Thoughts on just being a guy

[sebbie]

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…

[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…

[sebbie]

Part XXV

Then starting in the 1980s everything changed again. Part of the changes that occurred in underwear fashion had to do with how men’s clothing, particularly jeans, had changed.

Think about the uniforms basketball players wore in the 1960s with very short shorts compared to the sloppy shorts that extended below the knee in the 1980s.

The mid-late 1960s was a period of time in which nearly every young male was wearing skinny, body–conforming jeans, and the snug-fitting cotton briefs almost universally worn during the same time period paired well with the jeans. The jeans fit very snug in the thighs, and there was no room for another layer of cloth extending into that area.

But by the 1980s everything was just the opposite. The popular jeans were very loose-fitting with very wide legs and guys suddenly decided that having genitalia in a confined space was no longer a thing to do. Instead, guys started wearing loose-fitting boxer shorts that extended all the way to the knee. Cotton briefs, for that matter ANY kind of brief was considered totally unacceptable. Students dare not show up in a locker room wearing anything but a very loose-fitting pair of boxers or they would be teased and bullied.

These loose, sloppy designs stayed around a long time—far too long in my view. But what happened revealed a linkage between what guys thought was the right design for jeans and other pants as well as the underwear to pair with them.

A lot of guys seem to think that their specific choice of underwear might reveal something about their sexual orientation to others. This is a particular concern for younger guys who go in for athletics that involves changing in a locker room of some sort. Guys also who go on dates with females worry that if the date concludes with intercourse, the underwear choice may tell the female something about the guy’s sexual orientation that she did not know, especially for guys who have a gay or bisexual side, though if the guy is having intercourse with a female that alone tells the female something about the guy’s sexual orientation without relying on clues from his choice of underwear.

The key advantage of loose-fitting blue plaid boxers (the most popular pattern and color) that extend to the knee is that no guy would ever accuse a peer of being gay based on that choice in underwear.

The key disadvantage of that specific underwear design is that it provides essentially zero support or protection for the genitalia. I certainly would not engage in any sport wearing these as the only undergarment. However, there may be a compromise. Faced with this dilemma I would suggest that the guy who wishes to make it appear that his underwear choice is a loose-fitting pair of plaid boxers, I would purchase a bikini brief in a coordinating solid color such as medium blue, and wear that as a supportive “liner”. Then the boxers and the liner could come off as a single garment in the locker room.

Still, loose-fitting plaid boxers are a poor choice for male underwear given the lack of support and protection for the genitalia. These are still available but for the most part underwear design and what guys wear has moved on. Generally loose-fitting boxer shorts are a poor choice for masturbation activities. Everything important just flops around loose and the coarse weave of the cotton-blend fabric makes them largely useless. I can’t imagine a guy saying “I get turned on when I get into my plaid boxers!” but maybe that is or was the point.

To be continued…
 

[sebbie]

Part XXVI

The idea of men wearing thong underwear in the US probably first came to the US in the very late 1980s but probably a little earlier in Europe. I know that the first pair of thon underwear I ever owned I purchased sometime in 1989. Not surprisingly, I was fascinated with the design and what wearing a thong might fit and feel. They seemed a lot like a strap, but instead of elastic leg straps and a nonexistent back, a thong had no leg straps but a thin band of elastic that was designed to cut between the glutes.

Over time, thongs used different kinds of elastic for this back, which was what held the front pouch in place. The pouch consisted of a 80% cotton-20 % Lycra blend fabric which was quite snug but stretched just enough to contain the (flaccid) male anatomy. The earliest thongs used a round elastic cord designed to cut tight between the glutes, If the pouch was ro remain in place, containing penis and balls, this cord needed to stretch but be quite short. These cords would appear to disappear entirely between the glutes.

These cords at times would seem to all but disappear entirely almost as if they weren’t there at all. But with any movement, the guy would become “aware” of the cord which gave an interesting set of sensations even when just walking. These thongs were fun to wear but not as interesting as to what followed a year or two later when Jockey introduced their first mens Thong.

The first Jockey-branded thongs were really interesting for several different reasons. If I were to award a grand prize for the most interesting underwear I have ever worn, surely that prize would have to go to the early Jockey design. The early models were all made of cloth that was a Cotton-Lycra blend. This cloth had a lot of stretch but it the fabric was not easy to stretch. The back of the thong was not a round elastic cord but instead a flat band of elastic about a quarter inch wide, Again, this had a lot of stretch but it was tough to make longer. Unstretched it was quite short. The elastic back was sewn to the stretch elastic pouch, but this created a built up spot of sewn thread where the band was attached to the pouch.

Unstretched, the pouch was not very big, but stretched out it was just big enough to contain a guy’s flaccid penis and balls, with some doing. Interestingly the sewing that connected the elastic band to the pouch created a hard little lump of cloth precisely at the perineum.

I still have a few of these thongs that amazingly are in pretty good shape so I decided to get into one of them in order to be able to describe all the details.

So the first trick is figuring out how to get my anatomy entirely into the pouch without leaving anything important outside. This takes some practice and is part of the fun. A guy would have to be brain dead if he didn’t get at least somewhat erect just getting the pouch in place with the male anatomy inside.

Once I got everything that needs to be inside the pouch inside, then this is the time to position that neat elastic back band between my glutes. This keeps the pouch in place, and the more I cinch up the elastic between my glutes the more I like the sensations.

But I suddenly notice that my perineum area just behind my scrotum is starting to feel pretty good too. I can feel that lump of thread pressing against my perineum and the sensations I am getting are nothing short of excellent.

With everything going on I start to expand some more, and that has the effect of putting more tension on the elastic between my glutes as well as snugging everything up at the perineum. This thong still feels really really good. Somehow the combination of tensions seem to create a wonderful place for me that I really want to be.

How long can a guy stand this without ejaculating into the pouch? Well, your experience may vary from my own but if I were in search of a unique masturbation experience this one would be at the very top of my list.

To be continued…

[sebbie]

Part XXVII

In the early-mid 1990s, Jockey sold a lot of these thongs under that brand through the major full-price department stores such as those that were part of the Federated Department Store group which then included more brands than Macys. Each one came in a little box. Fabrics varied from a really strong almost elastic-like material, a stretchy cotton-elastic blend with a bit less “kick” to an all-cotton version for the less daring. So part of the purchase decision was by choosing a different fabric, the wearer could get either more or less “kick” from the thong that was chosen. The all cotton version was easier to get into and out of although the band that made up the back still was a strong elastic.

Perhaps accidentally (but surely they must have known something) Jockey quickly realized some why these thongs were selling so well really amounted to what might be considered a great “toy” for self-pleasuring. I do not know exactly how this must work for other guys, but often my choice in underwear on any given day depends on what I am going to be doing that day. If there is something that is going to demand concentration and my full attention, I do not want sexual sensations in the groin area to distract me from the non-sexual task at hand. So on those days the choice might be a looser-fitting pair of briefs.

But on other days, not a lot is going on and I wouldn’t mind at all if during the day I were distracted by sensations from my groin area-no full erections or ejaculations of course. Under such circumstances, oozing a little precum is fine, but not enough to leave a spot on the front of my jeans. And wearing the thong, this dripping can go on for hours on end. The snug-fitting thong keeps me horny and dripping ooze all day long.

For a male college student, a Jockey thong would probably not be the right choice on a day when a tough exam was scheduled in a course. That is a loose-fitting underwear day for sure. But on other days, classes are simply a series of boring lectures being given by equally boring instructors, and a guy would be happy to be distracted a bit by sensation coming from the groin area. With the right thong (some would say “wrong thong”) a guy can ooze precum in tiny viscous droplets over the entire day, with the thong containing the translucent drops of precum and no one else being the wiser about what the guy is doing.

This is a really fun way to spend a day in part that when classes are over having done this throughout the day, her will be ready to have a stunningly powerful ejaculation after all this lengthy thong-induced precumming. Hopefully he will have made it back to an empty dorm room. Just another version of the whole idea that the longer you can learn to remain in arousal-precum mode, the more powerful and enjoyable the concluding full ejaculation will be.

So, there were days I had a lot of stuff to do at work—loose brief days—but also other, slower days—Jockey thong days. Having done this to myself I would arrive home from work ready to take full advantage of what had happened during the day, and how much I now wanted to get off now that work was over for the day. These ejaculations typically ended up being mind-blowing. Sadly, Jockey quit making these thongs in the late 1990s. They sold some updated designs but these designs never fit at all like the original nor were as pleasant to wear.

To be continued…
 

[sebbie]

Part XXVIII

For a period of time in the 1990s, thong underwear was readily available in a host of different brands and designs. The big department stores may have sold a half dozen different premium brands made by companies such as Calvin Klein® and 2x(ist)®. There were all sorts of ideas with respect to how big or small these should be. The Calvin Klein version seemed to simply cut off the back from a cotton brief and replace the back with an elastic cord running from waisteband to pouch. The 2x(ist) version had what they called a T-back set up to only fit right if the band cut deeply between the glutes. I guess if I were to hand out a consolation prize in thong design it would have to go to 2x(ist) not Jockey. It appears that there is a current version of the 2x(ist) T-back thong still being made—these were completely off the market for awhile.

In the 1990s, even the big discount stores sold thongs for men. Target had a version. So did Kmart under their then “house brand” Joe Boxer® label. Jockey had their “Life” brand sold only at Wal Mart that included not only cotton briefs but also skimpier briefs in a choice of cotton or slicker stretch-Lycra® blends. For a time they were selling both fabrics in either colorful no fly bikini briefs, string bikinis (with the “string” usually being the elastic waistband or as a full thong).

These discount store brands typically featured a somewhat wider back perhaps one-half to three quarter -3/4 inches wide and made to stay on top of the guy’s rear and not cut between the glutes. Perhaps the designs where the thong back cut deeply between the glutes were a bit much for a lot of guys, and these designs were designed to appeal to a potentially larger group of wearers who were somehow not as interested in the erotic aspects of thong wear. After all, wearing a thong that is tugging and pulling in various places is something of an “acquired taste” for many guys. Straight guys in relationships also faced the problem of trying to guess what the female partner would think of him wearing a thong. Women always have their own ideas as to what a guy’s underwear should or should not look like. Nearly every guy grows up in a situation whereby mom decided what the boy should wear, and the idea of a guy even expressing a preference in this regard is normally something that happens long after puberty happens with some guys being young adults living away from home with mom no longer doing the laundry before they really get the opportunity to make their own choices.

Then there is the problem of how a thong work in a situation such as a gym locker room where other guys my age might be able to casually observe what I am wearing and whether or not what I am wearing is fitting and proper. This is what I call the “loose plaid boxers” phenomenon. A guy’s choice in undergarments is determined not by what he wants to wear but rather by what he thinks the other guys his age would want him to wear and whatever it is better not be too colorful or racy!

The other problem for straight guys after they get over the issue of wearing something mom might not approve is the problem of whether what I choose will meet the approval of my female partner. And this could be wildly unpredictable as to what is OK or not given that females to the extent they may know anything at all on this subject they probably learned from mom. Guys want to look sexy but at the same time dare not be too adventurous in this respect lest the female not understand and then loses it. The whole idea that a snug-fitting pair of underwear can be used as something a sex toy in masturbation s probably an idea that a lot of females will be unable to readily understand and accept as anything close to normal guy behavior.

I presume gay guys and gay male partners are more accepting and adventurous in this regard and that’s why a lot of a lot of the racier underwear styles seem to be focused on the gay male market. Two males should understand how each other is wired in this respect than a male and female couple.

The racier underwear styles in recent years seem to have increasingly moved out of the bricks-and mortar stores with the big selections now on the Internet. If a guy wants a pair of racy underwear, he can buy it in private and not have to deal with the sales clerk problem. Many uys worry about buying racy underwear when the sales clerk is female. What will she tjink of me doing this? What if the clerk is an older female the age of your mother? What will “my mother think? What if the sales clerk is a guy? If the item is too racy will the male clerk conclude I am gay? Is the male clerk doing the transaction gay himself and is that how he meets other gay guys? These complicated issues can all be avoided by buying on line.

The other thing that interests me is that the 1990s was a period of time when there was lots of options in skimpy underwear, briefs and thongs even as the jeans guys were wearing were always cut really loose and sloppy. Why were guys buying all this skimpy underwear that would make a lot more sense if the jeans that were being worn were skinny and body-conforming? Were guys buying the skimpy underwear to use as a liner to give some male support under the socially acceptable for any occasion plaid cotton boxers? Did guys find a way to remove the boxers and skimpy underwear together so that other guys would not even be aware of the existence of the skimpy underwear? These are some interesting questions.

I checked. It’s possible to still order “Joe Boxer” brand men’s thongs on the Kmart Website!

To be continued….

[sebbie]

Part XXIX

Then, starting in the first decade of the 21st century, everything changed again. Suddenly those sloppy-looking loose fitting jeans and tops that disguised a poor physique was out as a look, and the new look was both slim and athletic, showing off the toned calves, thighs and triangular chests and putting a premium on getting and staying in shape. This gave lazy guys a reason to get out and exercise while losing some weight at the same time. Suddenly, the idealized body was the swimmer’s physique.

With these changes, male underwear designs changed as well. With the new emphasis on having a toned body with clothing that revealed the effort, underwear had to shange as well. The sloppy plaid boxer shorts that were fine with equally sloppy oversized jeans simply did not work with the new athletic-emphasizing clothing styles.

About this same time the idea of guys wearing compression gear, both bottoms and tops, took off. This trend us intertwined with the founding and rapid grown of the Underarmour® company, founded in 1996 but whose products really took off at the start of the 21st century. NBA players were displaying tight compression shorts nearly to the knee and dangling below what were still sloppy basketball uniforms.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_Armour

If wearing compression short was OK for the highest paid NBA player surely this was something the ordinary guys would want to wear too. And sales took off. I also find it difficult to believe that the whole idea of having what seemed to be a reasonable excuse for wearing gear that fit really tight was probably a turn-on for a lot of guys. With the combination of being worn by the top athletes, some claims that such gear improved athletic performance, and the turn-on of really snug fitting gear sales went through the roof.

It did not take long for underwear manufacturers to decide that perhaps there was a place for a garment that was marketed as underwear but had the cut, look and feel of compression gear to find a market. But there were some differences. Generally from a practical perspective such a garment needed a traditional fly, lest the guy otherwise run into difficulty at the urinal. But bright colors other than white were in. Guys are going to be seen in places like the gym locker room wearing these.

What a replacement for those drab boxer shorts! Something that fits this snug and tight and is accepted in the locker room as being perfectly normal gear that may in fact enhance athletic performance. This is a great place to be!

During a lot of this time as well, jammers were the accepted swimwear at both the high school and college swimmers. I suspect many underwear manufacturers were looking at how the swimwear manufacturers were designing jammers in order to design the new underwear. One big difference of course is that jammers do not normally have a fly, but it is common for most underwear containing this much material to have a fly. A lot of the gear marketed as compression shorts can be and is worn without an additional layer, so the compression shorts usually lack a fly. And the material used in compression shorts usually compresses more than a similarly styled pair of underwear would. However there is lots of variation on all of this.

This begin a trend in men’s underwear styles that all used slick, stretchy fabric. For some time Jockey sold bikini briefs and even thongs under the “Life” brand in Walmart with your choice of either a slick stretchy fabric or what they called a stretch cotton. Cotton tends to absorb a lot of moisture but dries very slowly leading perhaps to skin problems. The compression-gear like fabrics tend to not absorb a lot of moisture but the moisture they absorb tends to dry out quickly. These fabrics tend to wick moisture away from a sweaty athlete.

To be continued…