's -- 1868 actually -- and had the drop seat in the back.

In 1874, the Jock Strap came along to provide support for the bicycle jockeys riding upon cobblestone streets.

The first underwear print ad ran in the Saturday Evening Post in 1911, an oil painting, not a picture. That would have been indecent! In WWI soldiers were issued button front shorts though they were often still worn with a union suit. (Which by the way became 2 pieces in 1910 - what we call long-johns).

By 1935 Coopers Inc. sold the world's first men's briefs, the design dubbed Jockey since it provided the support once only offered by a jock strap. 30,000 pairs of new Jockeys sold within the first 3 months of introduction. In the 1950's manufacturers began to make men's underwear from colored and/or printed material. In the 1970's and 1980's advertisers began appealing to the sexual side of selling, foregoing the long time ad practice of comfort and durability. Speaking of comfort - or lack thereof - the thong became popular in the 1990's.

So, what do you prefer on your man? Boxer, brief, thong . . . or commando?

17 comments:

  1. Jennifer,

    You do know how to keep me lingering on a blog post. Oh my.

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  2. Great blog post, Jennifer. I have to admit my hero's usually go commando, but for my man I like the boxer brief too.

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  3. String briefs... what can I say. I love to see a litte skin.

    Great post Jen.

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  4. Ah Jenn, you just had to put a pic of Beckham here, didn't you??? :)

    I actually don't mind boxers on a man, to me he can lounge around in them alot easier then he can with briefs on. And I do love to see a man lounging around (kinda like beckham is doing above). Only men as gorgeous as Beckham can look good lounging around wearing only briefs.

    HUGS
    Trish

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  5. Yeah, HAD to use that pic of Beckham. :) I really can't think of a men's underwear ad w/o thinking of that pic..............
    So hot!

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  6. Good Grief. And here I thought I was in for a relaxing evening for a change :0

    I've obviously been shopping from the wrong catalogue.

    As for choices, give me the old Highland hero, whose idea of underwear---isn't. When DID the term commando come to mean that?

    Another stellar post, Jen.

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  7. Ooh great blog Jennifer.
    I didn't know that commando meant, what Barb H says it means. I do like the boxer briefs, they look really sexy.

    Cheers

    Margaret

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  8. Awesome post, Jennifer. I especialy love the Beckham pic...yummy. I'm a boxer brief and commando gal myself. Love undressing my man from his jeans knowing good and well there's nothing else underneath them.

    Boxer briefs just add the right sexual appeal without being too 'in your face'. Thanks for the great history lesson on the men's undies.

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  9. Jennifer, that is an awesome post. I love it and I learned something too!

    I thin I prefer boxers, but a good boxer brief is good too.

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  10. Great post, Jennifer. I prefer briefs on my man, but guess boxers are better for guys in movies.

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  11. I like the boxer brief look. Tight enough to see all muscles, but leaves a bit to the imagination. I don't care how hot you are, one thing I can't stand on the beach is a guy in a Speedo. I don't know why. Perhaps it's the message I get because the man usually has the strut to go with the look "Hey - look at me, I'm hot. Don't you think I'm hot, too? I want the whole world to know what kind of junk I've got." Leave something to my imagination, please. A man is like a gift - I want to have some kind of surprise when I unwrap him. If I already know what I'm getting, then you might as well return it and get me another one! LOL

    That being said, I've always liked the Beckham ad. A half naked man is always pleasing to the eye, uh, a handsome half naked man that is. LOL Great post, Jenn! Now I'll have to wipe the drool off my keyboard, and maybe take 5 to cool off. It was certainly a great inspiration to start off my writing for this afternoon and very informative :D I'll never think of underwear the same way again.

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  12. YOWZA! Great blog Jen. Certainly brightened up my day. I like boxes myself, like Kellie says, they leave a little to the imagination; something to unwrap. Although, I certainly don't mind when the hubbie goes commando. :-)

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  13. Great blog, Jenn, as usual. I like the way boxer briefs look on muscular men. Just the thought of going commando would probably send my husband into a fit of some sort. :) Kellie, I agree with you on the speedo thing. When I see a guy in a speedo, I always think of that song by Right Said Fred..."I'm Too Sexy".

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  14. LOL Lori and Elke! My DH reads these blog posts and I've tried to get him to comment. HOwever, I think he's afraid of how we'll respond. Perhaps we can get a man or two to comment on the whole underwear thing. What's more comfortable for them to wear??

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  15. Glad you shared the blog. I have gone through the blog.The boxer briefs are suitable for men of all body types Thanks again for your article. Excellent research and well presented. Keep sharing.

    Dingo Dude

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  16. Very nice, I never read this type of amazing blog. Always I prefer men's designer briefs. I appreciate your post. It really explains everything.

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  17. I prefer men's brief over boxers because these are very much comfortable and supportive to underwear. I love to wear in on a daily basis. It also prevents my underwear lines from showing.

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