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All guys deserve amazing underwear. Tim & Stevie are here to talk about being beefy guys and our love of underwear. We are all over the board for this show but are going to talk about all things that affect bigger guys. We have some great plans for the show and look forward to doing more shows soon. Give us feed back especially if you’re a beefy guy!

Read more at www.unbblog.com

Follow Tim on twitter – www.twitter.com/unbtim

Follow Stevie on IG – www.instagram.com/undies_cub

UNB Tim: So before we begin this talk, why do you love jocks, and what got you into jocks?

Jockstrap Junkie: I go back to when I was a teenager and despised ‘tighty whiteys’ and started down the path of trying different underwear styles. So, thru the journey, I tried boxer briefs before they became the rage in the early 90s, plus looking at my brother’s Sports Illustrated seeing gymnast Bart Conner wearing a pair of Jockey Elance bikini briefs made me appreciate the bikini brief. At that time, my body was pretty skinny, and those worked well. When I hit 30, I also hit the gym. I didn’t play sports in school, so the gym was a new experience for me. Also, at that time, I was wearing boxers and needed to find some underwear that worked under the gym shorts. So, as I was going thru the magazine section, I picked up an UnderGear catalog and made a purchase, which happened to be a Y-back thong by 2xist. That vintage of 2xist thongs was great. After a while, and my body changing from lifting, I found that the thong strap along the taint was irritating me; so, I started looking for an alternative with the requirement of keeping the boys in place but also providing ample airflow while working out. This is where the jockstrap came into my underwear drawer, again thru UnderGear. The best was not having to wear the old jockstraps we wore in HS, which I found to be uncomfortable, but the new styles provided some style while being functional. While most guys like working out in compression shorts or boxer briefs, I get overheated and don’t like them. So, for the past 15 years, I’ve been experimenting with different jockstraps, and it has become a fun hobby.

Underwear News Briefs is now eleven years young. What was your inspiration for starting an underwear blog? What trends have you seen with jockstraps over the past eleven years?

UNB TIM: Thanks, yes, UNB is now a tween, as you commented in a message. Let’s hope we don’t have to listen to aginsty music and bad poetry for the next few years. Well, Jocks have seen some different things happen over the last 11 years. In 2009, I named it the year of the jock. I did this because everyone was releasing fashion jocks. I mean, every collection and brand was doing it. This was happening at the same time the jock brief came into existence. In 2009/2010, we saw several jock hybrids (Jock Brief, Jock Trunk, Jock boxer brief). I thought we would see them get huge. But, they never really did get super mainstream with undies guys.

That’s not to say the jocks have disappeared, but guys who love jocks have been loyal to the style, and many are still being made. The 2009 was the turning point from jocks that were either athletic or fetish, into everyday wear. The prints, colors and fabrics all changed. Gone was the thick waistband and leg straps, we now had smaller bands and straps. That could be worn under work clothes and jeans. Believe it or not, not everyone wants to show off their undies!

In the last few years, the biggest trend has been in the fetish world. It’s like they are embracing the jock again. The brands are creating removable pouches (codpieces), different fabrics (neoprene and leather-like). Pair that with matching harnesses. I think one of the newest styles that have taken off is the Cellblock 13 harness jock combos as I call them. They are made to be worn together because the jock is just a pouch and leg straps. There is no waistband. The Bare and Legion lines are the two that come to mind. But other companies like Maskulo are doing their own thing with jocks. So if you are a fetish guy and love jocks, now its the time for you.

Speaking of Fetish Jocks, the original Bike jock is one that comes and goes. Bike was bought out, and the name is no more, so the #10 Bike Jock is history. If you have one in your drawer, consider yourself lucky. The new ones are similar in design but not the same as the original. I could kick myself because before Bike changed it, I gave one away to a friend. Little did I know it would be the last, and I wouldn’t have one like it again. This style will never go away, ever — Mark my words on that.

In the last two years, we have seen several new jock brands come on the scene. Bristle Jock, Coyote Jocks, and Raw Studios designs. All three have been around and seem to be doing well. So I think we will see more jocks on the scene. Thongs have really been reigning supreme in the world of undies in the last few years. They keep going more and more. But, I think we will see another year of the jock again soon! It’s been ten years and about time for the trend to come back.

What would you like to see in the second year of the jock? What fabrics, designs, do you feel would be good for the jock?

Jockstrap Junkie: I would like to see some focus on leg strap attachment and fabrics. One of the jockstraps I desperately wanted to like this past year was the aussieBum Tonka jockstrap. Unfortunately, the leg strap on the Tonka had a design flaw and twisted on one of the leg straps. I thought it was a one-off, but I purchased two different colors, and the result was the same. A similar jock to the Tonka I bought this year was the Lift Jockstrap by Jack Adams, and Jack Adams got it right.

With the fabric choices on leg straps, I feel some manufacturers simply purchase a cheap elastic strap thinking that’ll do. Elastic waistbands have come a long way over the years; simply use some of the same materials that are used in the waistbands on the leg straps, just in a narrower width.

Another aspect I would like to see manufacturers market is whether the leg straps are designed for a skinny guy or a guy with some beef. One of the worst feelings is feeling like your circulation is being cut off due to tight leg straps. I see questions regularly on Reddit posts of guys trying to find bigger jockstraps. Guess what manufacturers, not everyone has a 30″ waist and no ass.

I’m already noticing several manufacturers try different fabrics and textures with the pouches. In fact, in my review for the Jack Adams Nano jockstrap, I had to look up the fabric Lyocell, which is in the Rayon family of fabrics. To me, the pouch should be extremely comfortable and hold shape. I’ll make some guys mad when I say this, but the old Bike #10 has served its functional purpose, and I’m not crying that it’s not around. The rubberized woven pouch to me was very abrasive, didn’t breathe well, and not comfortable to wear for long periods of time. I respect Bike for being the pioneer; however, Bike didn’t keep up with the times and trends. I would like to see a single layer pouch constructed from the same material as Under Armour’s BoxerJock synthetic blend (90% polyester / 10% Elastane), which holds shape very well.

From a design standpoint, I would like to see more manufacturers try different attachment points of the legstrap. I have several that connect at the side of the hip, which is a classic look, but I also have some that attach at the corner of where the waistband and pouch come together. The latter creates both a different look and fit.

You mentioned hybrids (jock-brief, jock-trunk, and jock-boxer brief), and I think this could be a growth area if done right. I’ve tried a few in the past and haven’t been impressed for various reasons, probably due to more of my body not fitting in them well. Some of that takes me back to why I don’t like tighty whities. However, I do have two jock-trunks in my collection by Fort Troff, which I do like.

Years ago, jockstraps used to be a staple in the locker room. Why do you think the jock took a backseat to compression shorts and boxer briefs?

UNB TIM: Good question!! In the 2000’s we saw the rise of UnderArmour. Their compression gear and boxerjocks. Which, to me, is still a strange name. Two of the most different pairs of underwear in one! I think UnderArmour won with technology. They invested in gear that kept you warm, kept you cold, and kept your dry. These are all important things. UnderArmour came out with a jock, but it was mainly used with a cup. I have several of these, and when I played softball, it was the only jock I would wear. It was amazing and kept the cup in place. Better than the ones included by cup makers.

Another reason is this gear became easier to get than a jock. To get a jock, you had to go to a sporting goods store to get one. Most big-box retailers never carried them. If they did, it was seasonal only. Compression gear was sold at both Target and Walmart. So you could pick it up when you were picking up light bulbs.

Another reason I think they excelled is that the jock was considered “gay.” Yup, I said it. I mean, the pair is a pouch with nothing in the back. Whether this is right or wrong, it’s not for me to say, but I think this played a part in the shift to compression gear. There still are guys who wear jocks in sports, but it’s been few and far between. I mean, look at the story you posted about the one layer doing stretches in his jock in the locker room, it’s viewed as not “normal.”

In that instance, why do you think the player got such a hard time for just being in his jock. In previous years it was no big deal to walk in a locker room in a jock.

Jockstrap Junkie: True, Jaguars starting QB Gardner Minshew III got tagged in a tweet by an ESPN for wearing a jock; however, the reporter had a fun and positive spin as Minshew is his own character. If the Jags wind up being a good team under Minshew, we might see a resurgence of the jockstrap. Famous people usually start trends. This may not be the year as the Jags are struggling to stay at 0.500 in early October.

The biggest reason guys get razzed is for things that are not the standard; herd mentality is to run off those who are different. I still remember Jason Giambi getting a good ribbing for wearing his gold thong and Josh Reddick sporting a speedo during Houston Astros’ celebrations during the 2017 playoffs.

As you’re close to the industry, why is there so much range in the sizing of underwear, and why don’t manufacturers disclose better detail on how jocks are sized? WildmanT and Andrew Christian does an excellent job with their respective lines for those packing a little more in the front, but nobody advertises a jock for a beefier bum.

UNB TIM: Well you asked the million dollar question. Sizing in underwear is always an issue. There is no standard in sizing. At UNB, we go with typical American sizing. That is 32 waist is medium. 28-31 is small, 32-35 is a medium, 36-39 is a large, and 40-42 is an Xl. Two reasons come to mind why the sizing is an issue. The first is where the underwear is made. If it’s in Japan or South American, sizes are smaller than we would expect in the US. For instance, an XL in Japan is a 32 waist and sometimes smaller. South American is a little smaller but not as small as Japan.

The next reason is the customers of the brand. If they don’t sell certain sizes, they will discontinue making them. It’s a simple supply vs. demand argument. Lately, a lot more brands are adding larger sizes, so that’s a good thing.

Butts have been left out of underwear, no pun intended. We have a ton of undies for guys with big packages — more options than I can count right now. However, the bubble butt has yet to be taken into account by underwear makers. I personally don’t have this problem; I wish I did, but I don’t. Each the big pouch and bubble butt guys (and guys with both problems) have their own issues. Most guys with bubble butts go up a size in undies, but that causes other fit ideas. Or their butt eats the undies. I think there is a big market for underwear that is designed for a guy with a bubble butt. That includes jocks. I don’t know why this hasn’t been addressed by underwear makers. I think there is just as big market for that as the bigger pouches. But that’s just my opinion. It could be guys want the “pouch is not big enough” rather than the butt. But who knows. I should ask a few brands about the butt issue.

How do you think underwear manufactures can make undies that address the butt issue?

Jockstrap Junkie: One way is to disclose the fit. When buying jeans, for instance, you can buy them in a slim fit, regular fit, relaxed fit, tapered leg, straight leg, boot cut, etc. Let’s take C-IN2, for example. I have several styles of their jockstraps and in what I call a classic cut (C-Theory, Core, Tackle, Zen, Throwback, and Hand Me Down lines) I don’t have any problems with how tight the leg straps are; however, the cuts where the leg strap attaches at the pouch (Scrimmage, Grip, Super Bright) I cannot wear due to the leg straps being too tight. Currently, C-IN2 has 17 different lines of jockstraps, and none of them disclose what the fit of the leg straps are. Maybe the industry should adopt some of the jean manufacturers’ lingo when describing underwear in general, not just jocks.

Of course, there’s an easy market for the ‘big pouch’ underwear because that’s easy bragging rights; however, the market for the booty isn’t as attractive. I digress when I say that I’m one of the guys who’s ass eats briefs, and nobody wants to see me picking them out of my butt.

With that being said, I may start adding a descriptor in my future jockstrap reviews to help guys out when buying. The sizing issue has cost me this year when trying different brands of jocks.

Over the past eleven years, there have been several brands that have come and gone. Are there brands that you miss that are no more? For me, JockUp is a good quality jockstrap, and I hoped they would be around for a long time.

UNB TIM: Where do I begin? I have to camps for this; the first is brands where I knew the people behind them, and second are brands I loved that are gone. Usually, they were both! But sometimes I never met the people behind a brand I loved. But there are tons of brands I miss, one in particular I loved but never interacted much with was Vizeau. They were way ahead of their time. They made thongs, jocks, and bikinis. They lost their manufacturer or supplier and went out of biz. They briefly came back but don’t think they are in business.

So that wraps it up this talk, Tell everyone where they can find you online?

Tim, it’s been fun chatting. Readers can find me on Twitter @the_Jockstrap or on Reddit u/the_Jockstrap

brief-talk-thongsWelcome to our Brief Talk on Thongs. Thongs are growing in popularity among guys. They are no longer labeled stripper wear or for just gay guys. Guys on all points of the sexual orientation spectrum are wearing them. Those guys are loving them. We wanted to get two guys on the spectrum and have a frank and honest discussion about thongs.

We have UndiesFool a long time reader of UNB. He’s a straight professional guy who loves underwear. He has a love of thongs as well. We also have Eric, who we interviewed about lace a few weeks back. He’s a massive thong lover. In fact, he even wears them on the beach. There is photo proof on his Instagram! We felt these two guys would be the perfect match for this conversation.

Welcome guys! I’m so excited for this talk. I personally don’t wear thongs as much as you do. I have them but not a lot. I think thongs are still a bit taboo for guys to talk about in general.

What initially drew you to thongs?

UNDIESFOOL

(Hi Eric, nice to meet you!)

Valentine’s Day initially drew me to thongs. Yup, you read that correctly. How cliché, right? Ha! Ugh.

I was in college and it was Valentine’s Day. I wanted to wear some sexy undies for my girlfriend (who’s now my wife) thinking they might help set the mood for a really fun night. So I ventured off to the nearest mall and into a department store. I walked around the men’s underwear section and saw the usual suspects like boxers, boxer-briefs, and briefs. Nothing was catching my eye and screaming “I’m your sexy Valentine!” But then I came across a rack of thongs and I was like “oh yeah, touchdown!”  Now before I tell you what thongs I found, let me just preface by reminding you I was a horny college student on a mission with a very limited budget! The rack was full of Intimo 100% polyester satin/silk thongs. Some were white with red lips printed all over them and some were black with red hearts printed all over them. I thought I just struck gold! I quickly grabbed a black pair in my size (as if they were going to run out of them anytime soon) and made my way to the cashier. The woman who was about 75 raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say a word and kept her cool. I, on the other hand, was sweating like a pig and trying not to look her in the eye!

Ecstatic with my purchase, I hurried back to my dorm, took a shower, and pulled those babies up! It was the first time I had worn a thong and I thought I was God’s gift to women and just knew my girlfriend would go crazy! Fast forward to later that night, she finally got to see her Valentine wearing his sexy thong and all I could hear was laughter as I dropped my pants. She thought my black satin thong with the red hearts looked ridiculous. She quickly pulled the thong off me and threw it across the room. I was slightly embarrassed and tried to convince her the thong was a joke, but my heart knew it wasn’t even if the hearts on my thong told her it was. That was the day I swore I’d never wear a thong again.

Years later we talked about that night and what really happened. She explained to me that it wasn’t the fact I was wearing a thong, but that I was wearing a cheesy black satin thong with red hearts printed all over it! So for years I deprived myself from wearing a thong because I felt she couldn’t stand to look at me in one, but that wasn’t it at all. In fact, turns out she actually likes her man in a sexy thong and often picks one out for me to wear on date nights!

 

ERIC ALDEN

Nice to meet you, also!

I loved your story. Haha! The first time I bought a thong was just a little different. I was 16 and I had seen the 2xist y-back thong at the local tj maxx on a recent visit,  I was throughly intrigued!! I had never seen a mens thong before, and I knew I had to have it, I thought it was super sexy and a little taboo, but I think that’s what drew me to it. I was also a little embarrassed buying it — what was the cashier to think of me buying it? Would they think I was a pervert? I couldn’t just walk up with a thong… How would I check out? I ended up finding two other pairs of briefs that came in boxes and made a sandwich with them with the thong in the middle.   There were two cashiers — one male and one female.  I made a bee-line for the woman.  I couldn’t tell you what she looked like, because I placed the items on the counter along with my $20 bill and like you was sweating bullets but never looked up! I got home and put it on.  I loved the way it felt and looked I was instantly hooked!! my love for thongs had started.

It’s funny –I thought they were so sexy, and I felt super sexy in it, but I never told anyone I was into them or even had them. For what ever reason, I was embarrassed about it and thought people would think I was weirdo.

It took me a while to admit that I loved wearing them. I had my first long-term boyfriend at 19.  I knew sooner or later he would see my growing collection of thongs. I forget how they came up, We might have been out shopping, and he knew of my obsession with underwear.  I think I picked up a thong and asked his opinion.  His response was “that could be hot” so I bought it. Needless to say, he loved it.  He even tried it on when we got back to my apartment. He never became a big thong guy, but would wear one here and there.  He knew that I also liked them on him.

Now I have zero issues with admitting I love thongs lol

 

You both got your first thong. Eric’s went well and UndiesFool, yours shaped your opinion of them for a few years after. After you gave into your love of thongs, how did your collection grow after that first pair? (Did you try different brands, styles such as g-strings or thongs)

UNDIES FOOL

Great choice for a first thong, Eric! Much better choice than mine, haha!!  Going back to your point of being embarrassed of what people will think, whether it be the cashier ringing you up or the person you’re dating, I honestly think that’s one of the biggest roadblocks as to why guys don’t try wearing thongs. It’s foolish. It’s a piece of clothing that men have been wearing long before women and if it’s something that you like and makes you feel good, then wear it! Only my wife knows I wear thongs and it helps a great deal to know she likes seeing me in a thong, but as far as friends & family go, how often are we seeing them in their undies?! Not often. So why are we worried so much about other people and their opinions of our choices in underwear styles?!

Once my wife explained to me that it wasn’t the fact that I was wearing a thong that made her laugh, but that I was wearing a really cheesy thong, I totally went shopping!  I was already spending money every month on undies purchases, so I just refocused my purchases from mostly briefs, boxer-briefs & jocks to more thong purchases.  And what’s better is that I didn’t worry about sweating bullets wondering what the cashier was thinking since 99% of my undies purchases are done online in the comfort of my home usually in my underwear.

My thong collection grew exponentially and continues to grow. I’ve tried everything in my search of what brands I like and more importantly what style thong I like. Brands I’ve tried throughout the years include 2(x)ist, Agacio, Andrew Christian, BodyAware, C-IN2, Calvin Klein, Candyman, Clever, Cocksox, Cover Male, Doreanse, Emporio Armani, Ergowear, GIGO, Good Devil, Gregg Homme, Intymen, Jockey, Joe Snyder, JOR, ManSilk, N2N, Obviously, Papi, Pikante, Pistol Pete, Timoteo, and Tulio. I think I got them all! Even though my bank account definitely took a beating in my search of the perfect thong, I was able to learn a lot about what I like and don’t like about thongs in terms of fit and style. This is important because no two thongs are alike and what may work for one guy may not work as well for his friend. So if you tried a thong in the past and didn’t like it for reasons such as fit or style, I strongly urge you to try a different brand because there’s a thong out there for everyone…you just need to find it! So with that said, did you find yours, Eric?

ERIC ALDEN

Haha! Thank you!! I totally agree. It is the biggest road block, and online shopping really helps now!!  I’m a bit more open now with who knows that I wear thongs. Like Tim said – just check out my Instagram.   I want people to know there is no shame in it! I’m always in my underwear no matter who’s around.  I went to a underwear party in Provincetown ( a big gay vacation spot ), and all I had on was my thong camo bathing suit from cockpit undies.  It is now one of my favorite swimsuits!  I just danced the night away in that, and I can’t tell you how many compliments I got. I also get a good number of messages on social media about how I’ve inspired them to go to the pool or the beach in their thong. That makes me very happy! I also think its fantastic that there are straight guys out there like you helping pave the way!

My collection is also massive, which I love.  (But like you. my bank account does not!) I thought I’ve tried them all, but you listed a few brands I don’t recognize! ( Steps away to placing a few orders )

You know I have found a few that I love.  To be honest, I learned about the Ergowear thong from the unb blog, and I ordered a few.  I love them! Some of the new N2N thongs are great for me. Kick Saget, my love for bodyaware is silly! I just found Arroyman and I’m enjoying them, and I was out shopping and ran across the Emporio Armani thong that fits me very very well. Its so hard to pick one!  I have so many I love! What about you? Favorites?

UNDIES FOOL

You’re so right! There is no shame. It’s just undies. Everyone wears them, well, most people. There are the few that always go commando, but I highly doubt any of the UNB readers fall into that category! Not to say commando isn’t OK. God knows I’ve done it!

I truly believe we learn by example and you’re certainly leading one! Your cool story about wearing your camo thong swimsuit to an underwear party is a perfect example as to why we shouldn’t be ashamed to show off our underwear, or at minimum have no shame in talking about our underwear. You got people to respond positively by your leading example. You literally gave them the confidence they needed in themselves to be who they wanted to be! I was a huge advocate of this when I had my Tumblr page. My only intention of having that page was to show guys (and women) that there are better undies choices to be made and that it can be a huge boost to your self-confidence if you make the right choice and feel great about what you wear. I also have to mention I totally just checked out your Instagram and that’s just a testament to how you’re leading the way and showing by example that we really should have no shame. Awesome page! Keep inspiring other guys to be more self-confident.

I definitely have to agree with you about Ergowear. I have four pair of Ergowear thongs and I’d say this brand is in my top 5 of my favorite thong brands.  Most guys that have tried this brand have tried the X3D thong, but personally I prefer their MAX thongs. Whether it be the MAX light, the MAX suave, or the MAX mesh, but truth be told I really do like the MAX mesh the best!

Picking my favorite thong is a tough one because like you, I like them all for different reasons and what works for me might not work for a friend. There’s definitely some brands I listed below that I wished I didn’t try because they didn’t work for me, but I’ll never say which ones! However going back to naming my favorite, I’m a classy guy and sometimes the classic thong is the best. So with that said, I’m a huge fan of the N2N Classic Cotton thong. I feel like you just can’t go wrong with it. It’s light, roomy, not too small, not too big. It just works in every way for me. In general, I think N2N is a phenomenal company and I love their products, not just their thongs. But another thong of theirs that I’ll mention is the Silk thong. It’s pretty damn comfortable and suggest checking it out.

The runner up to my favorite thong is the Cocksox thong. I didn’t choose it as my favorite because it’s one of those that you can’t always wear, unlike the N2N. I work in a very professional office and wear suits to work. The Cocksox thong is just inappropriate under suit pants because it really puts your package on display, more so when worn under thin pants like suit pants. Probably not the best choice for a professional environment! I do really love wearing my Cocksox under jeans, though!

 

Eric, you brought up something in your answer I want to ask you guys. Is it wearing thongs easier for a gay guy over a straight guy? I think there is a stigma still attached to thongs by some?

Eric:

I think its easier for gay men to talk about underwear openly in general. I’m not sure about straight men, but I would assume that there is a stigma about them and that if a straight man wore a thong or talked about underwear, other straight men might question there masculinity or sexuality.

UndiesFool:

I completely agree with Eric. Straight guys fear other guys (and even women) question their masculinity and sexuality should they want to talk about underwear in general, never mind thongs. Personally, I had this fear myself, even with my wife! Therefore I’d have to agree with Eric that it’s easier for a gay man to openly talk undies in general.

I’m going to go off topic a little and talk about underwear in general, not just thongs, as it relates to why it’s more difficult for a straight guy to openly talk about underwear because I think it’s important.

I think another major reason why straight guys don’t openly talk about their underwear is because we straight guys probably have less opportunities to talk undies. Think about it. Underwear probably isn’t one of the more popular topics of conversation, whether it be a conversation between gay men, straight men, or a mix of both. I’ve hung out with my straight friends and gay friends, sometimes at the same time, and I can honestly say underwear has come up once in conversation. But I’m willing to bet that underwear had come into conversation between gay guys more often because there’s more opportunity for the topic to enter the conversation. Perfect example is that there are establishments geared towards gay guys to come drink, dance, and have an awesome night in your underwear. Sure straight guys could go there too, but generally speaking that probably doesn’t happen much. So just in this particular situation where a bunch of guys are hanging out together in their underwear, they have more opportunity to talk about underwear. Personally I don’t know of any establishments like this geared towards straight guys. So pretty much 100% of the time straight guys & their friends are going to a bar to hang out, we’re fully clothed and chances of us seeing our friends in their underwear is pretty slim, even seeing just a waistband is pretty slim. So it’s probably not on top of our minds and therefore the opportunity for underwear to enter the conversation is almost non-existent. Let’s be honest, how do you work into the conversation “hey guys, I’m wearing a thong right now” when you’re talking about work, wives, and football?! Haha

The one time it was brought up in conversation for me amongst friends was when one of my buddies was telling us a story of a bachelor party he went to. He lost some sort of a bet and the deal was that he had to wear a thong to the upcoming wedding. It was a pretty funny story!

Another important factor as to why underwear isn’t being talked about amongst straight guys is because they’re confusing sexy with sexual. Hear me out. Undies can be sexy, but they don’t have to be sexual! For instance, sometimes I wear a jockstrap under my suit to the office because it gives me confidence and a sense of empowerment. It’s not a sexual thing and I’m certainly not walking around the office with a hardon. But the same jockstrap has a different meaning when I’m wearing it under my jeans on date night with my wife because I know afterwards she’s going to see what I’m wearing and we’re going to have a fun night!

I truly believe a guy, gay or straight, can look at another guy and think those undies he’s wearing are sexy and wonder how he’d look wearing them all the while not having sexual thoughts about the guy wearing them. I know I’ve done that. That’s usually what happens when I’m shopping for underwear. Just because I see a pair of underwear on a guy and say to myself, “those are pretty hot” does not mean I’m saying the guy is hot. I’m not checking out his bulge or body. I’m simply saying I think that pair of underwear is awesome and I wonder how they’d look on me. Conversely I truly believe a gay guy can look at the same model and have the same thought and not turn it into a sexual thing. Just because a gay guy likes guys doesn’t mean that he has sexual thoughts about all men, even men in their underwear. A perfect example of this is the gay athlete changing in the locker room surrounded by other male athletes changing. Just cause he sees another guy in his jockstrap doesn’t mean he wants to jump his bones! Maybe he does, but maybe he likes fat hairy guys.

Bringing it all back together, I think straight guys have a more difficult time talking about underwear than gay guys because they don’t have many opportunities to bring it up in conversation, but if they do have the opportunity, they fear their masculinity and sexuality will be questioned. Maybe as more guys realize and understand that underwear can be sexy without being sexual, undies will be talked about more openly amongst friends. I hope we get to that point!

Undies Fool has a great point. In general, it’s harder for straight guys and underwear. But as I can tell you that is changing, slowly but I have seen it happen in the 8 years of UNB. 

Thongs are growing in popularity but we have a good mix of gay and straight guys who have an aversion to thongs. What could you say to a guy who is thong averse? 

UndiesFool:

I’m assuming that if someone is thong adverse, they’ve at least tried wearing a thong and decided they didn’t like it, which I can respect. And to be clear for the straight men reading this, trying on your girlfriends thong doesn’t count since they are a completely different design structure for obvious reasons!  But for those guys that have tried wearing a thong and decided they didn’t like it, let me just reiterate that no two thongs are alike and it took me a while to learn what fit and style thongs I like and don’t like. So if you’re a guy that’s thong adverse because you tried wearing one once and didn’t like it, I’d urge you to try a different brand because there’s a lot of thongs out there for men and the slightest difference in fit, cut, or style could or be the difference between what works for one guy over another.

Eric

I agree, I couldn’t have said it better myself. There are so many different thongs on the market, and like you said, no two thongs are alike. Some are more fashion, some more sexy, and some are more everyday. I think you should decide what you want out of a thong and go from there. If you don’t wear thongs, you still didn’t put on the first pair of briefs, or any other underwear for that matter, and say “thats it, these are what I’ll always wear.” I am sure you found what you liked by trial and error. I know what thongs not to get again, but that doesn’t stop me from trying new ones! and that could lead my next new favorite!

 

Would you or have you convinced friends or other guys to try thongs?

Eric

No, not on a serious level. I have however suggested thongs to other guys I know who wear them.  More like, “check out this brand or cut” type of thing.  For as much as I post in them, and everyone I know has seen me in them, I guess that is my kind of advertisement of thongs, hoping more people will get inspired. I wear a thong bathing suit most of them time.

UndiesFool

I probably wouldn’t try to convince any of my friends because it goes back to the question of how it would even come up in conversation. As we already talked about, as a straight guy the opportunity to talk thongs amongst my friends is pretty much non-existent.

“Hey, guys did you watch the Pats game on Sunday? Yeah, it was pretty awesome. You know what else is awesome? Wearing thongs!”

Yeah, that doesn’t seem like a good transition in conversation among friends! But like Eric, I know I influenced a couple guys to try thongs when I had my Tumblr page, either by answering their questions,  challenging them to try one, offering up suggestions on brands, or simply just by leading by example and posting a picture of myself wearing a thong.

Taking it one step further, my hope is that we influence at least one person with this conversation. Whether it be a guy who’s always had an interest in thongs but was afraid to try them out, or a guy who’s tried wearing a thong once but didn’t like it and decides to try a different brand, or a guy (or even a girl) who felt men shouldn’t wear thongs but has a different opinion now. And if that doesn’t happen, at least we can say Eric’s had an influence on me from this conversation after checking out his Instagram because I’m definitely considering purchasing my first piece of leather or lace! 🙂

Eric

Haha you know how to reach me if you want some leather or lace suggestions!

Agreed I hope we can influence just one person and get a few women on board and help encourage their boyfriends to give them a try, would be great!! I’m sure that’s a big concern for some straight guys.

 

We have covered a lot in this talk. Thanks for sharing real talk about thongs. One last question. We have guys just starting out in thongs. What are your three top thongs guys new to thongs should try?

UndiesFool:

Oh man, that’s a tough question! But for a guy just trying thongs for the first time, I’d say basic is better for a newbie. So with that said I’d suggest:

1) N2N Bodywear Cotton Thong

2) C-IN2 Core Y-Back Thong

3) Ergowear MAX Light Thong

Eric: 

Agreed! Basic is better and those are great choices so I’ll give some slightly different ones.  In no particular order.

I’ve really been loving the N2N DC5 Silk g (thong) I own it in the blue and gray. It’s comfortable and the material is sexy.

The second choice would be the Sukrew full thong. It’s another of my noncotton daily wear thongs.

Last but not least is the BodyAware essential ribbed thong. I think it looks better on in person than the photos on the website show. It’s light weight and soft and I wear it all day. It’s not actually cotton but a rayon blend so it doesn’t stretch out like a ribbed cotton.

We hope you enjoy this talk of a gay and straight thong lovers. We had a lot of fun doing it and hope you enjoy reading it! 

Brief Talk: Dietz - Underweardude & The Bottom DrawerHi guys, The Bottom Drawer and Underweardude here to do a little discussion on the brand Dietz. Both of us have discovered the brand in the last couple of years and find them to be a good choice. Let’s get down to the questions.


How did you come across the brand Dietz and what grabbed your attention to try them?

The Bottom Drawer: I came across the Dietz brand on Tumblr. I stumbled upon some photos taken by who is now called 68pence on there. I liked that his photos were taken in places like around the house instead of just studio shots. That to me allows me to relate more to the situation and picture myself in the undies. In the end the cut matters along with design, which Dietz fit into my kind of style.

Underweardude: I came across the brand through you (The Bottom Drawer), seeing you on twitter espousing how much you liked them. Since we both share a common interest in skimpier pairs, I decided to check them out. I was drawn to the brand by the predominance of skimpier cuts.

What do you think makes Dietz different from other brands?

Underweardude: I think Dietz’s styling is what sets them apart. They kind of remind me of N2N in a sense, as their pairs usually have a simple but sophisticated look about them. They just ooze sex appeal. I also find it interesting that it is hard to tell their underwear from the swimwear, as you can probably use some as both, I gather. Basically, their choice of cuts and style fits right up my alley.

The Bottom Drawer: I like how you put it “simple but sophisticated look.” It is the subtle color accenting they add into their styles that I think gives their underwear some character and a bit of pop. Be it with the piping, waistband, logo, and/or stitching on their underwear or swimwear.

Favorite pair so far and why?

The Bottom Drawer: The Joker brief of theirs is my favorite so far. It’s a nice snug fitting bikini cut. I also like that the pouch is two toned color with black and yellow and a solid yellow back.

Underweardude: My favorite pair is my only pair by them of yet, the Ocean Brief.

Is there a pair you are wanting to try and why?

Underweardude: I am curious to try one of the brands thongs, As of course more of their bikinis. The choice as of today would likely be from the Firenze or Firenze Sec lines.

The Bottom Drawer: The Firenze lines are the ones I’ve been eyeing too. I really wanted one of the bikinis, but I saw they added a thong cut to the Firenze Sec collection. So now the thong tops the list. Though probably get one of each when the time is right. I think the fabric looks super soft and again the slight color addition at the top of the waist and the logo makes them stand out to me.

Anything you would like to see more of from Dietz?

The Bottom Drawer: Main thing I’d like to see is more thong cuts like the Firenze Sec ones they introduced recently and also skimpier cut bikini style swim briefs. More color options in the styles they already offer would be good too.

Underweardude: I guess all I really want to see more from Dietz is more interesting stuff. Would be really fun to see them keep working on their own style.


That wraps up our talk on Dietz. If you have any question or feedback on Dietz, just comment below.

NOTE: Their site is being redesigned. The link is http://deliodietz.com/

 

perfecting comfort in men's undies

Salvatore and UnderwearDude are going to discuss key ingredients to comfortable undies!

Salvatore:

Commando is an option that plenty of men go with nowadays. I personally feel so sexy in underwear that I only go commando when in the shower. That makes the need for comfortable fitting undies a premier need in my life. I don’t want to pay over $20 for something that doesn’t fit well. I want to experience the comfort I’ve grown to love in the hundreds of pairs of great undies that I’ve purchased over the years day in and day out. That comes with an understanding of what to look for in a brief.

What do you consider the top 3 or 4 categories to look for when selecting comfortable underwear?

UnderwearDude:

I can’t imagine going commando either. I’m so used to wearing underwear all my life, it just feels plain weird to go without. You also lose a great way to express yourself. But on the question at hand.

Sex appeal can matter greatly, in my opinion. I feel like there are quite a few pairs that are meant to look great but aren’t up to the task to be worn all day, at least without being annoying. So if a pair looks like it would be found on a stripper, I keep a note in the back of my mind that I have to remember that I’m probably spending a lot for money for something I won’t wear often. I’ve got some fantastically fun and sexy pairs that just stay in the back of the drawer because of how ill suited they are for daily wear.

I’m pretty flexible when it comes to material, waistband thickness, etc. Unless its got like mesh lace or a pouch that won’t fit I don’t have any real big preferences when it comes to comfort.

Specific to bikinis when it comes to comfort, I pay close attention to the size of the backs. I don’t really have much of a rear end, that can’t keep the smaller backs that come on some bikinis in place. If I wanted a wedgie, I’d just wear a thong! So instead I look for pairs with a fuller back, despite the lack in sex appeal.

I’ve noticed that some of the major labels have increased their efforts, or at least the advertising thereof, of producing more comfortable pairs.

Do you think that a truly comfortable pair can only come from a pricy brand?

Salvatore:

Great question! I think the first thing we have to delineate is the definition of an expensive brand. I used to think $10 a pair was expensive. Then it went to $20 and then $30. For me, the $30 a pair category is too much to pay for a pair of underwear. Thank goodness that brands put their designs on sale! Others may be at the $10 a pair price point. At any rate, I would unequivocally state that you get what you pay for.

I have enjoyed some of the pricier brands of men’s underwear over the years. I usually bought them through a discount retailer on or on closeout as a new line emerged for release. Funny this is—I keep finding more and more the perfect fit. For instance, Cut-2-Fit, a UK brand that custom makes undies, makes your pants (British for underwear) according to your exact measurements and desires for cuts and fabrics. You can’t go wrong with this. Their underwear will run you about $20 USD per pair. This isn’t bad considering they do a custom design (complete with drawings) and have your exact measurements (waist, penis, scrotum, and legs). You can’t go uncomfortable with custom.

I am also enjoying the fact that some of the big names are creating the same great underwear for the economical budget. Andrew Christian recently released the Basic Line. The briefs are only $10 and you get the same greatness of Andrew Christian’s premium lines—anatomical pouch, super soft waistband, and very nice fabrics. Couple that with the brands 25% off (currently running) and you have awesome designer underwear for $7.50. You can’t beat that.

One of my favorite designs goes back to the early 1990s. Hanes made a super soft line of bikini briefs. The pouch was larger than normal. I bought a set of three for $8 when I was 13 or 14. Granted, I do not shop for underwear at Wal-Mart any longer. However, the potential for a great design is always there in non-designer brands.

There are a couple of brands emerging that I encourage everyone to check out. They use super soft modal and have put a lot into the design of their underwear to include multi-way stretch fabric, slimming waistbands, and precision cut leg openings. The two brands I am thinking of are Krakatoa and Big Boys. The best part, both brands are under the $20 price point.

All in all, you can get what you desire if you are willing to shop around. Why settle for average. Go for the best.

You talked a little about seat coverage in your underwear and mentioned how that might diminish sex appeal. Can you tell me more about why you are looking for a full seat? What do full seats do for sex appeal?

UnderwearDude

My preference for bikinis with a more full-sized back has more to do with my body than my opinions on sex appeal. Smaller backs just don’t tend to fit well for me. I have the opposite of a “Bubble Butt”, which ironically can have similar problems when it comes to the back facing side of underwear. If you’ve got the rear for it, why not wear a pair with a smaller sized back.

Those of us who are well versed in the realm of upscale men’s underwear don’t balk at a $20 per pair price, but not most guys. I recently saw one of the bestselling pairs on amazon (Boxer-briefs, as you might expect) on sale for $15 by a sales site. They mention, “That’s still pricey for a single pair of underwear, but reviewers say it’s worth it.” Note that this isn’t the first time I’ve seen this pair mentioned on this site, always with this caveat. It makes me wonder how different our views must be from the average male.

Do you think that buying better brands, or at least decent ones, will eventually become the norm?

Salvatore:

 I equate the upper eschelons of men’s underwear brands to how a woman buys a bra. I recently explained this to my wife. It seemed to click to her. She knows that she can’t buy a bra for $10 at discount store and expect to get the same quality as what Victoria’s Secret puts out. She also knows that the best quality comes from high end brands normally sold in upper end department stores or specialty shops (the kind you get measured for before they will sell it to you.

Men’s underwear is the same way. I recently had this discussion with my father-in-law. He couldn’t fathom paying $20 for a single pair of underwear when he can get the exact same thing at Wal-Mart in a package of 3 for $15. The only way I convinced him was to get him in a pair of Obviously trunks with the fully anatomical pouch. It took him all of ten minutes to decide that the price difference is wort hit. He now consults with me before he buys new underwear.

With that said, how do you think we underwear experts can do our part to get men to try out premier lines for the sake of their crown jewels?

 UnderwearDude:

 I think it’s gotta come gradually. There are a lot of brands, such as Mack Weldon, Tommy John, and Saxx that market themselves towards the average guy. They are all still small brands, but making headway. A few months ago, Mack Weldon sold their millionth pair! I don’t think every guy is going to be adventurous enough to try a skimpy pair, but I’d be totally happy if even the basic boxer brief was a little better. I also think by promoting and buying from brands we can hope to push the big name brands to put out better products. Competition makes for better products, right?

Which smaller brand(s) do you think is or will have the most impact on bringing more comfortable underwear into the mainstream, or at least push the big brands to up their game?

Salvatore

There are two brands on my radar currently that are upping the ante for the everyday guy. Big Boys Pants out of the UK and Krakatoa from the West Coast. Both are using really high end fabrica and elastics to give the normal guy a little something extra to slip into for work , the gym, or anything really.

What I appreciate about both of these companies is that their price points are below the standard luxury brand for the same high quality we’ve come to expect. They make fabulous looking underwear at a reasonable price. In fact, they both have me experimenting with trunks and boxer briefs—something I never thought would be comfortable.

With that, we’ll call this Brief Talk a wrap. Whether you’re looking for something skimpy, full seated, or mesh, comfort plays a big part in everyday wear. Keep coming back to UNB to hear the latest news and information about the male underwear industry and for Comfort’s Sake, buy new underwear regularly!

UNB Tim & Undies RockWelcome to a Brief Talk between UNB Tim and one of our newest guys Undies Rock. We hope you enjoy this honest talk about underwear!

UNB Tim – Undies Rock, First welcome to the site! You are our new resident straight guy, well one of three! So we had a text conversation the other night about social norm and how both gay and straight guys have very similar stories. It was like preaching to the choir and we have very similar views but from very different places. Being gay it’s fully accepted that I can like undies, whereas you being straight its not culturally acceptable.  How did you discover your love of underwear? Have you heard people say you must be “gay’ for liking underwear? 

Undies Rock – Hey UNBTim, thanks for having me on, it’s been a blast so far! I want to start off by saying that was a solid convo we had, and I’m looking forward to sharing our view points.  You know, I don’t know the exact point in time when it clicked for me, because I have always been fascinated by underwear, but I knew I was hooked when I bought my first pair of bikini briefs in high school.  I couldn’t believe how comfortable they felt and how dope they looked.  Ultimately, in the back of my head, I knew how “uncool” and socially unacceptable they were (are).  Language such as “they’re gay” is typically what people are conditioned to think when they see a pair of men’s bikini briefs, and though I have not been explicitly called gay for the type of underwear I choose to wear (mostly because people don’t have the opportunity to see them), I know that people could assume this from my underwear selection.  This stereotype has always frustrated me, not because I’m afraid of people thinking I’m gay, I couldn’t care less about anyone’s opinion of me (life’s too short), but what frustrates me is that a group of people who do no harm to anyone have had to suffer such social injustice. First of all, I don’t even know whose business your sexual orientation is, or how it even matters; personally I don’t want to know. Second of all, I certainly can’t rationalize the correlation between fashionable/comfortable underwear and gay men, other than the fact that they have the confidence to strut killer undies, which is admirable.  Why do you think people assume underwear fans to be gay?

UNB Tim – That’s a simple question with a complex answer. When the blog started it was read by gay guys. I would assume about 100% were gay. I think gay guys are more open to talking undies and sharing what feels great. This, when noticed by society, lumped undies into the “gay” category of fashion. This is reinforced by entertainment. When they want to have a funny person in undies, they do something really off the wall. Look at the Borat thong he wore. Also, most times a bikini or thong are made fun of rather than seen as no big deal.

Even without movies, I think the general public has a notion that underwear that is skimpy is made for gay guys. They consider it too much like women’s underwear. I won’t go into the whole lace debate, but bikinis and thongs are considered feminine to a large amount of men in the states. Hell, even prints and pouch briefs are lumped in this category. Real men wear boxers or boxer briefs. No self respecting man would be caught dead in man panties.
This attitude is changing. This is due to the of the Metrosexual. Metrosexuals allowed guys to break out of the jeans and t shirts mold guys were accustomed too. It now allowed them to wear clothes that were flattering and develop their own style. This also includes underwear. Why would you wear great clothes but still get underwear at a big box store? Guys are trying undies through their own or through wives/girl friends. Underwear has become a fashion accessory. Its not longer something you just put on.

What do you think the biggest hurdle of guys from trying great undies? What changes do you see happening in society to make underwear more acceptable?

Undies Rock – These are loaded questions, and are topics that I have struggled with for quite some time.  There really isn’t an easy answer, and I hate to get philosophical, but I really think it boils down to social conditioning.  In a similar manner to how men have been conditioned to be accustomed to uncomfortable and ugly underwear, we need to work to open the conversation to men that fashionable and comfortable underwear are socially acceptable, and desirable.  Continual conversation and positive exposure in the media outlets will help foster the mindset that it’s oaky for men to shop openly and own sexier underwear.  I stand by this, and decided to join the conversation by blogging for UNB.

As you mentioned previously, people associate swim briefs and skimpier underwear with the outlandish portrayal in entrainment such as Borat, Wild Boyz, etc,.  These gross over exaggerations ultimately engrain the notion in men that if you wear a swim brief or bikini underwear, this is how you will be viewed by society.  Though these portrayals are far out, they possess the power to influence the mass, which they have.  To further my position, what I find interesting is that for women it’s the antithesis.  I feel this has been fostered from decades of positive press.  Let’s not forget that only a few decades ago, it was a mortal sin for women to expose their skin.  Let alone be 90% naked at the beach with nothing but a skimpy triangle top and swim thong to cover up. I have a strong feeling that if women’s swimwear and underwear was portrayed in a similar fashion to men’s (e.g. an unattractive female wearing a tacky swim thong) then I bet it wouldn’t be socially acceptable for them to wear skimpy intimates.

I know it won’t happen overnight, but if more men come to the realization that awesome underwear exists, and that it is masculine to shop for it, I think the social epidemic we are currently facing on this front will diminish.  If you had to guess, when do you think men as a whole will accept underwear and swimwear?  Do you think we will start to see more men wearing swim briefs in a couple years or decades or not at all?

UNB Tim – That’s a great question. I think every year we get more and more advancement in what guys will wear. I mean, the boxers are finally going down in popularity. The brief is picking up steam and the bikini is making a strong come back. I mean a few years ago you’d never hear much about bikinis and now its starting to spring up all over!

It’s like the 80’s all over again. Back in the 80’s more guys wore bikinis and swim briefs. It was pretty much a non issue. I remember changing for gym and being self conscious about wearing bikinis and there would be several guys in them in the locker room and it was no big deal. Even one of the big men on campus wore them.

Next, guys want to be comfortable. I have heard more guys talk about how uncomfortable boxer are to them. They give you no support, I don’t get boxers. I have worn them and given them a go but Its never a go to pair and I only have prob 3-4 pairs. More guys need support through out the day and discover if you get a good pair of trunks or briefs it keeps everything I place and you don’t have to worry about having to constantly adjust.

Lastly, guys want to be more fashionable. As we have said in this post several times I think. Why spend $100 on jeans to to wear $4 boxers under them? Wear something that matches your clothes.

I’m electing you to speak for the straight community! Why do you think are a few reasons straight guys are holding out on wearing great undies? What do you think can be done to encourage more guys to wear good undies?

Undies Rock – These are all great points that you’ve identified, and I couldn’t agree more.  Hopefully we will see the switch sooner than later.  But for sure it seems to be true that men as a collective are deciding more and more to wear comfortable yet fashionable undies.  As they should.

Specifically for straight guys, there are a couple of reasons why men are apprehensive to indulge in great undies. I hate to circle back to this, but I feel a lot of it boils down to what men feel comfortable with.  Though I don’t relate to this, I have recognized that a lot of men are susceptible to popular opinion.  I think that all of the negative press on cool undies (ultimately equating to a derogative stereotype) has put a damper on any progress and development.  I also think that it is an exposure issue.  Not a lot guys have had the privilege to swim in a CA-RIO-CA bikini, or had the opportunity to wear a JM thong, or to divulge in the (what seems to be) hundreds of options (on a micro level) of underwear.  With this in mind, men have no clue how to adequately judge and form an opinion on what is actually good, other than to accept the norm.  Which is why men actually believe that curtains of shame (aka boxers) are in fact underwear (not shorts! LOL) and that they are comfortable and cool.  This is our current state.  Sigh.

There are a lot of actions we can take for the cause.  I don’t want to make this sound like this is a strategic endeavor, but we have to be smart with our actions in this day and age.  I think one element that will help the straight community is conversation.  As more men talk about underwear, it becomes less taboo and more casual.  I think men in this day are fairly open, and I think once a positive conversation is started, a lot of progress can be made.  As I have stated numerous times, this one of my main motivations to blog for UNB.

Also, it would help if big brands start to offer bikini and better cuts of underwear, with a wider range of comfortable fabrics such as modal, nylon, polyester, etc .  Big retail brands have the power to influence the mass with what is socially acceptable.  And their statement of approval is simply making the product.  This may not always be true, and I know consumers drive market trends, which they can bring to life or kill.  But I think if big retail brands such as Gap, American Eagle (FYI they just started a body positive campaign – AE isn’t my thing, but power on!), might be surprised at the response they receive  if they start to advertise and showcase cooler underwear.  I can’t say this absolutely, but I have always felt like there is this bubble that is waiting to pop on this front, and I think when one mainstream company takes the helm, the rest will fall in line.

I think it will also help the straight community to have solid support and appraisal from women.  Women possess the power to make men feel self conscious or confident with their wardrobe and body.  Funny enough I met with Andrew from N2N and he mentioned the greatest blowback he has received is from women.  This kind of had my head my head spinning.  Apparently they are the first to taunt and tease men for their swimwear/underwear selection.  Personally, my girlfriend raves over my undies, and I know that she is not the only female out there who can appreciate a solid pair of undies on her man.  In fact I think more women would than not.  Just because a few loud mouth hater chicas disapprove, holds no weight in this war at all.  I think a lot of ground will be covered if women start to voice their approval and desire for better underwear and swimwear for men.

Concurrently, I think this also holds true for brands.  Instead of brands advertising group photos of men together wearing underwear, I would like to see more photos of men in swim briefs with a female counterpart.   We see this in brands such as Corka, Charlie BMZ, Clever, and other brands that advertise men and women together, and it looks hot.  The imagery is enough for straight guys to interpret the approval and support from brands and women to feel it’s acceptable to have dope underwear.

Also I think time is a huge factor.  As trends become obsolete, previous generations die that drove trends, etc., room is created for new designs and styles.  Ultimately it up to us to set the trends, and be the leaders for progressive underwear for men, and if you’ve read this far into this post, your helping us step in the right direction (and THANKS for the support!).

Lastly I think that gay men and straight men need to unite on this front.  We are divided, and there is no reason we should be.  Division on such a mass scale only hinders progress.  Numbers matter and our voice holds that much more weight as a collective.  I get it, the mere fact that I am even acknowledging that straight men have different needs than gay men doesn’t help.  My goal is to at least address the reality of the situation and draw attention and opinion to greater area of concern; amalgamation.  Honestly, call me dense, but I haven’t ever been able to figure it out.  Who cares if you’re straight?  Who cares if you’re gay?  I really don’t know, but somehow it’s still an issue.  So let’s get with the program dudes.  IT IS 2016 – NO ONE CARES ABOUT YOUR SEXUAL ORIENTATION.  Not because it’s irrelevant, but because sex is sex, and believe it or not, people have sex with whomever ever they wish (as long as it’s mutual), and it should be no one’s business to delineate otherwise.  But if you do care, spare yourself the shame and humility of publically acknowledging that you actually have the time to trouble yourself with such a trivial matter.  We are people.  We are men.  Guys lets unite, and bring back cool underwear. Enough ranting lol.

Not to dwell on your previous response too much, but you mention how it’s almost like the 80’s all over again with the trends that are starting to catch.  I found this interesting, not because I love the 80s (which I do!), but because it seems like progress was made in the 80s, but that it was dismissed in the 90s, for us lone undie fanatics to deal with the aftermath of poor decision making.  I mean if we stayed on track with the trends from the 80s we probably wouldn’t be having the convo is the first place haha.  Why do you think the trends in the 80s didn’t stick?  How can we stop this from ever happening again? Lol I bring this up because I would hate for the undie community to lose all of the progress we’ve gained in the 2010s in the 2020s.

UNB Tim – I would say what stopped the trend was the Boxer. The boxer became the default underwear for guys in the 90’s. I know many people reading this would say they didn’t wear them. I think I bought one pair of boxers, which drove me crazy. I didn’t understand their popularity due to no support. It was like I was wearing shorts under my Khakis. This also lead the way to the Boxer Brief. The hybrid that changed the world of underwear too.

Going forward we need to let guys pick what ever they are comfortable in, not just be fashionable. If you love a thong, wear it, bikini wear it, boxer brief, wear it. That’s what UNB is for, guys who love undies and want to share it. Its about your passion and enjoying it.

Good things are happening in the world of undies. The rise of the Jockstrap in the 2000’s is the world of undies shifting. Also the creation of more hybrids. The biggest example is the jockbrief. Baskit lead this revolution and it’s pretty much a mainstay style in a lot of brands. Then we come to the rise of the thong again. Thongs have always had their die hard fans over the years. But more guys are trying them and finding they love them. We have had few guys say they wear them to the gym for the support they give. This isn’t just gay guys its straight guys!

I would like to say we are going through a revolution in underwear. No longer is it just gay guys caring about underwear. Straight guys and women are wanting something better. Its making them step outside their comfort zone and find something amazing. I have long said that once a guy tries amazing undies they don’t go back. They have a preconceived notion that they are uncomfortable and made for showing off rather than wearing. Once they slide them on they find out, underwear makers want their underwear to fit like a glove and your goods were made for them. Where would we be if all brands just made underwear that looked amazing but uncomfortable to wear? We wouldn’t be here!

How do we get it from happening again? I say let them discover underwear. I think more guys now are trying different style from the 80’s. I think the market was way smaller then. Now its HUGE. I mean we have how many blogs dedicated to men’s underwear? Plus we need to be more open about our love of underwear to our friends. As soon as you have just a conversation about underwear like it’s no big deal it won’t be a big deal!

Other than UNB, how are you spreading the word about underwear? What do you think guys can do to make underwear a topic that’s not taboo?

Undies Rock – Way to put me on the spot UNB Tim!  Sorry, I had to J but that’s actually a great question.  To date, I think that one of my greatest contributions has been all of the underwear purchases I have made.  I have quite an extensive collection (don’t hate), which some may say I have a problem, but let’s face it, every man is allowed to have a hobby, and I just so happen to dig undies.  I think all of the purchases I have made have been a voice for more fashionable and comfortable underwear and will hopefully drive market trends.  As consumers we have purchasing power, and though you may not be able to find a cool pair at Macy’s, Kohl’s, or other department stores, cool underwear does exist.  There are countless amounts of brands with awesome styles and cuts for every activity, and they need our support.  I am also a huge proponent of swim briefs, and I strut them shamelessly at the beach, pool, etc.  I will continue to press on with wearing swim briefs in hopes that I will inspire guys who are on the fence but lack the confidence to strut them due to fear of being marginalized.  Hopefully in time, more and more men will realize that it’s actually way better to swim in comfort and style.  Also at times I have given friends recommendations on underwear for various activities.  It’s usually a little suspicious to them as to why I am so knowledgeable but I could care less, and really, anyone who knows me understands this haha.  I also have an Instagram account dedicated to underwear (@undierockla).  I’ll be honest, I haven’t used it much, as my life has been a little hectic, but as the summer roles in, I plan to share all of my UNB reviews on it as well as other undie related topics.  Ultimately the small things do help, and everything I mentioned that I do above are things that all men can do and ultimately the more small things men do collectively play a greater part in the revolution of men’s underwear.

A lot of the taboo around men’s underwear has been due to the desexualization (I think I made this word up, but you get the point) of the male body in American culture.  For women in America, it’s the antithesis, as they female body is almost over sexualized.  American men have been conditioned to unreservedly accept the norm due to a multitude of reasons, but I think (as I stated countless times) that keeping the conversation in combination with positive press will go a long way.  Every year, I see more men wearing swim briefs, and the men’s underwear market is continually expanding and thriving, which are all positive signs to me that progress is imminent.  At this point I think we have covered a lot of ground on this issue; do have any closing thoughts that you would like to share UNB Tim?

UNB Tim – I just hope we have a lot more talks between the guys on the site and our readers! It’s time we have real conversations about underwear no matter if we are gay/bi/straight. Let’s make undies mainstream.

2
We hope you enjoyed part 1 of the Straight Talk. Here is part 2

The Bottom Drawer: It looks like all of us but Steve discovered our skimpier styles more or less on our own originally. His discovery of the skimpy styles started as a joke with a thong purchased for him. It seems to me the so called “man thong” is typically perceived as a joke in society even the bikini could be grouped in there. You see lots of pranks, jokes, and lost bets related to them. Any thoughts on why? And how about ideas on how we can turn the tides?

 

Underweardude: The bikini is definitely grouped in with the thong. The only time i’ve ever seen it reffered to in pop culture is negatively, often leopard print and worn by a “player”. The most notable instance to me in my mind is how the wearing of such a pair is used to ridicule occasionally the character Quagmire on the tv show Family Guy. I think too many people are caught up on the inherit sexuality of skimpier pairs, believing them to only be fit for male strippers. I also think it has to do with how men and women are portrayed in modern culture. How is it I can go to practically any clothing store in the city and find women’s thongs hanging on racks out in the open for all to see, but not a single guy’s thong?

 

How to solve it? I’m not really sure. End the stigma, get women interested in seeing men in them, promote them as begin masculine, etc, etc. I’d still say that getting women interested in them. If women are interested in seeing guys in thongs, that will help make them become more accepted.

 

Steve: I agree 110%!!  Thongs, bikinis, etc have such a stigma to them.  Men think that only gay men wear them.  They also think that women won’t like them.  Well if that were true, there wouldn’t be so many companies making them now.

 

How do we change this?  I would say that we make it known in locker rooms, to friends, etc, but I am a hypocrite haha.  No one other than my wife knows what I am info.  A couple of my guy friends know I don’t wear boxers any longer…how can anyone anymore with the slim cut jeans now….but none of them know about my “skimpy” types.  Nor do they know that I have 150+ pairs.

 

This is the same as why guys don’t wear swim briefs.  Saying they are not socially acceptable.

 

Ron: Steve. Some good observations there. Thankfully I’ve always managed to repeal the boxers fad across here and men are mostly into the tight fitting trunks which is better.

 

I’m quite open at the gym about my bikini style underwear and have been introducing briefer swim bikinis and never had an issue with either so far. Though I guess being ‘older’ most guys of my age will remember wearing speedos and the younger guys will just dismiss me a silly ‘old’ guy in speedos!  I can’t quite compete with the number of skimpy bikinis you have though. My swim bikinis number around 10 I guess with a couple of things thrown in in addition but for underwear I guess I have about 20 or so and a smaller number of trunks to keep my wife happy; well since she wears tiny thongs and gs partly for me but also because she likes them!

 

Some women I know scorn at the idea that I wear speedos and a female friend of my sister even announced it publicly at a ‘party’ she was having in her house. Care I? Not at all. My sister also asks when we return from holiday’ was he(me) still wearing those speedos?’

 

The Bottom Drawer: It is very rare to see a guy portrayed in something other than boxers, boxer briefs, or briefs in pretty much any mass media that isn’t making a joke of it. I’ve seen a few places that I do not believe the bikini was portrayed as a joke for the most part, but there are a lot more instance out there where the thong and bikini are portrayed negatively for guys. Of course it gets the laughs that they were going for. I agree it has to come down to what is ingrained in our culture, which makes it a harder road to change people’s minds.

 

Definitely not something we can solve overnight. Steve, I agree we should wear and share them proudly, but I’m with you and find it something that I cannot easily do in person. Hence why I blog about it instead. Yes Sam, getting the ladies to like guys to wear them would be a great thing, which is probably more in the court of the manufacturers and retailers to change up their advertising, which leads into the next question I have.

 

What changes would you like to see in men’s underwear advertising?

 

Underweardude: The changes depend on whether or not you mean mass market undie advertising, or specialty brand undie advertising.

 

Mass market: more types of pairs, etc.

Specialty: Perhaps marketed more like cigarettes, beer, food, and other stuff marketed to men. Show an attractive woman interested in a man holding/wearing your product, and men will buy it.

 

The Bottom Drawer: Both I guess would be good to cover. My mindset is more specialty, since that is my preference and would like to see them be mass marketed. I’m in agreement that a woman in ads would help the straight guy consider the underwear being advertised. Think it would help with the stigma that guys only wear the select few standard kinds that are mass marketed. A little off topic of men’s underwear, but related to advertising. I don’t know if any of you have seen some of the recent Victoria’s Secret catalogs, but they seemed like they were marketing more towards men. My wife commented on some of the shots being some thing for Playboy (The one she pointed out was a close up of a model’s butt in one of their cheekie panties). They had several full page photos of the models in more seductive poses. I don’t know if women are more open minded or can see themselves in those situation with their man or what. Probably not marketing that would work for men’s underwear.

 

Ron: For me it’s down to what happens on the catwalk. If designers and those who ‘police’ what the mass market wear were to suggest or start displaying skimpier underwear as the way ahead then their popularity would rise with exposure in the media. Famous faces modelling would also inspire a mindset change; if David Beckham or whoever wears skimpy underwear then their devotees would catch on and it would become fashionable. The fashion police keep telling us with a sneer that ‘budgie smugglers’ etc are wrong and for ridiculing so the proletariat out there follow suit. With the olympics rapidly approaching you can bet that in e diving pool the guys will be wearing relatively skimpy speedos and not  derogatory word will be said by commentators as the skimpy swimsuit is a tool of their trade. I still remember such sporting events of bygone days when men’s swimsuits were very brief to say the least. In the uk the joke underwear for men is the Y front brief which is usually associated with a much older generation but is the butt of jokes. It’s going to be long haul but we can be pioneers. If you can just get that confidence to strip off in the gym or wherever and reveal skimpy bikinis or thongs en it’s a start. I mean, there are so many web sites selling them that someone must be buying them and wearing them!
As regards Victoria’s Secret, I think our only uk store is at Heathrow airport in London however I’ve visited their stores in Houston and Lafayette while on business and found the sales girls extremely helpful. My wife certainly loves their thongs.

1We got a group of four straight guys together for a talk about all things men’s underwear. They include some guys you know and some new ones. We asked Bottom Drawer to moderate this talk. He seemed the perfect guy for the job. Our very on Underwear Dude (he joined the talk before UNB, but he’s still our guy!), Steve (who has guest posted a few times on UNB) and Ron a new guy to the blog.

This is part one and we will run Part 2 tomorrow! Enjoy the conversation!

The Bottom Drawer: Why don’t we start off the conversation with how we got into underwear and preferred styles.

Personally, I was oblivious that men had more selection than boxer or brief until I received a catalog back in high school that showed a bunch of catalogs you could request. It was in there that I came across the Undergear catalog and discovered that there were sexier cuts of underwear for guys out there. I’ve always admired seeing women in their selection of bikinis and thongs and finding out that they were available for guys got me interested in wanting to give them a try. It wasn’t until I surprisingly came across some string bikinis for guys in a Kmart ad that I was able to get my hands on a pair to try and needless to say that day changed my choice in underwear. It was in college when I exclusively switched to wearing only bikinis and thongs and that holds true to this day.

 

Underweardude: Like Nate, I didn’t learn about the wide world of men’s underwear that existed until late high school. For much of my life I only knew of boxers, briefs, and later boxer-briefs. As I became interested in girls, I noticed the large difference in options mens had compared to women in underwear options. I was curious what else existed, and through Google, you might say, I discovered a whole new world.

 

Steve: It looks like we all have similar starts…I didn’t know about the options either growing up.  From when I was younger through Middle School I wore the white Hanes briefs my mother bought.  In High School it changed to boxers.  It wasn’t until after High School with my then girlfriend who liked to shop at Frederick’s of Hollywood.  She bought me a pair of smaller/crazy design boxers which then led into a conversation of other types of underwear that were out there.  A little research and It all exploded from that point forward.  It went from boxers only to boxer briefs, bikinis, thongs, etc.  After I left that girlfriend I was lucky enough to find another girlfriend who at first questioned my choices, but now she loves them all (except jocks) and she is now my wife.

 

Ron: Hello gentlemen, Delighted to be part of this discussion.

 

Firstly I live in the UK so my terminology may be different ; pants= underwear, shop = store. Also I’m probably a bit older than you guys; I was growing up in the 70s!


To begin, one of my first visions of very brief pants was on a Russian circus acrobat on a TVs show of the Russian state circus you could see his vpl and I wondered how I could get some of those skimpy pants. In the uk men traditionally wore Y fronts with a front opening  which you possibly know but one day I was visiting our local Marks and Spencer shop, very famous in the uk, which traditionally sold clothes for both sexes, and found they were selling very brief bikini style cotton pants with no front opening but a pouch for comfort. They looked smaller because of the type of elastic used so when they stretched out the fitted. I bought a couple of white ones and at the time was in boarding school for family reasons though my grandparents stayed nearby. My grandmother found one of them in the laundry and shrieked that they ‘wouldn’t fit over a baby’s bottom’ being so brief. We had a lovely lady who did cooking etc and she was more accepting of my choice telling my gran that it was now the fashion. I loved wearing them but was embarrassed anyone at school would find out because of the gay tag to skimpy pants. However I once went into the dorm of older guys and saw one guy laid out on his bed chatting to other guys and wearing only the exact similar pants!! M&S then started selling briefer bikinis though more synthetic and little support so I bought a couple but didn’t enjoy them as much as the first lot.


They progressed onto different patterns including leopard print which I bought but was caught out when I was doing my basic training at police college when one of the guys saw me wearing them when I got into bed and dragged me into the centre of the dorm to let the other guys see. After an initial ribbing nothing more was said. However I’ve been hooked on very brief underwear ever since my first exposure and now it’s easier to buy because of the Internet which does say with the stress of buying them in shops which I used to have though don’t bother now. While visiting buenos Aires Argentina some years ago I found a lingerie shop which was selling men’s thongs so with my basic Spanish plucked up the courage and went in to buy two. The lady was very nice and even laid them on the counter in front of other shop assistants for me to view.
However my current wife and the one before do/ did not like my skimpy pants preferring tight fitting trunks saying something about them accentuating the thighs more? Would have thought the bare thighs in skimpy pants or thongs would be better. My current wife hates thongs saying they are gay and for Peter stringfellow! That said she loves to wear the tiniest of thongs as pants and on the beach even wears tiny bikinis!
My current favourites are Hom and Kiniki micro briefs though I have a set of very brief string side pants I actually bought in a Walmart super market in Houston a couple of years ago when across on business.

 

Underweardude: So what approximately is everyones age? I think that might have an impact on in what way and time of our life we got into undies. For instance, i’m in my late 20s, and it would have been near improbable for me to get into undies where I live if not for all the underwear-selling websites that were around when I first started poking around online. The internet really was vital for me.

Also, what styles or pairs got you to switch to more unusual kinds of men’s underwear? I started with bikinis and eventually thongs, as at the time I was perfectly happy with the boxers I regularly wore(Horrifying, I know), and was looking for skimpy styles mainly. I wasn’t looking to modify my daily wear collection, and it took a few years for me to eventually do so. I’d wager that this is the opposite of how the average straight guy would get into undies, instead they are looking to go upscale on their current favorite style before branching out. What do you guys think?

 

The Bottom Drawer: I’m in my late 30s. The Internet definitely lead to me trying more styles particularly the thong, since they weren’t carried in stores. Though I did discover them at Target at one point in college. Other places I came across some sexier underwear before discovering them on the Internet were Kmart, Sears, Walmart, and Value City Department Stores. I haven’t purchased any from a store in person in years now. Like Ron said it is a lot easier and less stressful to order online than in personal. My heart always got pumping when I made an underwear purchase of bikinis or thongs at a local store. I’d say that is due to the stigma that bikinis and thongs are for females unless you are gay or a stripper. Though I really never noticed any strange looks from the sales clerk, but I typically made sure it was a women at the checkout I chose.

 

I started with the string bikinis and then into thongs. Always hated the restriction briefs had around my thighs, so the string bikini was an obvious solution to me. I don’t think most guys are looking to change their underwear selection unless they are not comfortable anymore or someone else buys them a different style to try. I’m not sure most guys know there are more than boxers, boxer briefs, or briefs out there or not. For example my father-in-law didn’t know briefs were available in colors other than white until this past year when my mother-in-law sent him to get some new underwear while she was looking elsewhere. My wife and mother-in-law got a good laugh out of that. He seemed to think underwear should be white. I know he is more the generation that does wear what was bought for him. He’d get a real shocker if he saw my underwear drawer.

 

Ron: You have probably guessed from my previous post that I’m in my mid 50s though keep myself in shape and my wife looks after me as regards eating healthily etc.


I’ve always had an eye out for skimpy undies ever since my young years in the uk the Sunday newspapers always ads for skimpy underwear and swimwear and I always wanted to send of for some. Like Nate the buying of skimpy undies or bikini swimwear was always a stressful time and I also used to wait until the female shop assistant was available as it always seemed more acceptable. Older women in particular are easy to buy from as they seem even more accepting I find. Less hang ups. There is a highland wear shop in my city which sells kilts and Scottish type items and I recall in the early eighties they sold extremely narrow nylon bikini underwear for men. I bought many though always waited until the sales floor was empty ; it was a small shop; before I selected the ones I wanted. The sales lady was much older and was always very relaxing obviously sensing my stress and occasionally took them out of their boxes and stretched them out on the counter for me to ensure they were the correct size. Insured to be terrified someone would come in but this never happened thankfully. I think she enjoyed teasing me! Shopping in the big stores was more difficult as I always scanned around the ensure there was no one I knew in the vicinity while I selected then purchased. The stress!!


Now I don’t care to be honest. If I ever happen to see any that I like in shops ill buy them without concern.

 

Underweardude: You guys are lucky, store wise. We had K-marts in my area(Not anymore), but I was never able to ascertain if they carried the skimpier Joe boxer styles. Barring the adult shops and the random XL Papi thong I found at a TJ Maxx-esque place once, the skimpiest kind of underwear available would be some barely-able-to-be-called-a-bikini-brief in Macys. One of the downsides about living in the South, I guess.

 

Steve: I’m in my early 30’s.  And the internet definitely helped me find more and more styles that were out there, but that was only after my ex-girlfriend at the time got me into it.

My everyday wear at first was boxers.  I was ok with it then as I was just out of High School.  She bought me the smaller/slimmer boxers and then she bought a thong as a “joke.”  It all snowballed from there.  It turned into a mix of boxers, briefs, boxer briefs, bikinis and thongs.  After a while the boxers disappeared more and more, followed by the disappearance of the boxer briefs.  Using the internet my collection grew skimpier and skimpier.  My ex-girlfriend and my wife are the only ones that are aware of what I wear now.

End Part One! Read more tomorrow

 

IMG_2415UNB Tim and Salvatore are going to talk pouches, all things pouches!

UNB Tim – Pouches are one of the most important things in underwear. Well it is to me. There are a few brands that really pay attention to how a pouch fits a guy. One of the newest trends in men’s underwear are ergonomically designed pouches.

So Why are pouches so important to you?

Salvatore – My underwear journey has been filled with trial and error.  Trial and error comes with the assumption of risk.  In the underwear world, the risk is simple: I’m going to drop $20 to $30 on something that I’m not sure is going to fit exactly right.  After all, most states won’t allow you to return underwear unless they are defective.  I’ve tried all kinds of underwear from thongs to bikinis to boxer briefs to sport briefs.  Some have been a total waste of money, some have been invaluable investments into my crown jewels.  That brings me to the most important thing I look for in undies—THE POUCH.

Pouches are so important to me because I like the support, but like to hang free—without going commando.  Honestly, I enjoy looking sexy in underwear.  I think most who read this blog on a regular basis feel the same way. The next best thing to going commando is to select a pouch that is not restricting and gives you a nice drop down effect that not only feels great, but also looks natural. This is why pouches are important to me.

How have you seen pouches evolve throughout your years of being an underwear aficionado?                 

UNB Tim – Good question! I have seen them evolve quite a bit. More so in the last 10 years. When I grew up in the 80’s there weren’t a lot of pouches for men’s underwear. Well not ergonomically designed ones. The old trusty Jockey Elance bikinis has no pouch. Then in the early to mid 2000’s you had brands like Erogwear and Cocksox come on the market. These two are the ones I think that spurred the pouch revolution. Each had a very different pouch and both have their place in the market.

In the early 2000’s we go the Almost Naked from Andrew Christian, Obviously and many more followed. I know quite a few people that their first ergonomically thong was the Almost Naked. I will say Andrew Christian made a winner in this pouch. It made more guys pay attention to pouches. Then the avalanche of pouches started to come onto the market. Which is a good thing! Ergowear, Cocksox and Andrew Christian really changed the industry. We will see the 2010’s as the decade of the pouch!

Now we have a lot more choices for pouches. You can go from the flat front to the most amazing ergonomically pouch (can you tell I’m a little biased?). Underwear is not longer a community it’s a fashion statement. We want underwear that fits our pouches, butts and every part of us. Also, companies want us to feel great and sexy in our undies. If we do, as many of you know, we will buy a lot more undies.

Now that I have been through a brief history (notice the pun?) of pouches. What have you found are the pouches that best fit you?

Salvatore: – Before I give you my answer, I want to give you a little of my journey of discovery as it relates to pouches.  I identify with what you say about the Jockey Elance Bikini.  I owned a dozen or more pairs of that particular style—from ribbed, to bright colors and pouches.  I loved them!  I also wore dozens of styles sold exclusively by Undergear (R.I.P.)! None of them had a pouch.  I’ve been an avid collector of undies since the early to mid-90s.  I only say that to let you know that I’m a collector that understands ordering from the catalog center insert—if you know what I mean!

Flat or pouchless skivies were the only types of underwear that I knew existed.  They looked great, were usually skimpy (less is more in my opinion), and started my undie fascination.  One day, while in an underwear store in Atlanta, I noticed a brand I’d never seen before—2(x)ist.  I don’t remember the name of the pair that I bought.  I do remember that they were charcoal grey and cotton.  When I got home that evening I slipped them on and experienced a remarkable feeling—MORE ROOM IN THE POUCH.  That is the day I was introduced to a contoured center-line pouch.  2(x)ist had just upped the ante! I started looking for the words “contoured pouch” in all of my purchase descriptions.  That lead me to Undergear’s Contour Collection: The Italian Cutaway, Mesh Bikini, and so many other staple styles that I enjoyed over the years.  A few year’s later, I was introduced to how different fabrics play into the contour pouches stretchability.  Boy, did I think I was in underwear pouch utopia.

The underwear industry is ever evolving.  Right when I get comfortable with something, a design or brand comes out that opens up a whole new level of underwearness for me.  This happened in January of 2011.  I had just moved to Washington State and was browsing the underwear world when I noticed a “new to me” trend that I had to try—the anatomical (or ergonomical) pouch brief.  Andrew Christian had a 30% off sale running so I purchased two great looking designs (opted for lined patterns over plain colors).  I still wear those undies today.  When I pulled the Andrew Christian Almost Naked Infinity Briefs over my feet, up my legs to my knees, and eventually on to my package, my jaw dropped.  I knew that I had found something that would cause me to cull my underwear drawers of anything not anatomical.  Over the last 5 or 6 years, I’ve done just that—switched my entire collection to pouches that are ergonomically correct in nature.  Dozens of undie enthusiasts cannot believe that I ditched 75 pairs of designer briefs in order to fill my dresser with this new discovery.  There is my answer—The Ergonomical (Anatomical) Pouch is my undie of choice.

The staple anatomical brands (Andrew Christian, Ergowear, Obviously, etc) exist.  What are some other brands worth giving a shot to widen the aperture on ergonomical design?

UNB Tim – Other brand that I think have some great pouches that are ergonomically designed are:

  • New Junk UnderJeans Junk X
  • N2N Bodywear N-Hance Pouch, on several lines
  • Rounderwear Anatomic Line
  • BodyAware – One of my faves is the Well Endowed brief
  • WildmanT – Big Boy Brief

There are many more brands out there doing great pouches. But these are the four that really come to mind. Junk UnderJeans is the most recent addition to the club. N2N has been making the amazing N-Hance pouch for a while. Its their design they put on certain lines each year. Even the trunks with the N-Hance are amazing to me and I’m not a trunk fan.

Each year I think we will see more pouches come on the market.

What are your current favorite pairs with pouches?

Salvatore: – That’s a tough question because I don’t keep underwear that I order that aren’t anatomically perfect for my package.  In fact, I have 5 pairs of brand new briefs (with tags on them) that I currently need to give away because they weren’t perfect.  I will tell you what I have multiples of in my collection:

  • N2N Lounge Brief: Not so sure that this is an anatomical pouch, but the fabric is so incredible that I receive the desired result. These are so awesome that I bought all three colors recently.  They are on clearance at N2N for $10.  Recommend them as a great brief to purchase now.
  • Andrew Christian Almost Naked Briefs: I have a dozen or so pairs of this line in my dresser drawers: large hole mesh, plain mesh, cotton, slinky fabrics, you name it, I have it. Andrew Christian did a remarkable job with this line. WOW!
  • Agacio: I bought this brand for the first time at Skivvies in the Oaklawn area of Dallas. Great in store experience.  The clerk actually talked me through why I should give the brand a try.  I bought a sports brief and brief.  Wore them, fell in love, and added a couple of other pairs to the undie pile.
  • Obviously: I probably have two dozen pairs of Obviously Briefs and Sports Briefs. I can’t get away from how they feel.  The seat of Obviously’s low rise collections offers a little less coverage than their regular brief.  I like the combination of low hanging fruit in the front and almost cheeky in the back.  The Obviously Metallic Collection is sometimes seen on sale for around $5.  YOU CANNOT BEAT THAT PRICE!
  • Andres Velasco: These are super revealing, typically patterned, and downright sexy. Unfortunately, this designer was sold exclusively by Undergear who recently closed their doors. It’s a shame because Undergear (International Male) got me addicted to buying undies.
  • John Seivers: UNBELIEVABLE. This brand offers some incredible plain colors—not your standard black, gray, navy, or white.  I love the pouch on these briefs.  For that reason, I save them for special occasions.

I could go on and on about each pair in my collection. Almost all brands are contoured in the pouch.  Do you see the industry moving towards the anatomical design almost exclusively in the future?

UNB Tim – DOH, I forgot John Sievers! An amazing brand that is def worth checking out. I have a few pairs and fit great! It’s a hidden gem of International Jock!

I don’t think we will see the industry moving exclusively to this type of pouch design. I say this because guys like different things. There are guys out there who hate these types of pouches. Each guys has their own needs. Some need a pouch, others need more in the butt, others have thick legs, and the list can go on and on with a combination of those.

That being said companies will be making underwear made for men. Gone are the days where fabric was thrown together to create men’s undies. They are looking at all type of men and creating new lines that meet those needs. It’s a great time to be an underwear lover. It’s like a renaissance of men’s underwear. Over the last 10 years the industry has grown and matured. We will see this more and more over the next decade.

Underwear is changing. As one of our resident straight guys, we gay guys sometime share what we feel is amazing undies with friends. What has been the reaction of your wife to the anatomically designed undies? Also, have you told your friends about ergonomically designed undies? If so, what has been their reaction?

Salvatore: – My wife had a hard time understanding why I suddenly turned fanatical towards the ergonomically designed underwear style. She’s always known that I’m an undie fanatic and apparently has snapped a few pics of me in underwear for her own private collection.  In fact, I found a picture of me from our honeymoon in a rather skimpy bikini brief.  She’d stashed it away in her top drawer.  This is a good question. I don’t think most women care whether a man wears a thong, boxers, a jock, or bikinis.  My wife certainly doesn’t mind.  However, when I started throwing out hundreds of dollars worth of underwear in favor of the ergonomical pouch, she questioned my money sense.  She was convinced and even joined in on the shopping trips when I explained to her that this particular pouch was so great on the family jewels that discovering this style was like getting the perfect fitting bra for each boobie.  She immediately got it and the fun has been supported ever since.

Over Christmas, I tossed my brother two pair of Obviously Trunks and told him how liberating the pouch has been for me.  He didn’t bat an eye.  He put them on immediately agreed.  The best part is that his wife asked me where she could buy him more because he’s so in love with the pouch.  I think most guys limit their underwear style to whatever is sold in bargain stores or department stores. Guys who haven’t experienced great undies simply aren’t trolling the net for new briefs.  A little exposure to the unknown opens the door to undie discovery.  I think all men gay or straight would fall in love with this style if given the opportunity.

 

I know that not all gay guys are into underwear much less pouches.  How do you go about sharing a great pouch design with friends? Is the discussion normally well received?

UNB Tim – I think we are a lot a like. I have several friends who I know love underwear. Usually when we hang out the conversation eventually turns to undies. Since most know I run a blog they want to know what’s new and hot. So we have a 15-20 minute conversation. One of my favorite friends to talk undies is Wes, who used to be on UNB.

I have had conversations with other guys when hanging out with friends. They find out I run an underwear blog and eventually get up the nerve to talk to me about underwear. It’s usually a side conversation that they don’t want others to hear. I have kept in touch with some guys and email on a regular basis when something comes out they will like. It’s a shame guys feel this is something to hide rather than be like “Oh you run an underwear blog, what’s new and hot for men?”

Outside of underwear loving guys. Some guys find it weird or you’re coming on to them if you talk undies. Its not a total underwear party with all gay guys. We still have a big amount of guys who don’t care what they wear. It’s a shame that we can’t talk undies the way women talk about their underwear. They share with friends a new brand or such when they find it.

I think this is changing for both gay and straight. Especially with younger guys, it’s not a big deal to talk about such things.

The future holds great potential for underwear and specifically ergonomically designed underwear. What advice would you give a guy who wants to try great pouch underwear? What should they look for in fabric and design?

Salvatore: – Great question.  As with anything we blog about here at Underwear News Briefs, the most important thing to any underwear selection centers on the person wearing them.  Do you like the pair? Do you feel confident and sexy in the pair? A need to not care what others think is especially helpful. So my first solid piece of advice is to make sure you are wearing your undies for you (unless you are in one of those kinky moments—that’s another post).

Let’s face reality here, most underwear shopping is done online.  If you live in small town America like I do, unless I go to a very large city, ALL underwear shopping is done online.  There is nothing wrong with shopping online, but there are a few pitfalls when looking for an ergonomically designed pouch. Pouches are like shoes. You have to know what fits you best. This is why I’d recommend going to a underwear store in person and discussing your desires with the sales clerk. I’ve found this most helpful in my endeavor to find the perfect fitting pouch.  Ask lots of questions, touch the fabrics, and by all means take your time analyzing the pouch.  If you have questions or need recommendations, I’d be glad to be your personal shopper by giving you some great advice.  Hit me up on Twitter @manatomicallyme.  My Twitter feed is almost exclusively dedicated to the ergonomical/anatomical pouch.  I’d also say it’s really important to stay up with the latest trends and reviews offered right here on this blog.  If you’re going to invest in undies, you need to make informed decisions.  www.underwearnewsbriefs.com is designed to do just that—inform the underwear lover.

UNB Tim – Thanks for talking Pouches with me Salvatore!

Conclusion:

We hope you have enjoyed this conversation about pouches. As you can tell we both love pouches. They are one of the most important thing in underwear to us! If you are looking for some great underwear check out a few of the pairs we talked about. You can get advice from both of us anytime through Twitter (I’m at @unbtim or the @unbblog account) or email us if not on Twitter. We both would love to give you advice or suggestions.

We will have many more candid posts like this coming soon on different topics. If you have one you’d like to see us tackle let me know!

sizing

In our second brief talk Brandon and myself decided to tackle the sizing issues in men’s underwear. We all have been there when we bought a brand and its quite what the sizing guide said it was! Enjoy the talk

Tim: Sizing is probably the main issue in buying underwear today. We have always received comments from readers about how in consistent sizing is in men’s underwear. What has been your experience in buying underwear and finding the right size?

Brandon: Brandon: When it comes to buying designer underwear, the decked is stacked against you in terms of picking the right size for you, because most designer underwear shopping is done online, and thus you can’t try it on. My experiences in this regard have proven that there is a profound difference between American sizing, European or British sizing and the sizing coming from the Latin/Central/South American brands. American brands stick to waist size, but what that actually means is they stick close to American pant sizing. I’ve found that the bigger name an American brand is, their size chart is typically forgiving, and you should order whatever size that contains your jeans waist number, unless you like roomier fitting underwear, I guess. I have a 36″ waist according to American sizing so I am usually in the L or XL size. Once you hit 36 on any non-American brand though, you tend to have to buy the XL and pray it fits ok. For the most part I can fit into any foreign brand’s (that isn’t a household name like Armani) XL offerings. It can be frustrating, but the only way to figure it out is to “buy and try.”

I know we are working on revamping our sizing guide here in the next couple of weeks, and really UNB is the only site out there that remotely covers a majority of the brands. With that I hope we can provide the details men will need when thinking about buying X size from Y brand.

Brandon: I know you and I are bigger guys, and obviously that provides other challenges for us when it comes to sizing in men’s underwear. Knowing that there are plenty of brands that run really small (in comparison to American brands) do you think that might be a product of who they are made for, or is there an underlying filter there, like maybe certain brands want to prohibit men they perceive as out of shape from wearing their stuff?

Tim: This is a great question. Before I started the blog and I would often wonder this exact question. But after getting to know a lot of the brands around the world I have come to learn the different sizing around the world. Here are some great rules to follow when buying underwear from outside the US and note that these are generalizations and always check the size guides for each brand.

  • Asia – Typically run smallest, XL could be as small as 34 inch waist
  • South American – Typically runs smaller, XL could be as small as 36 waist
  • European – Usually runs smaller but XL could range from 36-38
  • Australian – Probably closely matches the US Market.  XL could be a 38 or larger

I focused on XL because i wanted to show how different the top end of the size range could be in each country can be. In the US for most brands it is listed anywhere from 38-42 inches. This just illustrates how sizes vary wildly over the world. But I can’t stress enough to read the size chart for every brand you buy. Granted they aren’t always accurate. We will be working on the UNB Size guide to redo it an add in more brands to help pick better underwear.

The second part of your question is are brands making underwear that maybe doing the “Abercrombie’ing” of underwear. I don’t think that many brands purposefully do this tactic. The sizing for most of the areas listed above are set to the size of guys in their population. As we have seen the backlash with Abercrombie I think the same would happen in the world of underwear. I can think of only a handful of brands that don’t offer XL underwear. This would shut out more athletic guys and beefy guys. More companies know that guys of all sizes want great undies.

Tim: Would you buy underwear from a company that would use the Abercrombe’ing of underwear? Even if you could fit in them and size wasn’t an issue? 

Brandon: I would never buy underwear from a company that wasn’t committed to making their products for everyone to wear. I struggle with body image (perhaps more since I got into men’s underwear) so when a particular brand’s XL doesn’t fit me, I know I get down on myself. Like you said, I don’t think we probably have to worry about any underwear brands doing this simply because they couldn’t afford to lose consistent customers with an industry that is completely saturated with new brands, and new designs from the old brands.

Brandon: We both agree that a brand trying to purposefully prohibit certain sized men from wearing their underwear is a bad idea, but isn’t their something to be said about brand superiority? I mean I know I feel “under-dressed” when I put on a pair of well-worn Calvin trunks to do yard work, or when I clean the house. I will even bypass certain pairs of underwear that have made it to the top of their piles in my drawer for a pair from a brand I view as far more superior. Do you have brands that you place “above” others even though we’re talking about high quality designer brands in general? 

Tim: Yeah I do the same thing. I have probably 400 pairs. I regularly pass over pairs at the top of the drawer when I see a pair that I love below it. Granted most of the pairs in the drawer cost over $20 a pair. We share the same love of pouch briefs and underwear with extra room up front. One of my favorite brands is Cocksox. Anytime I see a pair of Cocksox I regularly grab it rather then what’s on top. There are several other brands that I just grab. But usually these pairs never make it in the drawer. I keep them in a clothes basket and routinely wear the same pairs. Granted I have gained many pairs of underwear from doing UNB the last five years. There have been very few I don’t like. Most will garner a place in the underwear drawer and be worn again.

Tim: What to you puts a brand above others in your underwear drawer? What are the few factors that make you love a pair of underwear? 

Brandon: Well, I think it all boils down to whatever your favorites are, and to a lesser extent on how you sort your undies. I sort by brand, so I never really have brand conflict in terms of the “stacks” that I see. So usually it’s a specific pair that I might “reach” for when it isn’t no top, rather than the brand. I love the “Anatomically Correct” pouch from Andrew Christian and AC is easily my favorite brand, so when the undies at or near the tops of the other stacks aren’t too appealing on any given morning, I default to one of my two main AC stacks. When it comes to the factors that makes me love a specific pair over some of the others, I think I have to go with a combination of three elements. The comfort, the look, and then maybe the sentimental value. I will always default to a “trusty” pair of briefs when a brief I might not be feeling on any given day pops up to the top of its pile.

Brandon: Speaking of trusty pairs of underwear, in a collection of 400 pairs, I am sure you have plenty of those. How do you cycle through your underwear in an attempt to even out the wear cycles of all those pairs?

Tim: Funny you should ask, I’m about to go through all my undies. As you know this past year I have lost weight. I went from a 42-inch waist and now down to a 36 waist. So the cycling is a bit more difficult then with having all the same sizes. A lot of my favorites are way too big on me now. Which makes me upset that I can’t wear them. And it’s one of those things where you don’t want to get rid of your favorites. I have pairs from about 8 years ago, like my first pair of unico that I refuse to get rid of. They are basically worn out but what do you do with old underwear. One of the best suggestions I have ever heard was make a quilt out of them. it would be an awesome way to keep the undies. But I don’t sew! So I am in the process of organizing my drawers. A lot of the most recent pairs I have reviewed on UNB are in the main underwear drawer. They fit and feel great. I am also having to as you said in one of your articles “rediscover” underwear that now fits again. It’s like finding hidden treasure to me. i have a big bag of size large underwear I get to go back through. Then there times when i open one of my other four drawers of underwear and find pairs I haven’t worn in a while. I really need to organize them better. That is the biggest challenge to me and finding underwear. Right now the way I organize underwear is the top drawer is my favorites, the second drawer are ones I like but either the color is not my fav, the fit is just ok, or they are the second tier undies. The Third and fourth are pairs that are just ok. I have to figure out what to do with underwear that isn’t my favorite. I just feel wrong about throwing them away. Another think I like to do to cycle through undies is have a theme week. For instance I’ll do a jock week, a Green week, or something a long that lines. Just to mix things up. It would be interesting to hear what our readers to do rotate underwear.

We will have more of this chat soon. We also will have one from two other guys on the site about performing and underwear. If you have any questions feel free to reach both of us on twitter at @unbtim and @unbbrandon. Also you can always email us at info@underwearnewsbriefs.com

 

 

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Brandon: Underwear labels clearly don’t shy away from sexing up/playing into the gay-factor with their ads. Does the prevalence of designer underwear labels and the chiseled male models in their ad campaigns play any role in the gay male’s body image? (I know I’ve shied away from certain lines because I’ve had to pause and think, yeah that looks great on this guy with a 31″ waist, but I am too fat to pull it off…)

Tim: Yes definitely it plays an image in a gay man’s body image. Every guy wants to look good in their undies. As a gay guy, seeing a hot guy in undies will make me look at the ad or box cover and think many guys will do the same. It’s also a way to get a new brand noticed. Show some hot guys in underwear and it spreads around the net. I think part of the purchase of underwear is we want to look as good as the model does in the picture. In marketing it’s “If I buy this underwear I will look as good as the model”.

You bring a point to the bigger issue regardless of sexual orientation. How many of us really look like male models? Most of us are Real guys and we want to know how underwear will fit an average guy. It’s something I have dealt with on the UNB site. We all agree on a buff underwear model with at 32 waist and six pack abs anything would look good on them. I hear from guys all the time that they want to see more pictures in reviews and on the site in general on how underwear looks on real guys. It’s sort of a double edge sword. One one hand you can post real guys in underwear, like our guides, but get comments like “They shouldn’t be wearing that” “those are not models” and my favorite “That guy is too fat to wear those undies.” when the model was a 32 waist but a bigger build. To take it back to your main question, I’m a bigger guy too, we’re roughly the same height and build, and have debated putting self pics on my reviews. Being gay putting pics up of me in undies is something that I am not looking forward to comments about how I look. I have shared some with friends but broadcasting to the larger audience makes me very nervous. I have worked really hard to loose weight and be able to fit in the undies we now report on. I think now I’m getting to a build that reflects many of our readers. So your “I’m too fat” comment strikes so close to home. I just have it in my head that May guys will comment “Oh he should know that he shouldn’t wear underwear like that cause he’s fat..” I am going to post a self pic on a review soon to gauge the interest and comments but it’s not something I am looking forward too!

I know brands need to sell underwear and let’s face it sex sells. Not just in men’s underwear but in just about any product category. Plus I think the gay audience is still more open to having more sexually suggestive ads in underwear. As I have stated in this Q&A when it gets to the main stream they don’t want to offend the audience. That’s a whole other can of worms to open. It’s starting to change but it’s not going to be over night. We are seeing that slowly change. The prime example is the new Calvin Klein ad that ran in this last years Super Bowl. Unlike the David Beckham H&M ad you saw all the underwear. This is a giant step forward to when we used to have men’s underwear ads and never show the underwear on a person.

This concludes this Brief Talk. Brandon and myself will be back soon with more Straight Talk. We hope you have enjoyed the chat between us. There are other Brief Talks in work on the site. They will be out very soon!

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Tim: Brands I don’t think are are intentionally omitting straight guys. They are going where the sales are currently. As they see the dollar shift, which is happening right now, you will see advertising to all types of consumers. Let’s say we have you as the marketing manager of a big underwear brand. How would you bring awareness and sell underwear to a broader audience? What would be important?

Brandon: In order to reach a broader audience you really need to focus on changing the purchasing habits of consumers. 7 out of 10 pairs made for men are bought by women? I think an ad campaign that shames the (largely straight) population with that fact and presenting a look at what they’re missing would be ideal. Obviously the cost of doing so would far outweigh the new revenue from the underwear, so long as the market remains the same. For straight men, availability is key. Andrew Christian signed a deal with Nordstrom. I talked to a retail sales person at the huge Nordstrom on Michigan Ave in Chicago last summer who said the biggest repeat customers who came back in to snap up more AC stuff seemed to clearly be straight. There are plenty of men out there that would benefit from the technology offered in the underwear of many of the top brands, but consumers don’t typically go looking for something they don’t know exists. Maybe I am leading into another question here, but the way I see it, gay men provide a humongous consumer base for designer underwear brands, as do straight guys who “care”, so it’s not too difficult to think these brands like the exclusivity their products bring.

Tim: I think you are spot on with this observation. Right now the purchasing is by gay guys and women. But more and more guys are buying underwear. Which is an awesome thing. I think that blogs like ours and brands need to show guys what is out there in the world of underwear. It is a big area of market growth or any company who can reach that consumer. In an ideal world I’d love to go out on the street and give guys great pairs of underwear and have them try them. Because the truth is in the pudding as they say. Once you wear great undies you can’t imagine going back to anything else. One issue with having straight guys buying undies is the stigma that guys have that because you wear something out of the ordinary (brief, jock or thong) they get joked or branded that they are gay. This I think is one big barrier for guys who want to try undies from going out and getting them. An example of this is I had a reader years ago email me and say he had to get rid of his thongs because his then girlfriend said they were “gay.” I was like WHAT?

Tim: What would it take to get the word out to straight guys about underwear? What draws you to a brand? What Brands have you tried because of their advertising? Have you dealt with the stigma of being called or labeled gay?

Brandon: Well, as you know, I have written extensively about this topic on UNB. I think getting the word out is going to have to be incidental, maybe it’s a friend who sees me in the locker room at a pool in a pair of briefs and gets inquisitive. I think to a certain extent straight guys like myself need to be less shy and start evangelizing a bit. I have taken baby steps in that regard but I think that straight guys should be more vocal, because the bottom line is plenty of straight men out there would acknowledge that they’d like to be wearing better underwear, but as I kind of hinted at with my last answer, they just don’t know where to start.

I am rarely drawn to “the brand” because I am always interested in the style/color/overall look of a pair of underwear before I consider the brand. If I like the look of a certain brief that’s what draws me to any given pair. While this might be hard to believe, I don’t think a single ad has drawn me to a brand. I’ve always tried new things based on the look or the description of the individual pair. I was drawn to CK and 2(x)ist because of their reputation. I was drawn to Andrew Christian because initially-when he wasn’t nearly as famous, he described the “Anatomically Correct” pouch as built for men who were well endowed. That was before any of the homo-erotic videos or poster-ads became the brand’s M.O. but I can tell you if I were thinking about my first pair of A.C. briefs today, I’d be more apprehensive as a straight guy.

Sure, I’ve dealt with it in very limited terms. My dad is hypercritical of me and what I wear, look like, etc. He’s caught glimpses of my underwear from time to time and has been sure to never reserve comment. “That’s kind of gay” he’ll say but does so with sort of a smile on his face, as if he acknowledges his own status of being behind-the-times in his Jockey brand boxer shorts. Other than that, I’ve never had to deal with it really. That said, I am always conscious of “being caught” in my underwear by my friends etc because of the fear of being judged in that same way.

Underwear labels clearly don’t shy away from sexing up/playing into the gay-factor with their ads. Does the prevalence of designer underwear labels and the chiseled male models in their ad campaigns play any role in the gay male’s body image? (I know I’ve shied away from certain lines because I’ve had to pause and think, yeah that looks great on this guy with a 31″ waist, but I am too fat to pull it off…)

 To be continued….

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We are starting a new segment here at UNB. The overall name will be Brief Talk. It will focus on real conversations about underwear. We will have staff members, brands, retailers and hopefully some readers have real and honest discussions about underwear. The first one will be a discussion with Brandon and myself. Our Reader Survey sexual orientation self identification grew for the straight category. We has only a few last year and this year prob about 15-20% self identified as straight. Which I think is an awesome thing, ALL guys need great undies regardless of sexual orientation. So Brandon and myself did a series of emails back and forth to talk about breaking down some myths of straight guys and underwear.

This is part one of the discussions and we will be running them on Sundays. The set up is there is a question asked, in bold, one replies and then asks a follow up question. We hope you enjoy this series.

Tim: Can you help shed some light on the underwear myth that straight guys just don’t wear “good” underwear? After doing the blog for almost 5 years there are many straight guys who love underwear…

Brandon: Well, since I speak for all straight men who care about their underwear…of course! To be honest, I would say this “myth” actually was a myth of some proportions up until about five years ago. I think it can be explained in two ways. First, straight men are starting to realize what gay men realized ages ago: the underwear you wear says a lot about you, and really can give you an identity. I definitely fall into that category. The second is the fact that Generation Y (or “The Millennials”) are much more open minded about everything and that means trying new and different things if they believe them to be catching on as a trend.

Brandon: Myth busted, but it sure doesn’t seem that way when you open up many websites. I’ve got a friend (also straight/married) who I have introduced to the new world of underwear, but had to stop short of my favorite brand because I wasn’t sure how he’d react to a video of a bunch of men grinding on each other when he opened the website. Do you see how much of the men’s underwear marketplace tends to ignore straight customers almost completely (minus UNB, of course)? Do you think brands could be doing more to market to straight men, and if so, how? 

Tim: I think marketing to gay consumers is easier. Its more accepted that you can have underwear ads be sexy and not offend the audience you are targeting. A prime example of this is the David Beckham’s H&M Super Bowl commercial. The ad barely featured the underwear, when the camera panned down it didn’t show his crotch. How can you sell something you don’t see! The main stream will let you show Victoria’s Secret models in next to nothing but when it comes to a guy, anything less then boxers is a no no. So I think many companies don’t want to venture in on this but they are definitely interested in marketing to the straight consumer. I have talked to many brands in the industry that say if they just sold to gay guys they wouldn’t be in business. I think you have to adjust the marketing strategy to straight guys. It’s been shown that most underwear is, over 70%, is bought buy women. So you can’t ignore what an impact they have on the purchasing decision. I think we are starting to see fundamental shifts in the way companies are marketing to consumers. Brands have to go where the customers are, be it gay, straight or bi. When they start to see straight guys and their girl friends and wives buying more the money will shift.

This shift is seeing in men’s magazines. Magazines like Details, Men’s Fitness and more are putting in underwear profiles for guys. Its going to take some time but I see the industry moving to encompass everyone. I don’t see it as a trend but more of a marketing shift. However, with that said there will always be brands that will target one sexuality over the other. It’s my opinion that Saxx is going after a “straighter” consumer. They are targeting the skater/snowboard, sports and outdoors kinds of guys.2(X)ist is another brand that I think targets the straight market as well. Their imagery features women and has sold in mainstream stores such as Macy’s and other big department stores.

So I think you will see more advertising to all consumers.

Tim: Brands I don’t think are are intentionally omitting straight guys. They are going where the sales are currently. As they see the dollar shift, which is happening right now, you will see advertising to all types of consumers. Let’s say we have you as the marketing manager of a big underwear brand. How would you bring awareness and sell underwear to a broader audience? What would be important?

To be answered Next week!