Boxer briefs are a type of men's undergarment

Undergarment

Undergarments or underwear are clothes worn under other clothes, often next to the skin. They keep outer garments from being soiled by bodily secretions and discharges, shape the body, and provide support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional...

 which are long in the leg, like boxer shorts

Boxer shorts

Boxer shorts are a type of undergarment worn by men. The term has been used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by boxers, for whom unhindered leg movement is very important.Reasons for a preference for boxers can be attributed to their variety of...

 but tighter-fitting, like briefs

Briefs

Briefs are a type of short, tight underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's genitals in a relatively fixed position, which make briefs a popular underwear choice for men who...

; a hybrid between the two main types of male underwear in Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, and the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Depending on the manufacturer, boxer briefs may also be spelled as one word: boxerbriefs. They are sometimes called "trunks" in Australia

History

Boxer briefs were first sold around 1990. Prior to this time, only a few underwear manufacturers made boxer briefs, but they were actually called mid-length briefs or thigh-length briefs.

Underwear preference

While some may find regular briefs too restrictive

Tight

*High and tight, a hairstyle typical in the U.S. military*Tight end, a position in American football on the offensive team*Tight your black belt hard!, a popular judo manga in Japan*TighT, a psychedelic trance live act from KohPhangan, Thailand...

, others may find boxer shorts too loose. A pouch or "over sized" pouch may be built in to add space and position the testicles forward and give the penis

Penis

The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...

 more room. Boxer briefs are commonly used in athletics instead of, or in addition to a jockstrap

Jockstrap

A jockstrap is an undergarment designed for supporting the male genitalia during sports or other vigorous physical activity...

, but are common for everyday usage as well.

The boxer brief design provides form-fitting coverage for the midsection from the waist

Waist

The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....

 to the thighs and are worn on the waist

Waist

The waist is the part of the abdomen between the rib cage and hips. On proportionate people, the waist is the narrowest part of the torso....

. They are usually made of a soft, flannel-type material or knit, often a combination of cotton and spandex. Boxer brief designs can have either a keyhole fly, button (snap) front, pouch, or no fly at all. The waistband is usually a separate band of elastic, often in a contrasting colour to the flannel material, and often has the name of the manufacturer (e.g. "Calvin Klein") printed on it repeatedly. There may also be additional elastic sewn in around the end of the legs, to stop them from riding up. Some boxer briefs have stitching on the rear to outline the buttocks

Buttocks

The buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...

 and avoid a central seam.

Specialist underwear designer collections have boxer briefs that are available in a variety of designs ranging from simple one colour ranges with contrast side stripes and binding to vibrantly coloured and highly patterned examples.

Trunks

The trunk

Trunks (clothing)

Trunks, when worn as swimwear, are often referred to as swim trunks, and are normally shorter than boardshorts, which extend to the knees. Trunks are the most popular type of male swimsuit in North America...

 is a type of boxer-brief that is slightly shorter in the leg and can also be used as swimwear. They can also be used under boardshorts

Boardshorts

Boardshorts are a style of men's and, recently, women's summerwear. They were originally developed for aquatic sports, specifically for surfing, but in more recent years they have grown in popularity outside of these sports, and have become a popular form of general beach and summerwear.The name...

. Unlike briefs, boxer briefs do not usually have the tight elastic around the legs. They rely more on the overall elasticity of the fabric for support, making the leg openings more comfortable.

External links

• Seth Stevenson, In Praise of Boxer Briefs: An Underpants Manifesto, Slate
  Slate (magazine)
  Slate is a US-based English language online current affairs and culture magazine created in 1996 by former New Republic editor Michael Kinsley, initially under the ownership of Microsoft as part of MSN. On 21 December 2004 it was purchased by the Washington Post Company...