# Single guys getting lucky: Are "tighty-whiteys" that bad a turnoff? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 17, 2005, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500 "2005-08-17T23:40:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/21 "2005-08-18T06:17:21Z")
> [@Unregistered Bull](#): > > Seems like an awfully shallow turnoff. I’ve encountered the no support thing too with boxers. They’d be fine until you had to do a bit of walking. And God forbid any running. I can see wearing boxers for a special evening, but expecting them all the time is like expecting matching lingerie type undergarments on women all the time. It never even occurred to me to think of this until I was reading _Rabbit, Run_ and a woman made fun of the protagonists’ underwear. Then I saw the item I mentioned in the OP. I’ve always worn briefs but I’ve long since ditched the whites for various colors… Colors do have some advantages over the “whiteys”. One night we had been out in Hollywood and didn’t think it would be a good idea to drive home, so we stayed over at the Roosevelt. Naturally we didn’t have any swimsuits with us, so when we wanted to go in the jacuzzi at least my dark briefs looked vaguely like a speedo instead of being obviously underwear. 'Course it was late and there was nobody else around; I wouldn’t go to a pool using my underwear as trunks if there were people around. That’d be just too weird. (don’t know why that is, it just is.) ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Cymbeline](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_cymbeline/32/9244_2.png) [@Green\_Cymbeline](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Cymbeline)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 8:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/22 "2005-08-18T08:33:20Z")
Well, guys don’t like women in [“granny panties” like this](http://www.barenecessities.com/Vanity-Fair-Classic-Ravissant-Brief-Sizes-5-8_product_VanityFair15712_,search,.htm) , do they? Well same idea with tightie-whities… ---
**Author:** ![Cynical\_Optimist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Cynical\_Optimist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cynical_Optimist)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/23 "2005-08-18T13:59:29Z")
Well, you could always go for the ever-popular [Manties](http://forevergeek.com/entertainment/manties.php), but you’d better have something damn impressive inside them if you don’t want to be laughed out of bed. And on preview I notice that site also links to the “Tron Guy”. I should have just linked directly to the damn company store… :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/24 "2005-08-18T14:11:55Z")
I don’t care what men wear. My husband favours boxers, so I say if that’s what makes him comfy, that’s all that matters to me. Boxers are nice because I can steal them and wear them around the house. My only underwear turn-off is if they’re dirty. They can be white, they can be tight, just please be clean. It’s all coming off, anyway. And the last time my husband caught me running around in my cherry blossom-bedecked granny panties, he told me it was adorable and it led to sex. However, I’m willing to believe that he was simply horny and saying something like that might help him score. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Barrels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@Barrels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barrels)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/25 "2005-08-18T14:21:13Z")
Mmmmmm… Boxer breifs! I must go now. ---
**Author:** ![plnnr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7ea924/32.png) [@plnnr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plnnr)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/26 "2005-08-18T14:24:39Z")
I’m a tightey-whitey guy (actually, tightey-colored) and, yes, I have the body to pull them off. Actually, I have the body and my wife does the pulling off. ---
**Author:** ![Unregistered\_Bull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3da27b/32.png) [@Unregistered\_Bull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unregistered_Bull)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/27 "2005-08-18T14:40:24Z")
> [@nyctea scandiaca](#): > > Well, guys don’t like women in [“granny panties” like this](http://www.barenecessities.com/Vanity-Fair-Classic-Ravissant-Brief-Sizes-5-8_product_VanityFair15712_,search,.htm) , do they? > > Well same idea with tightie-whities… If you’ve got the gal down to her panties. There has been so much fun stuff going on and about to happen that it really doen’t matter. Would boots and a short skirt hiked up on her hips, boy shorts, a thong, or just a pair of thigh highs be a sexier visual than granny panties? Sure. But I sure wouldn’t expect those things without some planning before hand or luck. ---
**Author:** ![Unregistered\_Bull](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3da27b/32.png) [@Unregistered\_Bull](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Unregistered_Bull)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/28 "2005-08-18T14:42:43Z")
> [@Unregistered Bull](#): > > If you’ve got the gal down to her panties. There has been so much fun stuff going on and about to happen that it really doen’t matter. Would boots and a short skirt hiked up on her hips, boy shorts, a thong, or just a pair of thigh highs be a sexier visual than granny panties? Sure. But I sure wouldn’t expect those things without some planning before hand or luck. thigh highs and heels 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/29 "2005-08-18T14:47:34Z")
I hate tighty-whities – never chucked a guy out of bed for them but I have said “for god’s sake get some different underwear.” Apparently I’m worth switching for because all the men in my life have indulged my preference for boxers or boxer-briefs (yum). Now I don’t _care_ for briefs but tighty-whitie Y-fronts… ugh. It’s like you’re about to do it with an overgrown 10 year old. The fact is, the majority of guys don’t have the body for briefs or T-W’s (I’ll give Michael Jordan a pass though). Just like I don’t have the body for those boy-short undies that are so in right now for ladies. ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/30 "2005-08-18T15:38:26Z")
Four words. Scorch marks. Drip stains. Granny panties kill the mood for me, and I’m sure white briefs have a similar effect on some women. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/31 "2005-08-18T15:42:07Z")
Tighty whities. Ugh. If you must wear undies (and I’m assured by many men, including my husband, that commando is the way to go), for the love of Og please let them be boxers or boxer-briefs. It is true that it won’t spoil the moment that is already under way. However, I have an ex who, when I remember him in intimate circumstances, I envision him in TWs - which I can tell you is not a flattering way for me to remember him. They might as well be Spongebob underoos for all the dignity they lend him. He did get a steady stream of boxers for Christmas and birthday presents. ---
**Author:** ![belladonna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9fc29f/32.png) [@belladonna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/belladonna)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/32 "2005-08-18T15:42:59Z")
My dad wears tighty-whiteys, and as much as I love my father his is **not** the image I want flashing through my head as I strip down for some horizontal amusements. If you find yourself unexpectedly getting some while wearing them, I suggest just pulling them down with the pants in one swoop. Out of sight, out of mind. ---
**Author:** ![LilyoftheValley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/54ee81/32.png) [@LilyoftheValley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheValley)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/33 "2005-08-18T15:58:09Z")
Well, I posted to this thread right before bed last night, and my dreaming subconscious has an update… I hereby announce that IMHO tighty-whities look very hot on fit, dark-skinned men. There’s nothing like contrast to draw the eye in. That is all. _:: off to plan what thread to read right before bed tonight ::_ ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/34 "2005-08-18T16:05:51Z")
Tighty-whiteys make you look like you are suffering from an extended childhood and your mommy dressed you before you went out. My boyfriend had a couple pairs when we first started going out and they were phased out immediately. And yes, I have bought him several pairs of boxer-briefs and silky boxers. I love the silk boxers. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/35 "2005-08-18T16:50:04Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > By the time you’re stripped down to your shorts, you’re pretty much in. On the other hands, gentlemen, if you happen to find yourself to that point and the lady calls a halt to the proceedings due to quantity, location and color of fabric, do not count this as a loss… ---
**Author:** ![Batsinma\_Belfry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ea5d25/32.png) [@Batsinma\_Belfry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batsinma_Belfry)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/36 "2005-08-18T17:11:24Z")
It took me years to talk my husband out of tighty whiteys and into boxer briefs. He’s a little chubby, and when he would walk around in TWs and socks, he looked like a giant toddler. Not sexy at all. I think thinner guys can get away with it more. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/37 "2005-08-18T17:13:10Z")
Seems lots of women really like boxer briefs on their men. I didn’t know they were that exciting. ---
**Author:** ![AsecretK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7ab992/32.png) [@AsecretK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AsecretK)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/38 "2005-08-18T17:18:21Z")
All the men I have umm… dated wore TW but one. After that I was hooked on boxers. I defiantly prefer the way the look on a man. On a side note I never knew they were called TW until my son told me about five years ago when he was about twelve. He was at sleep over and I guess the other boys made fun of him because he had TW. He asked me the next day to buy him boxers, which I did, and that is now all he owns. ---
**Author:** ![audiobottle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bc8723/32.png) [@audiobottle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/audiobottle)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/39 "2005-08-18T17:37:50Z")
I like boxers to wear (I’m a guy), but silk boxers suck. I’m not sure what it is about them, but take three steps on silk boxers and you’re looking at your waistband being an inch below your nipples and a wedgie so deep you’ll need your spelunking gear to get it out again. Plain old cotton boxers are the way to go as far as I’m concerned. As far as turn-off, I’d imagine they wouldn’t be a problem the first time, but say in the morning, I doubt they’ll be a help in getting seconds. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2005, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500/40 "2005-08-18T17:41:18Z")
I love the look of clean white Jockey-style briefs on a man. My husband wears 'em, and he looks mighty fine. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/single-guys-getting-lucky-are-tighty-whiteys-that-bad-a-turnoff/317500.md?page=3)