Ask A Woman: Are Tighty Whiteys the male Granny Panties?
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Beth:
Not to get too personal, but, boxers or briefs? Specifically: boxers, briefs, or tighty whiteys? I’ve always worn white briefs. But I keep hearing that women see them as granny panties for guys.
Do women even care about a man’s choice in underwear?
– James
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Hi James,
Well your email lit off an explosion of conversation, debate, and even math. You mention boxers, briefs, and tighty whiteys, but since tighty whiteys are briefs, I wondered if you meant boxer briefs. Our fearless Dappered leader tried to explain it to me by referencing the ACTs and making the analogy that all squares are rectangles but not all rectangles are squares. I had a flashback to staying up late the night before all of my standardized testings and doing productive things like playing hacky sack (an unfortunate reference in a column about underwear, yes?) and eating a whole package of Oreos, instead of reviewing flashcards.
Yes, women care about men’s underwear. Because I’m tired of saying things like, “Women’s preferences in physical attributes/hair line/underwear are as diverse as women themselves,” I did a survey of all my best gals, so that I could bring you the most accurate, most authoritative information possible. Unfortunately, there was no such authoritative answer. My lovely ladies were split half and half, boxer brief and boxers. I regret to inform you that no one picked the humble brief. (Though not entirely relevant, I must report my favorite response, from S.R.: “Real answer: boxers; funny answer: neon cup.”)
This is why we like boxer briefs: they’re tight, so they shows off the goods, but they’re a bit of a graduation from the briefs. Plus, the boxer brief emphasizes the thighs in a way that boxers, with their free-wheelin’ and dealin’, neglect. It is a special joy of women everywhere to see a tight garment hugging the muscular quads and hamstrings of a man.
This is why we like boxers: they’re casual and manly. The sight of a man in boxers makes women think about seventh grade, when we noticed for the first time a guy’s boxers sticking out from the top of their jeans, and we thought to ourselves, Yessss, I like this development. Boxers are also forgiving if you have chicken legs or doughy thighs.
Finally, a word about briefs, since these are your preference, James. Nothing wrong with briefs, and they can be sexy; after all, they’re form fitting, which is part of what we like about boxer briefs. But they can also hearken back to childhood if you’re not careful. If you go with briefs, choose a flattering cut (nothing too high or too low on the thigh), and a solid color. Wearing tighty whiteys will make people wonder if your mother sent them to you in a care package.
To close, I’d like to leave you with this new vocabulary word: manties. As in, male panties. You’re welcome.
-Beth
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I see you found the picture of my vacation last winter to Northern Maine. I go back and forth between boxer briefs and boxers. I wore briefs for quite some time, but when I used to be a runner I found I got wicked chaffing. So I switched to boxers, which are great for everyday wear. That said, if I am going to be active I will switch to the boxer brief because of the extra support.
I see you found the picture of my vacation last winter to Northern Maine. I go back and forth between boxer briefs and boxers. I wore briefs for quite some time, but when I used to be a runner I found I got wicked chaffing. So I switched to boxers, which are great for everyday wear. That said, if I am going to be active I will switch to the boxer brief because of the extra support.
boxer briefs for work / under fitted jeans/pants etc.
boxers to bed and to relax and casual weekends etc and to let “it” breathe
I appreciate a good neologism. However, regarding “manties” – NO.
I don’t get it, if the ladies are seeing our underwear haven’t they already made some kind of commitment to get PAST the underwear as fast as possible? I don’t know they should care. I wouldn’t want to be with someone who really did.
Briefs are rarely, if ever, flattering. Boxers definitely have a laid-back, college dorm-type vibe, with style-points for poking above the waistline. But for work and most other occasions, boxer-briefs should rule the day.
I often get compliments about my hamstrings.
I totally agree with Ryan. I am a woman and I can’t figure out why some men think that wearing boxers would be sexy for a woman to see. No one wants to see a woman in underwear that hangs off her body, right? Same thing for men in my opinion … I want to see a man in underwear that is tight enough to give a hint about what’s underneath but not so tight/small that it’s back to tighty whitey days.
As with most other style choices, what looks flattering on someone is completely dependent on the individual. I tend to chose a trunk cut brief as my go to underwear, because I like the support and its comfortable – plus I think I look hot in them, should the pants come off. That being said, I also have several pairs of briefs (solid colors – black and white) that I think I look really good in – my favorites are from the CK Steel collection. I’m fairly athletic and have a bit of a swimmers build so both of those choices work on me, but I’d never say all guys should wear the same type of undergarment.
I wore boxers for years, but finally grew up and started wearing briefs – usually a trunk – and the occasional boxer brief. I still have some comfortable boxers I wear under my jeans when relaxing at home, or when I decide to wear something to bed. But boxers just aren’t a good choice for a grown man, especially under slacks or other work clothes. They have too much loose fabric that can gather and bunch, ruining the line of your trousers while simultaneously giving you zero support. If you (or your lady) feel that “tighty whities” somehow make you look like a little boy, you may be shaving too much body hair, or you may just have a weird hangup. Wear a low-cut pair, pick a simple color or pattern, steer clear of white if that’s a personal problem, and you should be fine. Oh, and give the trunk cut a shot. It has just a little more coverage than a traditional brief, but is still very comfortable and supporting.
Oh, and it should go without saying, but let’s banish the cartoon characters and “novelty” boxers to our bygone, wayward youth once and for all.
You make women sound like men. The woman’s most sensitive sexual organ is her mind. Some dudes like women in lingerie, same idea. It’s the allure, the tease, if your in underwear you are a big untamed man whom she wants to be ravaged by. Without your underwear women may find your junk “gross” or “ugly” looking.
Boxers – no. Just, no. They bunch, they poof, they don’t offer any support for the boys. More often than not, they’re worn oversized and in ridiculous prints and patterns that scream “middle school douchebag.”
Boxer briefs – in theory, yes. But with my thunder thighs and bubble butt, I find that they just don’t work. The legs ride up and bunch up. That isn’t just uncomfortable, but I’m sure it would be unsightly under a thinner pair of pants.
So I end up mostly sticking with the modern alternative to tighty-whities: Low-rise, “athletic” briefs in flattering, square cuts and colors like grey, black, and navy. They’re comfortable, flattering, supportive, and unobtrusive under any kind of clothing. Any woman who is so snobby as to truly get worked up about them is not the kind of woman I’m interested in.
I suppose you’ve never seen briefs that are any color other than white. That is the only explanation I can get for you not understanding the difference between briefs and tighty whiteys.
Is no underwear a problem?
Yeah, now see, this is what I mean. What if a guy is ENDOWED with bubble butt and thunder thighs, boxer briefs DO ride up, and to me . . . the right type of low-cut briefs are SUPER SEXY. I think that a lot, not all, but a lot of women are threatened by a guy with a SUPER SEXY look. But I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder so what I am saying here may all be null and void.
question, what colour boxer briefs do women like on men?
id say not a problem for women, but for us guys it depends on what we are wearing on top, some clothes chaff a lil much , others don’t, i like going commando sometimes, feels daring lol
Boxers are much better then briefs, as they are much more comfortable then briefs. Males usually prefer Boxers as it suits for all kind of outfits.
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I usually prefer buying boxers are they are much more comfortable then briefs and it goes with any outfit. Briefs are even good but some people don’t prefer it as they are not much comfortable as compared to Boxers.
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