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'Boxer shorts' (also known as 'loose boxers' or, imprecisely, as 'boxers') are a type of underwear worn by men. The term is used in English since 1944 for all-around-elastic shorts, so named after the shorts worn by pugilists, for whom unhindered leg movement ('footwork') is almost as important as the completely free arm movement of the barechested fighters.
Many men prefer boxers because they come in designs which gives them more personality. They also like the way boxers look on them.

Contents

History and Design

Comparison to briefs

References

History and Design

In 1925, Jacob Golomb, founder of Everlast, designed elastic-waist trunks to replace the leather-belted trunks then worn by boxers. These trunks, now known as "boxer trunks", immediately became famous, but were later eclipsed by the popular Jockey-style briefs beginning in the late 1930s. Around 1947, boxer shorts started to gain in popularity again. The two styles, briefs and boxer shorts, had varying ratios of sales for the following forty years, with strong regional and generational preferences.
In more recent decades, boxer shorts got a fashion boost in 1984 when English model and musician Nick Kamen stripped to white boxers in a 1950s style "Launderette" in a Levi's commercial. Although briefs today do outsell boxer shorts, it is apparent that more and more young men prefer the latter. Since the 1990s, many men also opt for boxer briefs as a compromise between the two.
Most boxer shorts have a fly which allow the penis to be extracted without removing or pulling down the garment. Boxer shorts manufacturers have a couple of methods of closing the fly: metal snaps or a button or two. However, many boxer shorts on the market do not have a mechanism to close up the fly.
Since boxer short fabric is rarely stretchy, a "balloon seat", a generous panel of loosely-fitting fabric in the center rear of the shorts is designed to accommodate the wearer's various movements, especially bending forward. Some boxers are composed of four fabric panels with a back center seam, instead of the balloon seat boxers' three, and they may be less comfortable for some wearers.
Two less common forms of boxer shorts are "gripper" boxers and "yoke front" boxers. Gripper boxers have an elastic waistband like regular boxers but have snaps, usually 3, on the fly and on the waistband so that they open up completely. Yoke front boxers are similar to gripper boxers in that the wide waistband yoke can be opened up completely, and the yoke usually has three snaps to close it while the fly itself, below, has no closure mechanism. There are two types of yoke boxers: one in which there is a short piece of elastic on each side of the waistband which snugs up the yoke to fit the waist; and "tie-sides" which have narrow cloth tapes on each side of the waist yoke, like strings, which are tightened and knotted by the wearer to make an exact fit. Since yoke front boxers are more exactly fitted, they are extremely comfortable and their purchasers can buy precise sizing (usually in two-inch increments).Yoke fronts were very common during World War II, when the rubber needed for elastic waistbands had to be used for military purposes.
Boxer shorts are available in white and solid colors including pastels, and come in a variety of patterns and prints as well: classically these are "geometrics" (small repeating geometric designs -- see the photographs above), plaids and vertical stripes. Additionally, there are innumerable "novelty" boxer short patterns, sometimes reflecting a certain humor which seems to have attached to this underwear style. Boxer shorts are produced using various fabrics including all cotton, cotton/polyester blends, jersey knits and silk. Most television programs prefer displaying men in boxer shorts rather than other types of underwear; this is probably because boxer shorts are more modest for the mass media, as well as looking more like outer clothing than underwear.
In 1975, an advertisement for boxer shorts created a recurring urban legend. The fall/winter Sears catalogue displayed two underwear models, one wearing briefs and another wearing boxer shorts. The model wearing the boxer shorts appears to have part of his penis (some sources say a testicle) exposed. At the time, this caused a stir because of possible indecent exposure. However, Sears states that it is a printing defect and the same ad reappeared in color in a later catalogue, where no penis is shown. Despite the publicity, Sears did not release a copy of the colored ad to allow the public to verify its statement. Without the proof, the urban legend still persists in popular culture. [1]

Comparison to briefs

People who like to wear boxer shorts claim there are certain advantages to wearing boxer shorts compared to other types of underwear.

★ Many well-endowed men prefer boxers because they seem more roomy.

★ The opening in front of the boxer shorts gives easier access to the penis.

★ Boxer shorts are generally less revealing when worn alone.

★ Boxers are cooler to wear in summer heat.

★ It is much easier to use a urinal when wearing boxers.

★ They help prevent jock itch (''tinea cruris'') by being less tight in the groin area.

★ Boxer shorts appear in more styles, colors and patterns.

★ Boxer shorts usually do not reveal details of the man's groin/genitals.

★ Being looser, boxer shorts are the easiest type of underwear to remove.

★ Some men prefer to have sexual intercourse while wearing boxer shorts.

★ They are the underwear of choice for sagging.

★ They allow the genitals to hang naturally without being constrained.

★ Briefs are dismissingly referred to as "tighty-whities" and seen as reminiscent of baby clothes by some who choose boxers as a sign of maturity.

★ An urban legend purports tight briefs are bad for the sperm count. Here's the theory (which so far has not been proven): the testicles are outside the body for cooling because they operate for sperm production at a lower temperature than the rest of the body, and boxer shorts allow the testes to operate within the required temperature range. The compression of the genitals in briefs ''may'' cause the temperature to rise and sperm production to fall.
Critics of boxer shorts claim there are certain disadvantages to wearing shorts compared to other types of underwear.

★ Sometimes, the outline of the penis can be seen through pants, due to the lack of genital compression.

★ Well-endowed men may find that the boxers' legs are too short or too wide, allowing for the accidental exposure of parts of the genitalia or insufficient coverage for comfort.

★ The scrotum is not well-supported and tends to move around a lot. This may be uncomfortable and even painful, especially during sports activities.

★ An unwanted erection is much more noticeable when one is wearing boxers.

★ Wearing certain kinds of pants over boxer shorts looks awkward.

★ The loose fitting of boxer shorts can bunch and ride up.

★ When worn with loose fitting clothing, such as school gym shorts, boxer shorts come down more easily in a common prank known as "pantsing," where the prankster attempts to pull down the target's pants and may inadvertently (or purposely) also pull down target's boxer shorts, exposing the genitalia.

★ At times, protrusion of the penis or testes through the fly opening occurs. This can happen anytime even when the boxers are the proper fit — not tight or loose. This can be avoided however by wearing boxers with a fly-closure button/snap.

References

★ Etymology OnLine