# Briefs, boxers or bikini? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 2, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376 "2000-05-02T18:43:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/1 "2000-05-02T18:43:10Z")
I think I’ve tried pretty much every kind of men’s underwear out there. One time, I was even tempted to try on some women’s. Men, which style of underwear do you prefer? I think I’ve found the happy medium with boxer briefs. They have the full coverage that boxers afford, without the hassle of falling through the cracks, if you know what I mean. Ladies, which do you prefer to see a man in? Freeballing is not a valid response. Unless you work in the porn industry. As an actor. ---
**Author:** ![lswote](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lswote/32/5737_2.png) [@lswote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lswote)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/2 "2000-05-02T18:49:23Z")
I wear briefs. The only woman I was with that ever commented on them said she liked boxers better because briefs look like diapers. But I don’t like hanging out the side and having a seam cut me in half when I sit. I had to wear boxers in Marine Corps boot camp and I developed such a horrible rash I bled. I just don’t understand how the boxer guys do it. I might wear colored briefs if they were more readily available, but underwear is definately a Target or K-Mart type of purchase, so I ain’t heading to the mall just 'cause I need skivies. ---
**Author:** ![cygnus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@cygnus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cygnus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/3 "2000-05-02T19:09:40Z")
SO has some of each - boxers, boxer-briefs, tighty whities, and a few bikinis. His favorites are boxers and boxer briefs, which he wears in roughly equal proportions. He is adorable in all of them, but particularly cute in boxers, so that would be my vote for aesthetics. I think that bikini underwear looks silly on almost all men. (I can’t think of an exception but threw in “almost” so as not to embarrass anyone who does look good in them, or at least thinks they do.) I think any guy who looks decent in a bikini would look twice as good in boxers. Incidentally, I borrowed a pair of his boxers once (we were out of town) and can’t imagine how one can wear them comfortably. They felt, predictably, like I was wearing a big old pair of shorts under my jeans. He likes, them, though, and they definitely work for me - just so long as they’re on him, not on my own self. ---
**Author:** ![cygnus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@cygnus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cygnus)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/4 "2000-05-02T19:13:42Z")
Oh, by the way, I have bought colored men’s briefs at K-Mart, Fruit of the Loom, I’m pretty sure, at just a little more cost than white ones. They’re very, very cute. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/5 "2000-05-02T19:18:07Z")
Boxers, baby! Soooo sexy. Boxer-briefs are cool, too, and definitely a good compromise for guys who can’t deal with Mr. Happy flopping around. I think briefs look dorky, and don’t even get me started on bikinis. ---
**Author:** ![Nen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Nen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nen)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/6 "2000-05-02T19:26:47Z")
> [@](#): > > Freeballing is not a valid response. Unless you work in the porn industry. As an actor. Excuse me?! Why not? This little rule comes from the guy who > [@](#): > > …was even tempted to try on some women’s. Do I have do get a job in the porn industry now? Damn. Well, if going al fresco isn’t a viable response, boxers are where it’s at. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/7 "2000-05-02T19:32:26Z")
Briefs. I used bozers for a while, but for reasons others have mentioned before, don’t like them. ---
**Author:** ![Mullinator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@Mullinator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mullinator)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/8 "2000-05-02T19:58:23Z")
I’ve gotta throw a hearty thumbs up for the boxer/boxer brief crowd. All of mine are normal color/patterns except, of course, for my Scooby Doo boxers. Nothing like running a meeting with a vice president and the whole time you are the only one that knows you’re wearing clothes one step removed from Underoos. ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/9 "2000-05-02T20:21:40Z")
Boxers here. Been wearing 'em since the mid-80s - once I tried 'em I never went back to briefs. Haven’t tried boxerbriefs, though. Maybe I will next time I go shopping for underwear. ---
**Author:** ![egkelly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@egkelly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/egkelly)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/10 "2000-05-02T20:27:28Z")
Long johns are great-cool in summer, warm in winter. Plus, you can use as pajamas. One question I’ve always had about u-wear: why the designer labels? How can anybody know that you’ve paid $24.00 for a pair od C-K boxers? Status labels only make sense when other people can see them (hence the famous alligator and the polo pony). What staus do you gain by buying ridiculously expensive underwear?? ---
**Author:** ![Nen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Nen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nen)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/11 "2000-05-02T20:42:45Z")
> [@](#): > > Status labels only make sense when other people can see them Personally, I hope other people see them occasionally. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/12 "2000-05-02T20:52:40Z")
Uggh…briefs only, thank you very much. These crazy people in boxers are insane. How do they walk down stairs, jog, jump, etc? Doesn’t that hurt? I mean, jeez…bouncy bouncy. I’ve tried them, and I can’t stand them. Not to mention the seems and the bunching. I don’t care what people think I look like. I’m gonna be feeling it much more than anyone else would be seeing it, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/13 "2000-05-02T21:28:48Z")
My husband is obsessed with his underwear. For a long time after I met him, he wore boxers only. The crazier the pattern, the better. He’s just that type of guy. Then…he discovered…_ **Performance Underwear** _. This is underwear made out of fancy-schmancy “wicking” materials–Capilene, Coolmax, whatever. It is for wear during sports, the same way you might wear high-performance longjohns. He wears it every day, now, not just for sports. He loves it and talks about it all the time. His rationale is that you have a greater need for high-performance underwear when you are spending all day teaching seventh graders than you would if you were playing an hour of racquetball. It comes in most styles, but Mr. Bean prefers the boxer briefs. So this performance underwear thing was okay with me. It is expensive, sure, but it lasts longer than regular undies and heck, it made him happy. I liked how it looked on him, too. But then he had to take it a step further. He started buying “bike shorts” for underwear. (not the kind with the padded butt!) The ones he buys are made of fancy wicking materials too, and he really loves them. I loathe them. First of all, guys in lycra shorts are a major turn-off. (Unless they are on a bike, of course.) Second, he pulls them up _really_ high. I guess this is so that he can get more, ahem, support. So, now he walks around wearing nothing but icky lycra shorts that are pulled up practically to his chest. He looks so horrible in them! ::sigh:: Anyway, you can add me to the group who prefers boxers or boxer briefs on guys. Tightie whities are horrible looking–but I can understand why guys like them. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Cynical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ee59a6/32.png) [@Mr.Cynical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Cynical)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/14 "2000-05-02T21:54:52Z")
Well, like I was saying, I’m a really big fan of the boxer briefs lately. I am glad to know that Mrs C is not the only woman in the world that finds them flattering. For the record, ALL of my boxer briefs are colored. They look much better that way. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![pipefitter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/97f17d/32.png) [@pipefitter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pipefitter)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/15 "2000-05-02T22:25:08Z")
I myself wear briefs, to me they keep the package more intact. I wear boxers to bed at night with a T-shirt (with two daughters in the house, have to wear something). ---
**Author:** ![Apollyon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/apollyon/32/4238_2.png) [@Apollyon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apollyon)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2000, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/16 "2000-05-02T23:03:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*\* > I’m a really big fan of the boxer briefs lately.\*\* I know I’m going to regret this, I just know… but due to curiousity meeting cultural and dialectic differences: What does a “boxer brief” look like? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/17 "2000-05-03T00:14:50Z")
Briefs for me. Had to wear boxers in the army and didn’t like things swinging back & forth! What DO boxer briefs look like? ---
**Author:** ![Strider](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Strider](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strider)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2000, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/briefs-boxers-or-bikini/18376/18 "2000-05-03T00:50:25Z")
Boxer briefs are exactly what they sound like. They are boxers, meaning shorts with a pee hole, but they suck to your body like briefs. I have seen them at all department stores. I personally do not like anything that tight on my “package” except one thing. 😉 So count me in for boxers only. And a bikini?!?! NEVER!! -N