Briefs and all the wacky hybrids are made from a soft cotton, similar to what t-shirts are made. While boxers, in my experience, are made of some other weave of cotton that is hard to describe (slicker/rougher) but is noticeably different. (I’m ignoring silk here.)
What’s up with this? Seems like the requirements for both would be similar, they use different materials.
I think because boxers are meant to hang freely, where briefs are made to fit snugly against your junk, hence a more clingy material.
BTW, you can get “Boxer Briefs”. They’re a longer shorts-style cut, but made from the usual briefs material (complete with the stupid penis flap at the front). Very comfy! That’s all I wear anymore.
Most of the inexpensive boxers I’ve bought (like at Target or Walmart) are made of cotton linen – the same stuff bedsheets are made from.
You can also get flannel boxers, which are nice and comfy in cold weather, but can also get sweaty… and that can become unflattering, or even unpleasant.
I switched to Boxer Briefs, too, when they became widely available. Best of both worlds. And ladybug think’s they’re cute. (If I wear white boxer briefs and a white t-shirt to bed, she says it looks like astronaut undies…)
I prefer the material used in the plain white Polo boxers that I buy at Macy’s. Don’t know what it is, though.
NoGoodNamesLeft, why is the penis flap stupid??
Briefs have to stretch and cup your bits. Boxers just cover.
AFAIK, the penis flap is stupid because it’s easier to tug your undies down a bit and go over the top than contort your penis through a widdle flap of cloth.
I agree-- I’ve always had the impression that the briefs-style penis-flap was designed by someone without the parts has never been used to pee through. How’s that supposed to work? You stick your whole hand in there, around the corner, grasp firmly, and pull?
I wore briefs my whole childhood and just tugged 'em down, and it was a real revelation when a switched to boxers, continued to tug 'em down for a while out of habit, and then suddenly realized that they were engineered so that you could actually turn that opening to a practical advantage. Who’d have thunk it?
I imagine that trying to use the flap on a pair of briefs day after day would eventually result in a trip to the emergency room with an embarassing injury of some sort.
I think Bob Dylan wrote a song about it:
I remember as a little kid feeling a great sense of accomplishment when I finally mastered that flap. The thrill has abated, but I still use it. YMMV
I know you did that on purpose, you wag.
You people realize that most briefs are KNIT while most boxers are WOVEN? Knitting makes for a slightly stretchier, supportive fabric, while weaving results in a smoother and lighter fabric. Because of the different techniques, different types of threads will be used, likely with different blends of cotton and other materials, but the cheif difference is in the knitting versus weaving, not the particular thread types.
That doesn’t really answer the “why” part of the OP though.
Because a dog made out of paper would turn all mushy in the rain (and never make a good swimmer) while a legal deposition would be far too messy to submit to the court if it were made out of dog parts (even it they’re short-haired since it is too hard to read on brown or brindle and too much white is a breed disqualifier).
But that has been pretty much answered. Briefs are designed to hold everything close (pretty much of a necesssity for a lot of activities that require much movement inside pants, to reduce chafing) while boxers are intended to reduce chafing in less active situations by simply providing a “boundary layer” between the pants and the skin, much as a woman’s slip is intended to prevent dresses from clinging too much.
The type of material is dictated by the economics of manufacturing with the cotton/poly 65%/35% blend being cheaper to produce than pure cotton when the tension that pure cotton can provide is not necessary.
tomndebb,
That’s great, did you make that up? I had to read it twice before it sunk in.
Which answer?
boxer briefs are also great in the latter stages of pregnancy to help avoid heat rash.
Most men don’t have that problem!
Most men don’t have that problem!
He’s not saying the flap is stupid. He’s dissing his dong.