# Men: Do You Wear an Undershirt? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2003, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368 "2003-01-18T01:52:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![DreadCthulhu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/db5fbb/32.png) [@DreadCthulhu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DreadCthulhu)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/41 "2003-01-18T19:29:17Z")
Yes, but only because ROTC and the military in general require undershirts when wearing a uniform. For causaul wear, only under a sweatshirt when it is really cold outside. ---
**Author:** ![Rhum\_Runner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rhum\_Runner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhum_Runner)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2003, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/42 "2003-01-18T20:17:45Z")
Yes, always. Either a proper undrshirt, or a t-shirt of some kind. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/43 "2003-01-19T01:17:10Z")
**Walloon** , you just had to be gross, didn’t you? Well, FYI, I know how to cleanse my body properly after going to the bathroom, and how to remain clean. If you don’t, and you mess yourself, you have my pity. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/44 "2003-01-19T01:37:23Z")
Yes, I wear them. v-neck tees when not wearing ties, crew-necks when wearing light-colored dress shirts with ties. And yes, even in this tropical weather. Sweating into a dress shirt (a) stains the shirt and (b) irritates my skin (and double the latter, even w/o the sweat, if it a starched dress shirt – yes we do wear starched dress shirts here, not everybody can work pouring drinks down by the pool, and there are funerals to go to, you know?) The key is that it be a light _cotton_ tee and that is _fit properly_. That way, it will immediately absorb and “wick” away perspiration and I actually feel more comfortable than without one. ---
**Author:** ![Mith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mith)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/45 "2003-01-19T01:56:02Z")
Most men at work wear them. (they have to wear suits with thin, white dress shirts) If a male doesn’t opt to wear one, you can usually see his chest hairs and nipples. Kinda exposing more than anyone wants to see in a professional setting! Lots wear white cotton Tshirts… but tanks are common in the summer. ---
**Author:** ![Mith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mith)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/46 "2003-01-19T01:57:25Z")
if yer pits tend to sweat A LOT, best opt for the Tshirt. damp marks when men lift their arms (whether they smell or not) is unprofessional. makes ya look like you are guilty… or sum’p! ---
**Author:** ![DLurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecd19e/32.png) [@DLurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DLurker)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/47 "2003-01-19T02:02:49Z")
Whenever I wear a dress shirt, I always wear a t-shirt. Regardless of shirt color. Not just for sweat but it makes the shirt look better and last longer. ---
**Author:** ![flyboy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4da419/32.png) [@flyboy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flyboy)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/48 "2003-01-19T02:02:50Z")
Always, because the uniform requires it. And it’s always a tee, because I’ve seen guys who wear tanks and they look pretty dumb in our khaki uniform with no visible undershirt. ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/49 "2003-01-19T02:13:28Z")
**Gunslinger** wears 'em. In August. In Texas. In his car that had no air conditioning. This astounded me when I first met him, as the guys I know here in NY wear them only in winter. And there he was in 100+ degree heat with TWO SHIRTS on (he had a white t-shirt under his short-sleeved button-up). It struck me as old-fashioned and more than a little odd. I still think it’s old-fashioned and a little odd, but I find those attributes highly endearing. ---
**Author:** ![Kakkerlak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bb73d2/32.png) [@Kakkerlak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kakkerlak)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/50 "2003-01-19T03:16:30Z")
To the dismay of my former S.O., I wear A-shirts under my dress shirts daily, with the only variation being crewneck tees if I’m not wearing a tie. She had evidently never seen a “wifebeater” on anyone who wasn’t a monobrowed thug. The A-shirts, of course, don’t do much for pit stains. It’s really just a matter of defending the ol’ nipples from starched cotton, and to me it’s a matter of what’s “proper”. Of course, I have six pairs of wingtips and one pair of tennis shoes. And I wear a gray felt fedora nearly every day. The closer I look to an Edward Hopper watercolor of 1931, the happier I am. Modernity, and Clark Gable, can go pound sand. ---
**Author:** ![Mith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Mith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mith)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/51 "2003-01-19T04:52:19Z")
Kakkerlak…sounds kinda eccentric. Very nice! ---
**Author:** ![racinchikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@racinchikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racinchikki)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/52 "2003-01-19T05:59:20Z")
Hurray! Fedoras! I wish Gun’d wear _his_ fedoras more often. I’ve bought him two and I don’t think he wears 'em if I’m not there to tell him how good they look on 'im. What’s an a-shirt? ---
**Author:** ![sleeping](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/839c29/32.png) [@sleeping](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sleeping)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/53 "2003-01-19T19:32:05Z")
I almost always wear a cotton undershirt. Just a habit acquired from growing up in Europe, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Badge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@Badge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Badge)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2003, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/54 "2003-01-19T21:22:49Z")
I wear one whenever I wear a dress shirt, and I have to wear one when I’m in uniform (besides, I need one between my skin and the body armor). ---
**Author:** ![rayman5321](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@rayman5321](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rayman5321)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/55 "2007-08-11T12:09:51Z")
I wear an A-shirt in the summer and a T-shirt during the cooler weather. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/56 "2007-08-11T12:18:56Z")
Only for warmth when I might be outside in the winter a lot. Never under dress shirts. I work in a very casual office enviornment. So a dress shirt to me is anything with buttons. ---
**Author:** ![racer72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/racer72/32/3075_2.png) [@racer72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racer72)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/57 "2007-08-11T13:51:31Z")
Well shoot, you guys just ruined Badge’s thread killer number by reviving a thread that’s well over 4 years old. He hasn’t been around much lately so he may not mind. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/58 "2007-08-11T14:32:01Z")
I wear one in the winter, but we call them vests this side of the pond. Usually they are just cotton tee-shirts, but I do have a couple of thermal ones for extra cold weather. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2007, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368/59 "2007-08-11T14:34:54Z")
\ Do zombies wear undershirts? Closed so we’ll never find out. \ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/men-do-you-wear-an-undershirt/149368.md?page=2)