The Jockstrap

The Jockstrap

(jock·strap - noun - ˈjäkˌstrap)

"A support or protection for the male genitals, worn esp. by athletes."

And also an exceedingly fucking sexy undergarment choice. (This added definition has not yet been approved by Merriam-Webster.)

The jockstrap has come a long way since its inception in 1874 by the Bike Company (who still manufactures jockstraps to this very day)! Originally designed for bicyclists and, as stated above, largely worn for athletic purposes, we have since reaped the benefits of the growing popularity and selection of the "fashion jockstrap."

Click to enlarge.

Almost every major underwear designer now has a collection of jockstraps to choose from. And some exceptionally rad companies have been popping up in recent years putting extra emphasis on their jocks, such as the glory that is New York-based company Nasty Pig (which was also my nickname in college.... Okay, that's not true, but I wish it was).

I encourage every man, gay or straight, to own at least a few jockstraps. Straight men should be aware that there are a slew of women in the world who love seeing a man's ass in a jockstrap or a thong and will squeeze and slap it with more zeal than the gruffest rugby player after a victory.

Not only do they look hot, but they can also offer great support. They can bring that package you're undoubtedly so in love with front and center. I find that C-in2 and DT do the trick on this one magically well. And jockstraps can also offer a bit of lift to those cheeks of yours.

Click to enlarge.

Jockstraps are also a wonderful choice to make during the hotter times of year. It obviously allows for a lot more breathability. Especially if you get one that's made of mesh. Andrew Christian's mesh air jock with "show-it technology" is one I highly recommend (also because of the aforementioned package amplification).

Now, among the gay community, the sexual lure of the jockstrap is a bit more obvious. It's like putting a spotlight on the goal. Now, that being said, I've encountered a number of people who associate "jockstrap" with "bottom." Not true. Watch more porn (yes, I just said that to gay men as if I needed to). Jockstraps are sexy no matter what your preferences are. I frequently wear them and I'll leave my preferences completely to your imagination. ... You're welcome.

I love wearing jocks. Yes, I'm wearing one right now as I write this. Wearing a jockstrap out and about (especially to work or on interviews, etc.) makes me feel sexy, confident, and is like my little secret that I carry with me throughout the day. Although, that secret tends to be let out after enough Stoli.

Some superior designers, in my ever-so-humble opinion, to turn to when purchasing jockstraps: C-in2, Andrew Christian, DT, ES Collection, Timoteo, and Nasty Pig, among others.

So there you have it. The powerful forces behind the Men's Underwear Blog asked me to rant about jockstraps and I have done so. Now do yourself a favor, go buy one, look at your ass and package in a mirror, and thank me later.

Smooches, gentlemen, and thanks for reading! Love ya!

A Christmas Underwear Conundrum

A few weeks ago, I mentioned to UMan that I thought it would be cool for the staff of the blog to submit a picture of pieces of their underwear collection hung upon their Christmas tree. Apparently he thought I was joking, because when I sent the picture to him, he said, "Haha wow. You did do it! Post please!" So here I am, posting the picture of my "Underwear Tree" for your enjoyment. (I apologize for the picture not being the best quality. My good camera is out of commission, so my iPhone camera has to suffice for now). 

"The undies were hung on the tree with great care."

And in keeping with the Christmas theme, I would like to discuss the Christmas underwear gifting concept. We are, after all, in the season of giving. I, for one, find underwear gifting to be a very intimate situation. I wouldn't buy underwear for just anyone. Nor would I accept underwear from just anyone. It is highly likely that my association of underwear being an intimate is because it's one of the last things that separates us from being in our most vulnerable state. I mean, if I'm in a state of dress in anything less than my undies (naked), then I really trust the person who is with me. Not to mention, very few people even get to see me in my underwear, especially my more exotic pairs (the bikinis, jocks, and thongs, of course). 

For most of my life, my grandmother has given all of us underwear for Christmas. Normally, they are those tacky seasonal boxers from Old Navy or someplace similar. Now, I side with UMan on the boxers situation - I find them tacky and completely atrocious and furthermore will not wear them. Needless to say, my grandmother giving me the holiday boxers is far from the intimate underwear exchange that I have in my mind. So this year, I told her, "Please don't give me underwear this year. I'm way to picky with my underwear." 

Were I to do an underwear exchange, I would hope it would be with one of two groups: either a bud with whom I have shared the fact that I have an underwear obsession or a significant other in which case the underwear exchange could turn into something even more intimate and exciting. 

So what say you? What are the readers' perspectives on the underwear gifting conundrum? Also, feel free to post pictures of your "Underwear Trees." Oh, and if anyone cares to send me a Christmas underwear package, I like anything other than boxers ;-)

Something Blue...

What's your favorite color? Now look in your underwear drawer.... Do you notice a trend? My favorite color is blue along with more than half of the guys out there. I like the color blue because it's a cool color that makes you feel relaxed. I am a very relaxed boy anyway but blues are also great to express yourself. My shoes for instance, I have three pairs of converse that are three different shades of blue, my sheets blue, my phone case is blue, my computer case is blue, my car is blue... the list goes on... But, what about my undies?

Looking from my desk into my undies drawer I see a trend of mine is buying blue undies. Since it is my favorite color I tend to buy more of them because I know I would love the color. At least 2/3 of my undies have blue in them. Now when I go shopping for undies I am trying to get different colors that stand out, like pink. I just want my undies drawer to be more fun! I can't wear blue all the time! This is a blue safeTguard that I just got to fuel my new obsession with jocks. It came in so many colors and as always I ended up getting blue.... So next time you are out looking for undies try getting a different color. I know I will!

-Matty

The Only Boy In Briefs

Today we're pleased to welcome new poster Matty to the MUB team.  Here's his first regular post, he guest posted a couple weeks back here.  Let us know what you think!

Being a college student I know I am in the minority when I wear briefs. Most guys in college wear boxers or boxer briefs. I like when I wear briefs because it makes me feel so much more cute. Something about being different than everyone else makes it exciting. With warmer weather on the horizon, wearing the least amount of fabric also won't do any harm.

My favorite briefs are these 2(x)ist contrast fashion no show briefs. They have an amazing blue color that any guy would love! It is bright enough to brighten up your day. The comfort factor of these are off the charts. If I could, I would wear these briefs every day. They fit comfortably under jeans and then when you are home, they are great to lounge around in. When I go to bed I love to have everything in it's place so to speak. With these I can fall fast asleep in total comfort. It is safe to say I really love these briefs!

I have just started to get into briefs again and I plan on getting many more! At the moment 2(x)ist is my favorite brand, but who knows what great undies I will find next?

-Matty

Getting In Your Boxerbriefs

Hey guys, Chandler here again. Today I'm going to write a bit about boxer briefs or BBS for short. BBS have come a long way in the past few years. Once a symbol of gay culture, they have quickly come into the main stream. I'll be the first to admit I am a sucker for a good pair of BBS. It's underwear perfected in my opinion; the support of a brief, the breathability of boxers, and an unquestionable sexiness that is all their own. Who wouldn't love a pair of boxer briefs?
To find how out how boxer briefs have become so popular it is important that we start at the beginning with the basic concept behind the boxer brief. Here is a short history of the boxer brief from Wikipedia:

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.

The underwear preference among many teens today is leaning toward boxer briefs, probably because of their likeness to both briefs and boxer shorts. While some may find regular briefs too restrictive 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. Boxer briefs are commonly used in sports instead of, or in addition to a jock but are common for everyday usage as well. The boxer brief design provides form-fitting coverage for the midsection from the waist to the thighs and are worn on the waist. Boxer brief designs can have either an access flap, button (snap) front, pouch, or no fly at all.

So it is easy to see why the boxer brief has become so popular, not only is it stylish, it is incredibly comfortable. With this recent rise in popularity I've got to noticing the underwear choices of my friends and the men I see out in public. Many of my friends have switched from traditional boxers to boxer briefs. I have several friends who, like me, prefer slim fit jeans. It is rather uncomfortable and impractical to wear boxers with ass hugging jeans, so like me they have switched to boxer briefs. Many of the men I see have switched too. Brands like Fruit of the Loom and Hanes are the most common that I see among the 30's crowd, but with the guys my age (16-20) we can be seen in Abercrombie and Fitch or American Eagle boxer briefs.

I suppose it would be helpful if I told you why I switched to boxer briefs. I still love my jocks, they are my favorite style to wear, but boxer briefs come in a close second. I switched from boxers to boxer briefs simply because I found that I wanted the support that I could get with a brief, but I still wanted the freedom that I got from boxers, so the boxer brief was the perfect solution. And my balls and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Basic Briefs

Where I live its not that easy to find great designer underwear, to say the least, I'm pretty much limited to my local Macy's store. So the other day I was shopping for just some basic briefs and me being the athletic type I wanted some athletic briefs. When I mean basic I wanted just no-frills, simple stuff, so I was pretty excited to find the 3100 Essentials collection from 2(x)ist. These are as basic as it gets, yet retain the high quality we have all come to love from 2(x)ist.

While shopping I picked up a 3-pack of black Fly Front Briefs, and a pair of black Sports Briefs. The Fly Fronts were $19.00 and the Sports were $10.00. The sports pair are made of 100% cotton, and are pretty dang comfortable. I'm a big fan of athletic briefs because they allow a great range of movement that you don't get with regular briefs. You all know I love my jocks so the athletics are a great alternative to those, when I run in a jock I find that my shorts like to get stuck up my crack, so the full-back on these do great. Now the basic fly fronts aren't my first from 2(x)ist, I got some a couple years ago, and they've held up like you wouldn't believe. Often times I find briefs stretch out pretty quick, but these have held their shape very nicely, and they hold my boys even nicer.

If you're in need of some underwear but don't wanna drop the dough, check these out and check their prices out.

What Not to Underwear...

This is not necessarily about what not to wear as underwear, but it is more a way in which one should never wear their underwear. This is a pet peeve of mine that was just brought to my attention again after seeing it TWICE in one day in the same place and after that I just had to say something here. Now I don't mind seeing another guy's underwear in public (as long as it's not one of those ridiculous sags where they can barely walk), but seeing a guy's underwear while his shirt is tucked in looks just ridiculous. You may be thinking to yourself, how could this possibly happen? Why would anyone do this? But I've seen it quite a lot. After thinking about it, my only solution to how this could happen to a guy is they put on their shirt and then put on their underwear and pants. Now it works fine when you first put it on, but as your pants slip during the day and your underwear rides up, they eventually become visible and it really just looks stupid. What is the point of "dressing up" by tucking in your shirt if you are only going to "dress down" by exposing your underwear. Now don't get me wrong, seeing a little bit of underwear over pants can be sexy, but seeing a bit (or a lot) of underwear over pants and a shirt is just gross (especially when one of the guys in question had his underwear on inside out). So what's the solution? Well here's the order in which you should dress if you are going to tuck in your shirt:

1. Put on your undershirt (if you wear one).
2. Put on your underwear. You may tuck the undershirt into the underwear, or you may choose not to (tucking the undershirt into the underwear is only an option if you are going to tuck another shirt into your pants).
3. Put on your shirt.
4. Put on your pants in such a way that the shirt is automatically tucked in.
5. Voila, there is now no way that your underwear will stick out!

So there you have it folks. Now you know what not to underwear.... If you like this idea, I could continue on this concept with other ways one should not wear their underwear.

PS. The photo is really just here as something to look at. I couldn't find a photo to illustrate what I am referring to.

Designer Underwear

Why buy designer underwear? Why not just buy Hanes, Fruit of the Loom, Jockey, and other such brands? That is the question that I am often asked. Well there are a lot of reason to buy things besides generic brands. First off there is the quality and comfort factor. You are more likely to get quality and lasting underwear if they don't come in a three-pack. But you do also have to keep in mind that not all expensive underwear is good quality (but in my experience, most of it is). Second, there is the sexy factor. Usually designer underwear tends to look more sexy because it is better fitting and just that whole designer label thing (but there are some people who are so sexy that they can make any underwear look sexy). But this last reason, is what I consider to be my most interesting and most sincere answer. In a country (the USA) where everything is run by money, many dream of owning expensive things, including designer clothing. The thing is, designer clothing can be quite expensive. But if you buy designer underwear you don't necessarily have to be rich to own it because usually underwear is the most inexpensive thing that a designer makes. Also, if someone sees a designer label on your waistband they will assume that you must be wearing all designer clothing. Because after all, not very many people wear designer underwear and Wal-Mart everything else.

Not your Father's Underwear

Since moving to California in 2001, I have taken noticed of a renaissance of sorts in Design. The revolution of Design has afflicted art, architecture, technology, and fashion. Modern art is seen in common Americana; SHAG. You can find SHAG putting a new fresh look to Pink Panther or see the 60's aesthetics back in vogue in your cocktails. You can read about ecology friendly pre-fab home designs in Dwell. What about modern home kitchens and baths, just check out HGTV. Even your phone is getting into the act with Apple iPhone. So, it's no surprise that underwear has taken a leap in its design and fashion senses. On the personal level, I've acquired a fashion sense that includes Prada, JP Todds, ETRO, and now aussieBum and C-IN2.

Underwear design (if you want to call it that) what used to be a novelty bent on the silly sexy bedroom frolicks, has become ever more forward. Just look at the latest products from aussieBum, C-IN2, Toot, as brands whose designs take into account advancements in prints, fabrics, form, and cut. Cotton mixed with synthetic fabric for stretch and comfort. Low-rise briefs, a perfect corollary to one's Banana Republic or J Crew jeans, are now as 'in' as they are worn 'under' your other designer wear. There are low-rise boxer shorts too to complement your low-rise Prada slacks. And what is this 'Sling' anyway by C-IN2, technology meets form and function is what. Well, you'll have to decide. For me, I have decided that this is an exciting and fascinating time for the vitalization of underwear. There is so much creative energy thrown into this space, evident by an explosion of new makers and designers. Even old traditional names like Fruit of the Loom, Jockey, are competing with the likes of coutour designers like Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and D&G. Unimaginable ten years ago, I now have to decide what underwear to chose to go with my clothes and function for the day.

In post script I ask one final question. Do you still call it "Underwear?" Well, no longer. A new name has been bestowed upon this once hidden layer of clothing that keeps your good clothes from getting soiled. Fashionistas now call it "foundation garment" (as read in WallPaper issue). As the name suggests, underwear is no longer shamefully hidden, but proudly forms the foundation for all your other fashionable layers of clothing. We must all have a hip label for men's new modern Design products.

Redefining the age old question

"Boxers or briefs?" That used to be the appropriate question to ask when you wanted to know about a man's underwear preferences. But now if you were to ask that question you would likely get the responses "Neither" or "Both" or "Depends on the situation". The men's underwear world has changed drastically and now "boxers or briefs?" is no longer an appropriate question because it does not encompass the wide variety that is availble out there. There are many more than two styles for men now, including: boxers, briefs, boxerbriefs, trunks, jockstraps, thongs, g-strings, and more! And within all those styles there are many different versions, not just a plain white basic. You can get them in lots of colors and with lots of rises. There's the regular (full-rise) brief, the low-rise brief, the medium-rise brief, the square cut brief, the box-cut brief, and the bikini brief. And that's just for briefs. Not to mention the fact that lots of men like many different styles of underwear for different occasions or just because they love collecting them. So it is quite clear that the age old question no longer fits. Instead when wanting to learn about a man's underwear preferences one should ask, "What styles of underwear do you wear?"

And tying in nicely with that, let's make that the question of the day, "What styles of underwear do you wear?"

Boxerbriefs vs. Trunks - what's the difference?

One of the most common inconsistancies that I've seen in the men's underwear world is the use of the terms 'trunk' and 'boxerbrief'. Brands often use these terms interchangeably, however they refer to entirely different things. They are similar, but still very different. I may have this wrong, but as I see it the terms are defined as follows. If you disagree with these definitions please call me on it because these are the definitions that I go by when writing posts.

Boxerbriefs:
-usually has a fully functioning front fly
-has two back seams "framing" the ass.
-generally legs are a longer than trunks (hits mid-thighish)
-Elastic waistband and legbands




Trunks:
-usually has no fly
-usually no seam in back or one seam down the middle
-often they are "seamless"
-legs tend to be shorter than trunks (hitting just low enough to cover)
-often has elastic waistband
-usually does not have elastic legbands

Hope that clarifies the difference. It is very confusing. So let's not even talk about hipsters, or low-rise trunks, or any other similar terms that are also tossed around.

And don't even get me started on the punctuation of boxerbrief (boxerbrief, boxer brief, boxer-brief). I just tend to switch it up the punctuation because the idea is always clear.

Look at the photos for further clarification.

Poll of the day: What are your thoughts on this? Do you go by a different definition? What is that? Is my definition incorrect?