Men's Underwear 101

Men have been using underwear for centuries across different civilizations and perhaps were the first set of covering attire developed by the early man. The paintings or the photographs are available today of the earlier era obviously do not reveal its use, yet it is believed that they have been used for centuries. The style, shape and design of underwear used by men also have witnessed marked transformation over time. The objective of providing comfort and support to the user through adaptations of evolving technological innovations in the material (viz. elastic) and machines (viz. knitting) was the touchstone of the transformation processes.

Imagine that you accidentally go to outer space and meet aliens there. In the course of knowledge exchange with them about the culture and other relevant things, you have to describe underwear used by humans. The simple way to describe underwear would be to term it as a stitched piece of cloth which is worn next to skin and is covered by other outer clothes or attire; thus it is normally not seen in public. Citing cartoon character Superman would be beside the context here for he wears the underwear over its suit!!!

Despite being an innerwear which is hidden from public display, it has today become a quintessential fashion accessory for the modern generation. By definition, the demonstration is a very intrinsic characteristic of anything related to fashion. Brand consciousness and fashion complement each other in the consumer world. Even though the subject of underwear preference is seldom a matter of public conversation, bold ad campaigns by reputed underwear manufacturers have been successful in creating brand following for their merchandise. The sheer variety and designs of underwear available in the market under different brand names and price tags is enough to suggest that people do consider it a very important part of their dressing style. There are many international labels which boast of turnover of millions of dollars every year and have been flourishing in the business for decades now.

 In modern times, briefs were perhaps the most preferred design which got widespread acceptance around the world. Trunks, Boxers, Shorts, Thongs, etc. are other popular types of men's underwear styles. The designers of these underwear varieties offer the array of colour and print choices. This seems to be a trend which is likely to stay in the current age of consumerism where new demands are created every day.

Queen Victoria’s Undies

In October 2014, royal bloomers belonging to Queen Victoria were auctioned in Ashford, UK. Along with her silk stockings and a chemise, they sold for a combined price of almost eight thousand British Pounds.

Queen Victoria ruled Great Britain and Ireland from 1837 (at just age eighteen) until 1901, and she was also Empress of India between 1876 and 1901. She remains the longest serving monarch in British history.

Dating from 1890, later in the queen’s life, the underwear was enormous and majestic in its proportions. The silk, split crotch drawers (as was the fashion of the time) had a waist measurement of fifty two inches (130cm) and the chemise accommodated a bust size of sixty six inches (165cm).  Considering the queen was only a very diminutive five feet tall, she was certainly rotund!

The bloomers bore the embroidered royal emblem monogram of Victoria Regina. The chemise and bloomers are the equivalent of today’s size thirty six – astounding proportions. The chemise has delicate buttons and frilled lace on the border

When Queen Victoria died, she had willed much of her clothing and undergarment collection to her servants who had loyally seen to her needs throughout her reign. Many items were distributed amongst her household. The bloomers had been in the possession of a family in Kent since at least the1920’s.

The buyer who won the bidding war for these garments is unknown but believed to be a memorabilia collector from Israel.

Another item of underwear belonging to Victoria and still in existence is her petticoat – again, dating from the 1890’s. It is of cream wool and exquisitely embroidered along the hem in beige silk, with thistles, shamrocks, roses, crowns, and her VR monogram. These symbolised Scotland, Ireland, and England, over which she ruled.

The auction was held in aid of a Guide Dog charity. Considering the fact that Queen Victoria was a lover of animals and had many dogs as companions, we believe that one may well have been amused at the sale of one’s bloomers for such a good profit!

A Fetish for Stealing Undies

Just a couple of months ago, an hilarious news story was reported in which a Chinese man, having stolen and stashed hundreds of pieces of women’s lingerie, was exposed when a ceiling collapsed under the weight of his hidden stash.

Located in the southeast Chinese city of Yulin, the man, aged in his thirties, who later admitted to psychiatric issues and a lifelong obsession with women’s lingerie, had been stealing and hiding the underwear in a ceiling above an emergency exit in his building. After the ceiling collapse, police found more than two thousand items, including bras and panties hidden in the roof.

The underwear had, seemingly, been stolen from other residents in the offender’s housing complex – they had been complaining of missing and vanishing underwear for some time. The offender had accessed a master key and entered the other residents’ apartments during their absence with the sole aim of stealing and hoarding their underwear.

He stored his stolen items in his own ceiling, until he ran out of room there; at this point he accessed the ceiling cavities in communal fire escapes.

This is not the only underwear burglar to make his way to infamy in the news recently. A Singaporean man who had been stealing lingerie from women’s indoor washing lines was caught in the act – and was publicly shamed into wearing one of the stolen bras as he was paraded around the block.

Why do men steal women’s underwear?

·        Some men want a kinky keepsake of their sexual encounters with a specific woman.

·        Some men get off on the risk of pinching something intimate.

·        Some men get off on the thrill of stealing – full stop – and getting away with it.

·        Some men have a fetish for worn underwear. There is even an industry for selling and buying worn (and unwashed) panties. Japan even sells used panties in vending machines, alongside tobacco products and beer, so extreme is this fetish in that country.

·        What causes a man to have an underwear fetish? A Japanese study used MRI scanning technology to look at the brains of men with self-confessed panty fetishes, and found that decreased blood flow to the temporal and occipital lobes of the brain was a factor in all subjects.  Whether this is a cause or just a correlation is unknown. Like all fetishes, it begins in early life and is usually triggered by an event.

The Annual No Pants Subway Ride

January 11^th, 2015, was the day of the annual No Pants Subway Ride. This novel event, started for the first time in 2002 with just seven participants in New York City, has grown to incorporate more than sixty cities worldwide.

The premise of the event is that transit passengers ride trains without wearing anything but undies on their lower halves. The top half must be as if they were going about their normal day. No acknowledgement of pantslessness is to be made.

Growing over four years from seven riders to one hundred and fifty in New York City in 2006, but 2013 sixty cities had people coordinating the event.

The event was the brainchild of Improv Everywhere, which is a New York prank collective, whose motto is “We Cause Scenes”.  Their aim is to create joyful chaos in public places. The fact that many participating cities are shivering through winter does not dampen enthusiasm!

This year, tens of thousands of people participated worldwide – with four thousand in New York City alone. The oldest registered participant was eighty four years young, and the youngest was just seven months old. Other cities which participated include Chicago, Tokyo, Bangalore, Madrid, Copenhagen, London, Jerusalem, Hamburg, and even a pantsless ride on a ski gondola in Fukushima, Japan.

Even Australians jumped on this bandwagon (and let’s face it, our climate is much more conducive at this time of year!) Trains and trams from Bondi to Adelaide had pantsless riders.

The founder of the event, Charlie Todd, has stated that the event is now an “international celebration of silliness”.

Missed The No Pants Subway Ride for 2015? Don’t despair. World No Pants Day is still to come – held in numerous nations of the world on the first Friday in May. This previously informal, college event became official in 2000, and has been embraced in colleges and universities in the US, Canada, Sweden, Finland, the UK and Australia.

Best get some nice undies!

Underwear in Space?

Carrie Fisher famously told the story of how, during the making of the Star Wars movies, director George Lucas convinced her to go commando under her costumes, because, “there is no underwear in space”. So off with the bra and panties!

According to what Lucas reportedly told Fisher, in space, when one is weightless, the flesh expands – and normal underwear would become too small and constrictive. Is this true?

Another space film which received some criticism on the underwear issue was Gravity. Sandra Bullock’s character floats weightlessly in the space station in boy-short undies and a singlet. According to a professional astronaut, this just does not ring true at all...

It seems that attire in space is anything but sexy.

So what do astronauts wear under their space suits?

Underneath the heavy and cumbersome space suit, an astronaut wears a liquid cooling and ventilation garment. This resembles a set of thermal underwear, with cooling tubes for water to keep the body temperature stable. And underneath this? Adult diapers, or nappies.

Called Maximum Absorbency Garments (MAGs), they have extra absorbency properties and are worn during lift off, landing, and “space walking”, to absorb what would usually be deposited in the toilet. Both male and female astronauts wear them. While in all possible instances the astronaut will use lavatory facilities on the space station instead, the MAG provides peace of mind. Space suits are not easy to get on and off.

NASA astronauts are given MAGs for launch, spacewalking, and re-entry attempts. They also drink a large amount of salty water before re-entry as fluids are not retained in zero-gravity; this prevents them from fainting when being re-exposed to gravity on Earth.

These undergarments become drenched in sweat – apparently the human body gets hot out there.

And what happens to the dirty underwear? Apparently dirty laundry gets tossed into a resupply ship which is unmanned. When the ship is chock full of rubbish (including those adult nappies), the hatch is closed, it is undocked, and floats off into space to fall into the atmosphere – where it burns up on its fall towards Earth. Now we all know what is in space dust...

More Fun Facts About Undies!

·        Your Undies offer a peak into how “High Maintenance” you might be! Apparently, a woman who favours white cotton underwear is easier to get along with than a girl who likes satin and lace smalls. According to a clinical researcher named Dr. Baumgartner, simple undies are worn by women who are comfortable in their own skin, and who don’t need bells, bows and whistles to feel sexy.

·        Underwear is a very personal choice – and women tend to have very set preferences. Of more than one hundred thousand women recently surveyed:

§  37% preferred bikini briefs

§  23% preferred briefs

§  19% preferred thongs/g-strings

§  17% preferred boy shorts

·        According to a study from 2012 in the UK, the average woman owns thirty four pairs of undies; American women own twenty one pairs on average (no Australian data was available). This is easily five times more than owned by the average man.

·        Women typically have a range of underwear: everyday, work, sport, special occasion, and VERY special occasion undies.

·        Early American Spacesuits (yes, those worn by astronauts) were actually made by bra manufacturer, Playtex!

·        We keep our underwear for a LONG time. 15% of women commonly wear undies they have been wearing for up to ten years.

·        It’s not uncommon for women to “go commando” in order to avoid visible panty lines. Rather than opting for a thing, a significant number of ladies choose to just go without altogether.

·        Surveys suggest that women get grumpy if their underwear isn’t just right: if it clings, clumps, slips, chokes, or is simply ugly, a woman’s mood can be seriously impacted by what she’s go going on under her clothing.

·        The colour of one’s chosen underwear can speak volumes about their personality:

§  Black = classy, strong, ambitious

§  White = calm, tender, conservative

§  Blue = creative, pleasant

§  Yellow = loving, adventurous, cheerful

§  Green = independent and relaxed

§  Red = passionate, vibrant, naughty

·        As many as 64% of women actually wear the wrong size bra!

·        Men have their underwear preferences just as much as women do. Ten percent of men prefer boxers, twenty five percent prefer boxer briefs, and forty percent prefer wearing briefs. The remaining twenty five percent preferred “other”...

The Un-Hidden Power of Undies...

Superman, Batman and Robin, Wonder Woman, Flash, The Green Lantern, The Incredible Hulk, Aquaman, Captain America, Captain Marvel, Wolverine, Spiderman... the list goes on. Aside from being Super-Heroes, what else do they all (and their counterparts) have in common?

They ALL wear their underwear on the outside.

WHY?

Does wearing one’s undies over tights, a leotard, or a catsuit, for the entire world to see, instill one with superhuman powers?

Exterior underwear is the oldest of superhero conventions. The explanation for why this is so was provided by Julius Schwartz, who was the editor of DC Comics between 1944 and 1986. Back in the day when many of these heroes were created in comic strips, during the first half of the twentieth century, their appearance was based on what circus trapeze artists and wrestlers of the time wore – yes, costumes with tights or leotards, often worn with trunks over the top.

The leotard was a plain, full bodysuit which was tight all over and enabled a full range of comfortable movement.

Identifiable undies were given to superheroes because the plain leotard was somewhat boring. They made a distinction between the legs and the torso. Superheroes were given additional items such as masks, capes, belts, and underwear. These accessories gave the hero their identity.

The very first Super Hero to be drawn in this way was Flash Gordon, in 1934. He was the inspiration for the original Superman in 1938 – and Superman was the first of these heroes to wear a cape.

(Incidentally, did you know that Superman was first conceived not as an alter ego of  good guy Clark Kent, but as the alter ego of bad guy Bill Dunn, who was set on overtaking the world in 1933? Strange but true!)

So there you have it! It’s not because most Super heroes were orphaned in their infancy and had no parents to tell them how to wear their underwear correctly. It’s not because they wear undies on the outside on Krypton. It’s all about the era they were born in and the circus performers of the time. And identification.

Exposing the Truth: Men’s Undies and Fertility

Are you a guy who favours white Y-fronts, silky boxers, or Lycra trunks? Did you know your underwear of choice can actually affect your fertility?

There are numerous urban myths relating to a guy’s underwear of choice, and its implications for the sex of any babies he fathers. One popular story, believed by many, is that wearing tight undies will result in a baby boy, whereas looser garments will give the happy couple a baby girl. If only it was that simple!

Scientists and researchers have debunked this myth – let’s face it, in certain cultures, every man would be wearing the tightest briefs possible to ensure a long line of sons – and sons there would be, if it in fact worked. We know this is simply not the case.

There is, however, some truth to the idea that the style of underwear worn can impact on a man’s overall fertility.

A man’s testicles hang outside the pelvis for a reason – and it can’t be denied that inside the pelvis would be a safer environment. But optimal temperature is imperative for sperm production – it must be lower than the core body temperature - and at warmer temperatures, sperm counts diminish. Some researchers have found evidence to suggest that tight underwear, which holds the testes close to the body, particularly in warm weather, can be detrimental to a man’s sperm count (and consequently, his fertility).

Low sperm count is the cause of infertility in half of couples who struggle to conceive.

The effects of overheating the testicles are, fortunately, temporary, lasting from three to eleven weeks.  Additionally, there is some suggestion by scientists that polyester underwear also reduces sperm production, as this fabric creates electrostatic friction.

Some people have pondered this quandary to the extreme. There is even one company who has patented cooling boxers with the specific purpose of cooling the scrotum: organic cotton shorts with an ergonomic gel cold pack to insert into the undies. Wearers are “strongly advised “not to wear them for more than an hour at a time.

So what is the answer? Ideally, when trying to conceive, wear loose, cotton underwear. It needn’t be boxers, necessarily; gentle support is still important, particularly when exercising or playing sports. The key is to wear undies that aren’t too tight or restrictive, but are comfortable and allow a little “hang”. At the same time, don’t sit in hot spas, saunas, or baths, and don’t wear those tight skinny jeans. And don’t wear underwear to bed.

Do Mormons Really Wear Sacred Underwear?

Most of us might not know a lot about the Mormon religion, but one thing many are aware of is that Mormons must wear “sanctified” or “sacred” underwear. Is this true? Or is it just a myth?

While most Mormon children wear undies the same as any other child, it is a fact that most faithful, adult members of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints (ie, Mormons) do wear a special underwear garment which is directly related to the Mormon temple.

Referred to by Mormons simply as “Garment”, this is an item of apparel worn under the clothing and against the skin. As such, it replaces normal underwear for most. It is a symbolic representation of the promises the faithful Mormon has made to God. Not exactly “sacred”, but it is “secret”.

The Garment is worn for the first visit to Temple, where individual instructions are given as to its wear and care, and a sacred ceremony referred to as the Temple Endowment is undergone. From this time, the Garment must be worn day and night, as a permanent reminder of the covenant made by the wearer to the church. The point of it is to foster a continuous and constant obedience to God, helping the wearer keep his or her focus.

Mormons believe that Adam and Eve wore clothing made for them by God when they departed from the Garden of Eden; modern day Mormons wear the underwear apparel in this same context.

The Garment serves to remind the wearer that he or she is apart from the rest of the non-Mormon world. The length and modest cut of this underwear requires the wearer to dress modestly. The only times the garment is allowed to be removed are briefly for swimming, going to the toilet, or for marital intimacy.

Consisting of two pieces, a top and a bottom, the underwear is always white, unless required by members of the armed services, in which case suitable colours are substituted.

Contrary to popular belief, Mormon women still usually wear a bra. Garments do not have knee or nipple protectors. Boys don’t wear it to prevent masturbation; instead they are warned against masturbation as inappropriate in church classes. Only as adults are garments worn for the first time.

Weird? To non-Mormons, maybe, yet other religions have their own apparel requirements. For example, Jewish men wear a yarmulke (head cap); Christian ministers wear a clerical collar; Buddhist monks wear saffron and orange robes. Muslim women may choose to wear the hijab (head scarf). All serve to reflect the religious convictions of the wearer.

But Mormons are the only ones with religious underwear.

Weird and Shocking Undies Snippets...

·        Technological advances apply to underwear too! DEOEST, a Japanese manufacturer, proudly brings the latest innovative underwear invention, marketed as perfect for any man suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or following a high protein diet. Presenting the DEOEST deodorising boxer brief: engineered from textile fibres with ceramic nano particles and ions incorporated into the weave, it’s claimed these shorts will kill up to ninety five percent of sweat, gas, and any other foul aroma native to the region. Apparently, eighty percent of the odour is eliminated within thirty seconds of being emitted; the technology is good for up to one hundred washes if laundering instructions are followed. The question remains – will the guys wear them?

·        How often do you wash your bra? It may (or may not!) come as a surprise to learn that many women rarely wash their bras – some almost never! Why not? Aside from the obvious laziness, bras can be destroyed in the washing machine if not placed in a lingerie bag. And most women are too lazy to hand wash ... but bras are expensive. They deserve to be treated well. And failure to wash them will result in chemicals in sweat causing the fabric to deteriorate (not to mention, smell funkier as time goes on). Sweat from your armpits, cleavage, under your boobs, and from your back all winds up caught by your bra. So how often is right to launder this essential garment? After between three and six wears, depending on weather, humidity, perspiration, etc,  is ideal.

·        Unsurprisingly, market research studies have shown that men commonly do not change their underwear nearly often enough. And no, we are not talking about singlets here. Mintel’s 2012 British study learned that 22% of British men don’t change their undies daily; and M&S polled to learn that 33% change their undies only every two to three days. One in forty will wear a single pair for as long as possible. Pity the poor wife, girlfriend, or partner who is likely charged with washing these. How does a guy know when it’s time to wash their daks? The “Smell test” is the go-to method. For the record, men, like women, should change their undies daily; twice daily is better!

Men’s Underwear in the 1970s – a Time Best Forgotten?

The 1970s is, quite justifiably, referred to by many as “the decade style forgot”. Psychadelic colours, bell bottoms, safari suits, brown in every shade, lime green, velour, crochet, and all in one looks are all fashions of the time many of us hope to never see again.

Questionable style in the 1970s was not, however, limited to men’s outerwear. Men’s underwear during this decade was also, put simply, at times frightful – by today’s standards, in any case. And what was deemed sexy at the time might never be suitably explained to those of us who didn’t live through it...

After what was known as the “Peacock Revolution” of the 1960s, men’s underwear styles displayed a concern for fashion and colour like never before – and in a way that had previously been reserved for outer garments. Polyester and cotton blend fabrics were popular, and not only were undies produced in ever so stylish (for the time) colours and patterns, but undershirts were co-ordinated with said undies. Nice.

There was even an all-in-one undies/vest suit available...

And even more extreme – an all in one undies and shirt ensemble...

Undergarment fashions were bold, colourful, and “anything goes” seems to have been the motto of the time.

Fancy some floral print under fashion? How about mesh nylon underwear? Or denim low rise briefs?

100% nylon fabric was commonly used for men’s undies to achieve a sleek and natural fit, which complemented the figure hugging clothing styles of the 1970s. Due to the fashion for tight trousers, tiny shorts, and synthetic fabrics, boxers were decidedly out of style and briefs were in.

Advertising of men’s undies took on a whole new character in the 1970s as well; models were often nearly naked, and perceived sex appeal in advertising was not limited to women’s lingerie. Maximising a man’s “assets” became popular like never before. The hairier the chest, the more flesh on show, and the more “loud” the undergarment – the better. If he also sported a moustache – advertising gold!

Here we are forty years on. While men’s undies are still advertised cleverly and being fashionable is important to many, one must wonder what we will think when we look back on today’s styles in decades to come. In the meantime, a nostalgic pondering on the 1970s can be funny, baffling, and everything in between...

Chastity Belts – Part 2 – Not Unheard of Even Today!

Following on from last week’s article on “Chastity Belts – Fact or Fiction?” let’s take a look at modern-day anecdotes on the use of these truly medieval devices.

While not uncommonly seen in the BDSM community and underground kink stores, there are cases over the world, even in the twenty-first century, of the use of chastity belts to prevent women from participating in sexual activity. Read on...

Indian Women Forced into Chastity Belts

The Asian Human Rights Commission reported in 2007 that women in the Rajasthan region of India were being forced to wear chastity belts. These devices caused severe injury and bleeding. One woman was found haemorrhaging on a bus; when she was taken to hospital, she was found to be locked into a metal chastity belt.

Women’s rights in this region, one of India’s most popular tourist areas, are appalling, and the practice of forcing women to wear these medieval devices is widespread. Women there are frequent victims of violent acts at the hands of men, and are bartered for and forced into marriages, their value to men on par with that of cattle. More highly educated women are worth less in dowry within Rajasthan’s middle class society. The forcible use of a chastity belt is yet another consequence of the abominable way in which these women are viewed.

Chinese Wooing Device

In 2012, a man aged in his 50s presented himself at the Changchun World Sculpture Park – naked except for footwear and a homemade chastity belt. Bearing signs advertising his availability for marriage, the man depicted himself as an inventor, philosopher, poet, and holder of a doctoral degree. His chastity belt represented his willingness to be faithful to his future wife.

Image: Chinanews.com

Holiday Without Hubby? Time to Lock Up!

A British woman set off security alarms on her arrival in Athens, as reported in 2006. Security staff found she was wearing a metal chastity belt; her husband had insisted she wear it for the duration of her holiday in Greece, so he need not be concerned that she may indulge in an affair during his absence. Nothing like a little trust!

Protection from Men?

The July 2000 Australian Cosmopolitan Magazine carried a story on Chinese women in Indonesia who voluntarily don plastic and metal chastity belts to protect themselves from rape and assault. In a country where rape is commonly used to terrorise Chinese women, who often enjoy a better standard of living than many local Indonesians, part of dressing to go out for many women includes wearing this protective device over their underwear. Even the belts aren't fail-safe: some rapists threaten to kill the women if they don’t provide the combination, however the precaution is worth trying. Many of these devices are sold and their use had become quite widespread among the Chinese community.

Image: Internet Archive Wayback Machine

A Chastity Belt for Doggies?

As reported by the Huffington Post in February, 2010, a dog breeder from Louisiana had a novel idea to play his part in preventing the overpopulation of dogs in the Deep South. Believing that desexing could be detrimental to the health of canines, or that some owners may in future wish to breed from their pets, he introduced his pet Anti-Breeding System (PABS): a belt made from polypropylene with an eight-buckle locking system. A washable mesh pad completed the contraption, intended to be worn by female dogs. This chastity belt for dogs would allow for normal toileting, but deny access for male dogs sniffing around for a little fun! The only downside? The mesh pad, not surprisingly, requires regular washing. Nice...

Image Sourced from PABSforPets.com