In the past, we’re white briefs ever the “cool/in” underwear of choice?

[endoftheage]

So question for people who are a little older. My age range has always considered white briefs to be childish and most guys switched to boxers when they realized this (or social pressure got to them) and now many have migrated to boxer-briefs. The 18-30 year olds now seemed to largely have basically always worn boxer briefs, with comparatively few ever preferring boxers, much less briefs of any color.

For people in their mid 40’s or older, were briefs, and white briefs specifically, ever the “cool” or “in-style” underwear, like Calvin Klein boxer briefs are now? If so, what age group and what years would this have been true?

(Reminder to please limit discussion to people 18+ only, including yourself and your peers, per the forum rules.)

 

[Jon1971]

In the 40s/50s white Y front briefs were considered modern, and boxers were considered old fashioned.

 

[openfly]

Yeah, and actually if I remember correctly (50s, 60s) white may have been the only color for briefs; I don't think boxer briefs had made an appearence yet (could be wrong about that last part)

 

[Tony56]

In the 40s/50s white Y front briefs were considered modern, and boxers were considered old fashioned.

Likewise with the 60s, 70s, and even much of the 80s around here. Boxer shorts were considered your grandfather's underwear.

 

[Hannud38]

So question for people who are a little older. My age range has always considered white briefs to be childish and most guys switched to boxers when they realized this (or social pressure got to them) and now many have migrated to boxer-briefs. The 18-30 year olds now seemed to largely have basically always worn boxer briefs, with comparatively few ever preferring boxers, much less briefs of any color.

For people in their mid 40’s or older, were briefs, and white briefs specifically, ever the “cool” or “in-style” underwear, like Calvin Klein boxer briefs are now? If so, what age group and what years would this have been true?

(Reminder to please limit discussion to people 18+ only, including yourself and your peers, per the forum rules.)

I'm in my early 40s, and back in the 80's and early 90's literally everyone wore white briefs some of the time, if not all the time. They were standard back then. In the mid 90s, boxer shorts became the "cool" choice (where previously, they were seen as an "old grandpa" underwear). In the 00's, boxerbriefs became popular. In my time, I've tried all different kinds of men's underwear, but I keep coming back to briefs. They're the most comfortable to me, and I like that they have less fabric. (No bunching up anywhere & no need to readjust throughout the day....and more freedom of movement for an active lifestyle.)

 

[nayova]

Mid 40s here. I have always loved them. Here is this weekend's acquisition:

 

[briefsguy_773]

57yo here and briefs were pretty much only thing worn by my friends until college. mostly jockey and FTL until Calvins in early 80's. Boxers became like a 50/50 choice in college. wasn't until my 20's (early 90's) that boxer briefs came into the picture.

 

[halcyondays]

I'm 60 from late in the Boomer cohort. Boxers were considered old fashioned--worn by men of my father's and grandfather's generation. White briefs /jockeys were the cool choice through the late 70s when colored jockeys began to hit the scene. They quickly shrank in size becoming bikini briefs. Boxers shrank also if you didn't want huge ones. I also remember boxer briefs from around 1990. The old styles didn't disappear. It was nice to have more choices.

Here's one of the old jockey ads from the early 80s featuring Baltimore pitcher Jim Palmer. He may have been the first. After he posed dozens of other pro athletes did the same.

 

[halcyondays]

btw I remember reading they retouched those ads to make dick lines disappear. The magazines wouldn't print them otherwise... lol!

 

[Brian S]

My hometown is tiny and the middle of the US, so trends took a while to get to us. I graduated in 97, and up until that point pretty much everyone had white briefs to some extent. Some guys wore them exclusively, some alternated between white and colored/patterned briefs, and some had maybe one or two pairs but wore other types of briefs or bikini briefs. Boxers were considered to be for old men, and boxerbriefs certainly hadn't caught on yet for us.

 

[sdbg]

In the '50s and '60s, white briefs were the standard for guys under 35 - 40. We did not think of them as "cool" or in fashion; they were something that we wore every day like a pair of socks. I worked in the men's department at a store in the early '70s. I was the receiving clerk who unpacked the boxes, tagged the merchandise, and brought the items to the sales floor for the sales staff to stock. Fruit of the Loom introduced their Golden Series that offered matching colored briefs and t-shirts. I loved the colored briefs and bought several packs. From there, I explored bikini briefs. Boxers were considered "old man underwear", and very few young men wore them. I did not buy any white briefs for myself until 5 years ago. It is funny how fashion comes full circle over time.

 

[deleted15076621]

The 18-30 year olds now seemed to largely have basically always worn boxer briefs, with comparatively few ever preferring boxers, much less briefs of any color.

I’m so sick of the people on this website constantly claiming this. As someone in this age group, it’s not true AT ALL. Every single guy I knew growing up and now wore boxers. Boxer briefs have always been seen as girly and gross/for old men to most guys in this age group. I still barely know anyone in this age range that wears boxer briefs. Boxers are everywhere and have been everywhere for all of the time I was growing up too. All guys this has come up with have told me they hate tight underwear. I’m so tired of this misconception coming up.

 

[Rocky987]

Back in the 1960s/70s/80s white briefs were the most popular type of underwear for men at the time.

Then in the 1990s rap, hip-hop, and thug culture became very popular and a lot of men began sagging their pants and underwear which was boxers at this time.

Then in the 2000s decade boxers became so popular to the point that men got made fun of for wearing briefs especially the white ones which I think is wrong.

Then in the 2010s some men started to realize that boxers don't offer to much support and started to wear boxer briefs/trunks.

Right now is I would say boxer briefs/trunks are the most popular type of underwear for men on the U.S. then normal briefs and boxers. I am sure more men wear briefs than people think they just don't want to say.

 

[Bilad90]

Dunno what country you’re in but in the Uk at least virtually everyone under 40 wears boxer briefs with a small minority either wearing loose boxers or briefs. Also from what I see on Instagram it’s largely the same all over the world now!

 

[Rocky987]

I wad talking about the U.S.

 

[Bilad90]

Well even in the US the vast majority of people I have seen on social media in underwear have been in trunks or boxer briefs and I’d bet money that the most common underwear by far in US stores are boxer briefs/ trunks.

 

[deleted15076621]

Dunno what country you’re in but in the Uk at least virtually everyone under 40 wears boxer briefs with a small minority either wearing loose boxers or briefs. Also from what I see on Instagram it’s largely the same all over the world now!

In the US it's the opposite. Obviously the models posting on instagram are going to wear stuff to show off their dicks but that's not the norm with most people. Especially straight guys.

 

[endoftheage]

I’m so sick of the people on this website constantly claiming this. As someone in this age group, it’s not true AT ALL. Every single guy I knew growing up and now wore boxers. Boxer briefs have always been seen as girly and gross/for old men to most guys in this age group. I still barely know anyone in this age range that wears boxer briefs. Boxers are everywhere and have been everywhere for all of the time I was growing up too. All guys this has come up with have told me they hate tight underwear. I’m so tired of this misconception coming up.

In the US it's the opposite. Obviously the models posting on instagram are going to wear stuff to show off their dicks but that's not the norm with most people. Especially straight guys.

Hi @justaguy218 . I'm very glad for your input in this topic. While this topic was mostly about when (if ever) white briefs were popular, I'm glad you shared your input that you disagree with my general assessment that boxer-briefs are the "common/popular" underwear of under-40s.

If I can ask, how old are you and what part of the USA are you from? I'm thinking it's possible that 18 year olds in major cities have a different experience than 29 year olds in rural parts of the USA, even if they're both in the "young adult Americans" group.

Would you say among your age group in your area today, boxer-briefs are seen as "girly and gross/for old men"?

What I would agree to is that boxer-briefs seemed to become more popular in the late 2000s and take over as "the main underwear" in the mid-2010s. Gays/bis were the first adopters of boxer-briefs, but I would venture to guess that most straight guys wear them now too; they're no longer a "gay underwear" like jockstraps are now (for non-sports reasons). Put another way, most boxer-guys are straight but most straight guys are not necessarily boxer-guys.

What proportion of your friends/peer group currently and in the past (18+) wear boxers vs boxer briefs vs something else?

 

[deleted15076621]

Hi @justaguy218 . I'm very glad for your input in this topic. While this topic was mostly about when (if ever) white briefs were popular, I'm glad you shared your input that you disagree with my general assessment that boxer-briefs are the "common/popular" underwear of under-40s.

If I can ask, how old are you and what part of the USA are you from? I'm thinking it's possible that 18 year olds in major cities have a different experience than 29 year olds in rural parts of the USA, even if they're both in the "young adult Americans" group.

Would you say among your age group in your area today, boxer-briefs are seen as "girly and gross/for old men"?

What I would agree to is that boxer-briefs seemed to become more popular in the late 2000s and take over as "the main underwear" in the mid-2010s. Gays/bis were the first adopters of boxer-briefs, but I would venture to guess that most straight guys wear them now too; they're no longer a "gay underwear" like jockstraps are now (for non-sports reasons). Put another way, most boxer-guys are straight but most straight guys are not necessarily boxer-guys.

What proportion of your friends/peer group currently and in the past (18+) wear boxers vs boxer briefs vs something else?

Early 20s and from the North East. Went to college and high school near major cities. I would say that amongst my age group, I've heard others say they're for old men, yes.

In the past, 100% of my friend group and like 90% of the guys I saw in locker rooms wore boxers. Now that I'm no longer in college I can't comment as much on the immediate present outside of my group but I know all of my friends wear boxers and dislike boxer briefs.

 

[opinionman]

I’m so sick of the people on this website constantly claiming this. As someone in this age group, it’s not true AT ALL. Every single guy I knew growing up and now wore boxers. Boxer briefs have always been seen as girly and gross/for old men to most guys in this age group. I still barely know anyone in this age range that wears boxer briefs. Boxers are everywhere and have been everywhere for all of the time I was growing up too. All guys this has come up with have told me they hate tight underwear. I’m so tired of this misconception coming up.

It seems presumptuous of you to dismiss the myriad statements in this forum as "not true at all." Do you mean to say that the experience of virtually ALL the other posters is somehow false or made up? How would you know?
I was pleasantly surprised to see the number of guys who responded just as I would have: that until about the later 80's boxers were for OLD MEN. In the 70's in hs, NO ONE in my private boys school wore them .

I went to college in the Northeast and it was only the prep school kids who wore boxers. Virtually no one I knew wore them, except, perhaps, as dorm wear to hang out.

I have never, ever heard anyone say "boxer briefs were girly or "gross." Where did you hear that?As many posters here have mentioned, the choice of most guys appears to be boxer briefs now.

Besides, the OP asked about guys of older generations, so if you're that young, maybe you don't have the experience he's asking about.