Part XXIII
What I have described with regard to the details of how sexual arousal works for guys is not something that guys only discovered in recent history. This is how it has always worked and the mechanisms that have always been in place. Guys have always been sensitive about wearing snug-fitting clothing, and it is interesting to attempt to trace some of the history of exactly when and how that happened.
This history takes us down the path of the history of men’s underwear along with side trips to other kinds of snug-fitting garments such as swim briefs and athletic supporters. Men’s underwear design is the place to start the analysis, in large measure because this has long been the one item that was going to come in close contact with the male penis.
The development of underwear is closely intertwines with the history of the Jockey® company, best known for inventing the Jockey® brief. Their Web site contains a detailed history of the company from its inception is at the link
https://www.Jockey.com/ourcompany/ourhistory
From that site we learn that the Jockey® company dates from the early 1900s and that for some time. From 1902- on the company manufactured what were called Union Suits. These were a cotton undergarment that covered everything from neck to ankle. I have difficulty imagining guys wearing these heavy undergarments on warm summer days, but apparently that is what they did. It was not until 1928 when they started manufacturing knee length garments with sleeveless shirts, initially all one-piece but soon the shorts were made as a separate garment from the sleeveless shirt.
The now-famous Jockey® cotton brief did not arrive until 1935. The site indicates that someone at Jockey® saw a post card picturing a man wearing a brief-style swimsuit on the French Riviera and decided that the brief design might be a logical choice for a men’s underwear brief. The short story is that the Jockey® cotton brief was suddenly a huge hit with men, tired of the bigger-loose-fitting designs that came before.
I have an “R”-rated explanation as to why all of a sudden every guy wanted a pair of “Jockey® shorts and I have my own theory as to what was really going on in the minds of guys suddenly purchasing these briefs. Unlike the earlier, looser designs where certain parts of the male anatomy were easily shielded from view, for the guy wearing the cotton brief the male anatomy was quite obvious even if covered in coarse-textured cloth.
Some guys probably were apprehensive about having critical anatomical features in such plain sight, but most guys realized that the briefs were going to be covered with other clothing anyway so that was no big deal. And the briefs soared in popularity.
Now, what goes on in a guy’s mind and body today is no different from what must have been the case right after Jockey® briefs were introduced. Even back then guys probably still had a “love-hate” relationship with snug-fitting clothing coming in contact with the male genitalia. For some guys at least, it must have occurred to them that a Jockey® brief was more than just daily underwear. Snug-fitting briefs have a way of tripping wires and setting off male arousal triggering mechanisms.
So, was this also the case from the moment the brief arrived at stores in the mid 1930s? It is tough to believe that the things that go on with men were that much different from how they work today. Could it be that one reason for the immediate popularity of the Jockey® brief was that some guys decided that if their wives or girlfriends saw them wearing one including how the male anatomy fit the brief that the wife or girlfriend would get turned on herself?
But another more deeply hidden explanation might also be accurate. Could it have dawned on a few men that a Jockey® brief was the then perfect garment for male masturbation? Clearly the fit of the garment was such that it was going to tug on and rub against places that guys would like to have tugged and rubbed. Was this the real motivation and source of sales that was sending the demand for briefs sky high?
I come back to the old idea that masturbation is a lot of fun but covering one’s tracks can get tricky without some help. But a guy could shoot cum in a cotton Jockey® brief and thus contain himself and then do cleanup by simply tossing the brief into the weekly wash. No one else needed to be the wiser as to what was really going on. Jockey® had accidentally managed to design a near perfect garment for male masturbation. A snug-fitting cotton garment that contained the cum from an orgasm, yet was reusable with a simple cleanup in the weekly wash! Carefully keeping what you just did and your tracks covered and hidden from view is an important part of developing successful masturbation techniques. What a superb idea these cotton briefs!
I grew up in the 1950s and ‘60s. In the 1950s there were only two underwear designs popular with men for summer wear. By far the most popular was the men’s white cotton brief. The only other style that was worn to any degree was a cotton garment that was constructed the same as the brief but had slightly longer legs. Today we call those boxer briefs. And at least in the 1950s, mens underwear was always white cotton, no colors or other smoother-textured materials.
So, in the 1950s nearly all the guys I knew were wearing cotton briefs. They were growing rapidly too, so the briefs often quickly got a little to a lot undersized. I therefore conclude that most of the guys my age learned the finer points of masturbation techniques wearing a cotton brief, perhaps Jockey® but by the brands like Fruit-of-the-Loom® and Hanes® were available as well. The Jockey® brand with the “y” front was the “premium” product.
By the 1960s, men’s cotton briefs in colors were coming available as well as a few briefs made of colored materials such a slick nylon blend. Most guys thought these new trends were a bit “girlish” and stuck with their white cotton briefs, but a few of the guys were wondering how that slick nylon brief material would feel rubbing against the underside of an erect penis, and got up enough nerve to try out the new idea. And guys kept purchasing new underwear in part based on the perception that the new garment could perhaps prove to be a valuable aid in masturbation. This in addition to what the girlfriend might think is neat or sexy should the situation arise.
Candidly, these perceptions drive a lot of underwear sales even today, guys seeking out just the right cut and material to wear while masturbating. At some level the underwear manufacturers all must be aware of this. Of course, no guy would ever want to admit to what I have told you, at least not the masturbation part!
To be continued…