[sebbie]

Part XXIV

The idea that the proper warmer-weather underwear for guys should be either a brief or boxer-brief style made of white cotton material was largely the accepted thinking in the 1950s and then into the 1960s. Even ribbed cotton briefs in colors other than white were largely frowned upon, perhaps in part because of the fear that a brief in black or navy could not be washed with the white clothing for fear of dye transfer to the other clothes in the wash. But as the 1960s ran down, colored dyes were improving and the idea of a guy wearing a cotton brief in a color other than white was starting to be possible. Still nothing radical. A light gray cotton brief was certainly possible, and for the more daring, the same brief in black or dark navy blue. Bright blue or red was still out of the question.

It was not until the 1970s that underwear manufacturers started experimenting with selling underwear to men in fabrics other than the usual ribbed cotton material. Women, of course had been wearing nylon briefs (aka panties) for some time, and the fear in the case of men’s underwear was to end up with a product that looked too much like the products being sold to women. Men’s underwear and women’s underwear had to be different.

The other issue was the fly. Traditionally, this was a required item for any underwear sold to men. But, if the new designs were going to be cut skimpier, with a lower rise than a standard brief, then at some point the cut got so low that the guy could just flip himself over the top of the waistband with no need for a fly.

At this point we have all of the components of a men’s bikini-style brief, aside from the idea that the design, cut and material may still appear to be too “girlish” for a guy to wear. What, a smooth, stretchy material, a skimpy cut that fit at the waist well below the belly button, and the complete absence of the fly? Could this ever be sold as an undergarment to a real guy? Initially it was thought that while this design might have some appeal to gay guys it would never work as something a straight guy consider wearing.

I like to think about the demand for men’s underwear to be divided into subgroups or categories. The first and largest subgroup is the underwear styles and cuts an ordinary “normal” guy (read normal as the typical straight guy in the 1970s) might purchase for himself. Typically this underwear was a white-ribbed cotton brief or boxer-brief and these were still very popular for that use well into the 1970s. Generally, a guy in a gym locker room would not attract any undesired attention wearing a white cotton brief.

But as any ordinary guy knows, even in the underwear world there are what can be called special occasions. Every straight dating male fantasizes about a date that will end in intercourse with the female, and guys need to be prepared, underwear-wise, for the occasion should the fantasy come true. If this happens, obviously she will get to see what you are wearing for underwear. You want this to be an occasion she long remembers for her. Somehow just any ordinary everyday white cotton brief doesn’t cut it for such an occasion. Need something with a bit more “punch” to it. You want to be a turn-on for her. The problem is that the underwear cannot be too skimpy or too colorful, or she might think you have a gay or bisexual side that she doesn’t yet know about. So finding the right underwear for just such an occasion can be a real problem. The guy wants to look sexy and desirable but not too much that way, either. Tricky stuff, that underwear purchase for date wear!

Then there is the third demand. Guys irrespective of sexual orientation often make some underwear purchases simply because the material, cut, color and design seem to be ideal for masturbation. What are we talking about here? First, a material that stretches but feels slick and smooth to the skin. Second a cut that is skimpier than a standard cotton brief. Generally this is a brief without a fly that seems made to order for successful and fun penis stroking.

These designs were probably first made to appeal to gay men, but like so much in men’s fashion, ideas that start out being aimed at a gay male market soon become adopted by males of varied sexual orientations. The market for these designs to gay males was obvious from the very start, but what the underwear manufacturers initially failed to recognize is that a lot of guys keep underwear with a particular material or cut simply because a particular design works so well when trying out various masturbation techniques. Nothing quite like a snug-fitting slick-feeling garment to wear when getting off. Guys all know this irrespective of their sexual orientation, but whether they dare buy underwear for specifically that purpose is another question.

Still, during the 1970s more and more companies were finding that the demand for such underwear was taking off even as the demand for traditional white ribbed cotton briefs was slowing. And the briefs were getting skimpier and skimpier with ever slicker material, not only now being devoid of the once mandatory male fly, but morphing from bikini brief into the string bikini. Men’s and women’s briefs were nearly indistinguishable. Some of the men’s brief designs attempt to better accommodate the parts of the male anatomy the female lacked, but even this for a time seemed optional.

The unique development of men’s thong underwear is such an interesting story that it requires a chapter (or as it turns out more than a chapter) of its own.

To be continued…