One of the things I love most about doing podcasts is hearing how different people arrive at the same destination.

On the latest episode of Stretching the Truth, I sat down with Commo from Australia, and what struck me most wasn’t the gear he loves. It was how different his journey was from mine, yet how many of the same conclusions we reached.

Many people discover spandex, Lycra, wetsuits, or other gear through a kink or fetish. Others find it through sports, fitness, swimming, cycling, surfing, or competition. While the starting points may be different, many of us eventually arrive at the same place: realizing that what we wear can be a powerful form of self-expression.

For Commo, that journey started with swimming.

Growing up in Australia, Speedos weren’t some exotic piece of gear. They were simply what swimmers wore. As he moved into competitive swimming, surfing, and other outdoor sports, performance gear became a normal part of everyday life. The gear wasn’t initially about kink. It was about function.
Yet something about the material kept drawing him back.

Many of us can relate to that feeling. There’s something about spandex that is hard to explain to people who don’t get it. The fit. The compression. The sensation of wearing it. The confidence it can create. It’s one of those things that often doesn’t make sense until you experience it yourself.

What I found especially interesting was how Commo approaches gear today.

While many people separate gear into “sport” and “kink” categories, he embraces the practical side of it. Running tights, cycling kits, wetsuits, skinsuits, and compression gear aren’t just things he collects. They’re things he uses.

That reminded me of something I talk about often. One of my goals with both Stretching the Truth and Free the Bulge is encouraging people to wear what they love. If you enjoy tights, wear them. If you love swim briefs, wear them. If you prefer singlets, wrestling gear, cycling kits, or compression wear, don’t let other people’s expectations dictate your choices.

Too many men spend years worrying about what other people might think. The reality is that most people are far less concerned about what you’re wearing than you imagine. We build these scenarios in our heads where everyone is staring, judging, or criticizing us. In reality, most people are busy dealing with their own lives. That doesn’t mean confidence comes easily. It takes time.

I still remember buying my first wrestling singlet. At the time, it felt like a huge deal. Looking back now, it seems almost funny, but at the time it represented something important. It was a step toward accepting a part of myself that I had spent years trying to understand.

That’s why conversations like this matter. They remind us that there isn’t one correct path into gear culture. Some people arrive through sports. Some arrive through kink. Some arrive through fashion. Some simply discover that they feel better wearing certain things. All of those paths are valid.

But perhaps the biggest takeaway from our conversation wasn’t about gear at all. It was about community. Over the years, I’ve become increasingly convinced that the future of our community depends on moving beyond simply admiring each other’s gear. Don’t get me wrong. We all appreciate a great photo. But if that’s where the interaction ends, we’re missing something important.

Behind every profile is a real person. A person with a career. A family. A story. Interests beyond gear. Dreams, challenges, successes, and struggles. The strongest communities aren’t built on gear alone. They’re built on relationships. They’re built on conversations that go beyond “Nice suit” or “Great photo.” They’re built when we ask questions. When we share experiences. When we support each other. When we get to know the person behind the gear.

Some of the best friendships I’ve made over the years started because of underwear, spandex, swimwear, or gear. Today, many of those friendships have evolved far beyond those shared interests.

That’s where real community happens. The gear might bring us together. But the people are what make us stay. As the Stretching the Truth community continues to grow, that’s something I hope we never lose sight of. Wear what you love. Be authentic. Don’t apologize for your interests. And most importantly, take the time to get to know the people behind the gear. You never know where a simple conversation might lead.

What About You?

How did you discover your love of spandex, Lycra, wetsuits, swimwear, compression gear, or other performance apparel?

Was it through sports?

Fitness?

A kink?

Fashion?

Or something completely different?

Listen to this show on the Stretching the Truth Podcast, Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify

When I came up with the name “Free the Bulge,” it was meant to draw attention to the campaign. It’s not about being provocative, showing off, being overly sexual, or even just showing your body. It’s about feeling comfortable in your own skin and having the confidence to wear what you love. This isn’t about getting approval from others, or because your body changed, or because you suddenly became fearless. It’s about showing up, celebrating small wins, and building on them.

Showing up is Harder than you think: 

I know you hear our podcasts and hear about guys going to thonger weekends or the beach, just dropping their shorts and being out there for everyone to see. Many of us, myself included, wear board shorts over Speedos, avoid bold colors to stay unnoticed, cover up at the beach or pool, skip posting pictures in our gear, and avoid trying new things. Lately, I’ve been working on going to the pool or beach without putting on shorts to walk around. I just wear the swim brief and try not to worry about it.

I think a lot of us ask, “Is it okay to wear this?” instead of, “Do I like wearing this?” We let what we think others value cloud our own judgment and tell ourselves, “No, I shouldn’t wear this” for whatever reason. Try asking yourself if you like it, and if the answer is yes, go ahead and wear it.

The Rules No One Gave us:

Growing up as men, we had a lot of rules to follow. But who made these rules we stick to? How long have they been around, and do we really need to follow them now? Let’s take a look at some of these rules:

• Don’t stand out.
• Don’t wear bright colors.
• Don’t show confidence.
• Don’t wear fitted gear.
• Don’t care too much about appearance.
• Don’t look “too gay.”
• Don’t look too confident.

I think we ended up with these rules because they were reinforced by the media, our families, friends, and even locker room culture. It’s time for us, as men, to break these rules and create new ones that reflect who we really are, not some old idea of what a man or masculinity should be.

Confidence isn’t the same as attention.

Confidence isn’t about hoping people notice you. It’s about feeling good in what you’re wearing. We all have our own struggles, and honestly, there’s nothing wrong with showing off and getting attention. But most of us wear what we do because it makes us feel great. It fits well and highlights our best features. You feel sexy wearing it, and that confidence comes through. It also shows who you are. I love bold colors and prints, but not everyone wants to wear a pink flamingo swim brief.

It feels great when you get to the point where you’re not looking for validation and just wear what you love. The first few times you put on that thong or swim brief, you might feel self-conscious, but after a while, it starts to feel natural. Eventually, it becomes part of who you are, and you stop worrying about what others think.

Showing up looks different for everyone. 

What does showing up mean? There’s no single answer. For one guy, wearing a swim brief in public is a way to show up and help make swim briefs more accepted in his community. For another, just having the courage to buy a swim brief is a big step. Everyone is at a different point in their journey, and we should encourage each other to keep going.

There are other ways to show up, like posting a picture online. I know this can be hard—I struggle with it too. Putting yourself out there and being vulnerable isn’t easy. We’re sharing a big part of ourselves with the world. Everyone has their own body issues, and we’re often our own harshest critics. But we, myself included, need to start posting pictures and sharing what we love.

Another way to show up is by telling someone else that you love underwear, swim briefs, swim thongs, or gear. Saying it out loud is powerful. When you meet someone who understands you and lets you be yourself, it’s a huge relief and can open up your world.

Your Story doesn’t need to look like everyone else’s 

This means your journey is your own. While others may influence you, it’s still your path, and you get to decide what you wear, how you share it, and with whom. Not everyone wants to wear a thong, share pictures, or stand out. It’s not about becoming someone else—it’s about becoming more of who you truly are. Try what you want, and if you don’t like something, that’s okay.

Build Community, Don’t Perform

Showing off is fun, and lots of guys in the community enjoy it, but there’s more to our community than just showing off your gear or how good you look in it. It’s also about building connections. Notice new guys, encourage them with comments or DMs, and make them feel welcome. If someone messages you about what brand you wore or how something fits, be friendly. Ask questions and have a real conversation, not just one-word replies.

When you start talking to someone, go beyond just talking about gear. Gear brings us together, but we all have other interests and hobbies. I think it’s great when a conversation turns into a real friendship and you get to know the person. Have real conversations, and then bring up underwear or Speedos too. Friends get to know each other and share who they are.

We need to celebrate confidence at every level. I try to comment on pictures and tell guys how great they look, giving positive feedback. Remember to support guys who aren’t muscle gods—regular and bigger guys need encouragement too. Step out of your comfort zone and be a positive force in the community.

My Challenge to You

What does showing up look like for me, and what do I want you guys to do? 

• – Wear that swim brief you have put away, break it out and wear it!
• – Wear some fun colors, I say, if you think people are going to stare, give them a reason to stare, wear a bold pink thong, neon bikini, or my favorite Flamingos.
• – Compliment someone online you don’t know, tell them how good they look.
• – Don’t apologize for what you like to wear, wear it, and let’s normalize it for all guys.
• – Share your story. We all have a story, and we should share our origin story; it doesn’t have to be on the podcast. You could share on your social media.

What is Free the Bulge

Free the Bulge was never about being the loudest person in the room. It’s not about proving anything or showing off. It’s about showing up as your true self. It’s about welcoming others into the community and being a friendly face. I love talking to people, so send me a DM or email and let’s chat. Let’s make this the best community we can, welcoming our gay, straight, and bi brothers. Underwear and gear aren’t about sexuality—they’re about letting ourselves feel sexy, confident, and welcome. Let’s grow this movement together.

I have floated the idea for trying out the most famous white briefs. That includes Haynes, FOTL, Stafford, ,and Jockey. The only downside is that you can have to buy them in packs of six! What ever happened to the three packs? I’m calling on you guys, especially white brief guys, who want a full podcast of me talking about my experience in white briefs to shop my amazon wish list. I don’t do this much but this is something I think would benefit the entire podcast population.

You can shop my wish list here: UNB Tim’s White Brief Wish List.

I’m actually kinda excited to try them again. Wear Tighties has been amazing and I really enjoy them.

Also, what you will hear on the podcast:

• My growing up wearing FOTL briefs
• Why I stopped wearing them
• When I started back giving them a try (CK and 2(X)ist
• How the podcast has influenced me with white briefs
• What I think of each pair and will I put them in my rotation.

I want to do more of these types of shows along with reviews. But I need your help to make this possible, Join the Patreon so we can buy underwear and give you our honest opinions of pairs. This will be the start of this journey.

2024 vs. 2025 | Written in the UNB Tim voice

This report compares the shared survey columns from the 2024 and 2025 UNB Reader Surveys. I excluded Timestamp and the final email/PII field. That leaves 74 exact-match columns for a clean year-over-year read, plus columns that changed wording or structure and are called out separately.

Executive Summary

• We had 206 responses in 2024 and 161 in 2025. Even with the smaller 2025 sample, the big themes stayed loud and clear: this is still a collector-heavy, opinionated, highly engaged underwear audience.
• Thong kept gaining ground as a favorite style, moving from 38.3% in 2024 to 45.3% in 2025.
• Regular-price spending moved upward. The $25+ tier became the top bracket in 2025, which tells me readers are still spending when the pair feels worth it.
• Swim confidence continued to open up. The share of readers who said they have worn a swim thong climbed sharply year over year.
• Readers were even more supportive of real-guy content in 2025, which lines up with what I keep hearing: guys still want fantasy, but they also want honesty and representation.
• The podcast side of UNB got stronger. More readers said they listen in 2025, and the most-requested topics still leaned personal: thong shows, Brief Tales, sexuality, sensuality, and body image.
• Social behavior is shifting. BlueSky became a much bigger part of the conversation in 2025 for posting and following underwear content, while Instagram remained the platform most tied to moderation headaches.
• UNB influence stayed strong in both years. Roughly six in ten readers in each survey said UNB influenced their underwear, swimwear, or gear buying.

How to Read This Report

For standard multiple-choice columns, I report the top answers with counts and percentages based on the full respondent count for that year. For list-style or comma-separated answers, I split the individual items and count each one separately. For truly open-ended questions, I report response volume and the most repeated keywords so we get a grounded read without forcing messy text into fake precision.

Questions That Match Cleanly

1. What is your age?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **35 – 44** stayed on top, moving from 29.6% in 2024 to 33.5% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	35 – 44	61 | 29.6%	35 – 44	54 | 33.5%
2	25 – 34	49 | 23.8%	25 – 34	39 | 24.2%
3	45 – 54	49 | 23.8%	45 – 54	34 | 21.1%
4	55 – 65	27 | 13.1%	55 – 65	21 | 13.0%
5	65+	16 | 7.8%	65+	9 | 5.6%

2. Are you?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Male** stayed on top, moving from 99.0% in 2024 to 98.1% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Male	204 | 99.0%	Male	158 | 98.1%
2	NB	1 | 0.5%	Non-Binary	2 | 1.2%

3. What is your sexual orientation?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Gay** stayed on top, moving from 43.2% in 2024 to 48.4% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Gay	89 | 43.2%	Gay	78 | 48.4%
2	Straight	66 | 32.0%	Straight	49 | 30.4%
3	Bisexual	42 | 20.4%	Bisexual	23 | 14.3%
4	Prefer not to answer	4 | 1.9%	Don’t identify with labels	4 | 2.5%
5	Don’t identify with labels	4 | 1.9%	Pansexual	2 | 1.2%

4. Are you

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Married** stayed on top, moving from 50.0% in 2024 to 49.7% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Married	103 | 50.0%	Married	80 | 49.7%
2	Single	64 | 31.1%	Single	50 | 31.1%
3	Significant Other	35 | 17.0%	Significant Other	26 | 16.1%
4	Divorced	3 | 1.5%	Divorced	3 | 1.9%
5	Widowed	1 | 0.5%	widower	1 | 0.6%

5. What size are you? (if female what size is your partner)

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **M** stayed on top, moving from 37.9% in 2024 to 39.8% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	M	78 | 37.9%	M	64 | 39.8%
2	L	68 | 33.0%	L	55 | 34.2%
3	XL	25 | 12.1%	XL	19 | 11.8%
4	S	22 | 10.7%	S	17 | 10.6%
5	XXL	8 | 3.9%	XXL	3 | 1.9%

6. Where are you located

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **United States** stayed on top, moving from 62.6% in 2024 to 60.9% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	United States	129 | 62.6%	United States	98 | 60.9%
2	Europe	17 | 8.3%	Europe	21 | 13.0%
3	Canada	17 | 8.3%	United Kingdom	14 | 8.7%
4	United Kingdom	15 | 7.3%	Australia	11 | 6.8%
5	Australia	13 | 6.3%	Canada	11 | 6.8%

7. How Large is your Underwear Collection

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This one shifted. In 2024 the top answer was **41-70** at 21.8%, while in 2025 **21-40** moved into first at 26.7%. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	41-70	45 | 21.8%	21-40	43 | 26.7%
2	21-40	40 | 19.4%	151+	37 | 23.0%
3	151+	40 | 19.4%	41-70	36 | 22.4%
4	71-100	36 | 17.5%	71-100	16 | 9.9%
5	101-150	17 | 8.3%	101-150	16 | 9.9%

8. How often do you buy new underwear

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Every few months** stayed on top, moving from 51.0% in 2024 to 66.5% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Every few months	105 | 51.0%	Every few months	107 | 66.5%
2	Monthly	50 | 24.3%	Monthly	33 | 20.5%
3	2x a month	23 | 11.2%	2x a month	13 | 8.1%
4	Weekly	8 | 3.9%	Weekly	7 | 4.3%
5	Daily	2 | 1.0%		| %

9. When you buy underwear do you regularly buy it on sale or regular price

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **A Mix of both** stayed on top, moving from 65.0% in 2024 to 73.9% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	A Mix of both	134 | 65.0%	A Mix of both	119 | 73.9%
2	On Sale	49 | 23.8%	On Sale	33 | 20.5%
3	Regular Price	5 | 2.4%	Regular Price	8 | 5.0%

10. How much do you pay for a pair of underwear at regular price?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This one shifted. In 2024 the top answer was **$15 – 20** at 28.6%, while in 2025 **$25+** moved into first at 30.4%. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	$15 – 20	59 | 28.6%	$25+	49 | 30.4%
2	$20 – 25	51 | 24.8%	$20 – 25	48 | 29.8%
3	$25+	38 | 18.4%	$15 – 20	34 | 21.1%
4	$10 – 15	31 | 15.0%	$10 – 15	23 | 14.3%
5	$5-10	10 | 4.9%	$5-10	7 | 4.3%

11. What makes you buy a pair at regular (full) price? What factors play into a decision to buy at full price.

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **style** showed up 13 times in 2024 and 10 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Style	13 | 8.8%	style	10 | 8.5%
2	Brand	5 | 3.4%	Design	3 | 2.5%
3	fabric	5 | 3.4%	fabric	3 | 2.5%
4	material	5 | 3.4%	color	2 | 1.7%
5	quality	4 | 2.7%	Cut	2 | 1.7%
6	Color	3 | 2.0%	How sexy it looks	2 | 1.7%
7	comfort	3 | 2.0%	new design	2 | 1.7%
8	cut	3 | 2.0%	A brand I like & find fits me well	1 | 0.8%

Response base: 148 nonblank responses in 2024 and 118 nonblank responses in 2025.

12. What is your favorite style to wear?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Thong** stayed on top, moving from 38.3% in 2024 to 45.3% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Thong	79 | 38.3%	Thong	73 | 45.3%
2	Brief	47 | 22.8%	Bikini	35 | 21.7%
3	Bikini	38 | 18.4%	Brief	31 | 19.3%
4	Jock	11 | 5.3%	Jock	14 | 8.7%
5	Boxer Brief	8 | 3.9%	Boxer Brief	6 | 3.7%

13. Which of the follow do you wear on a regular basis?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Solid colors** showed up 195 times in 2024 and 156 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Solid colors	195 | 94.7%	Solid colors	156 | 96.9%
2	Prints	90 | 43.7%	Prints	61 | 37.9%
3	Stripes	60 | 29.1%	Stripes	48 | 29.8%

Response base: 206 nonblank responses in 2024 and 161 nonblank responses in 2025.

14. What do you do with underwear that you don’t like or wear any more?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Throw away** showed up 132 times in 2024 and 103 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Throw away	132 | 64.7%	Throw away	103 | 64.4%
2	Put into storage	58 | 28.4%	Put into storage	54 | 33.8%
3	Give to a friend	17 | 8.3%	Give to a friend	15 | 9.4%
4	Sell online (Poshmark etc)	12 | 5.9%	Sell online (Poshmark etc)	12 | 7.5%
5	Donate	2 | 1.0%	Donate	2 | 1.2%
6	fabric recycling	2 | 1.0%	cut up as dusters	1 | 0.6%
7	and I’ve found because of holes and wear I don’t even pull them out anymore (and need the space lol)	1 | 0.5%	cut up before disposal	1 | 0.6%
8	Back of my drawer. Need to clean out to make room for more pairs!!	1 | 0.5%	cut up first	1 | 0.6%

Response base: 204 nonblank responses in 2024 and 160 nonblank responses in 2025.

15. What Do You Find Most Annoying in Underwear

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Sizing Issues** showed up 115 times in 2024 and 83 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Sizing Issues	115 | 56.9%	Sizing Issues	83 | 53.2%
2	Pouch – Too Small	76 | 37.6%	Pouch – Too Small	62 | 39.7%
3	Labels or tags	74 | 36.6%	Labels or tags	56 | 35.9%
4	Pricing	61 | 30.2%	Construction Issues	50 | 32.1%
5	Store Selection	61 | 30.2%	Societal Issues	39 | 25.0%
6	Societal Issues	58 | 28.7%	Store Selection	39 | 25.0%
7	Construction Issues	52 | 25.7%	Comfort	37 | 23.7%
8	Ridding UP	44 | 21.8%	Support	37 | 23.7%

Response base: 202 nonblank responses in 2024 and 156 nonblank responses in 2025.

16. What are your favorite colors of Underwear?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Blue** showed up 158 times in 2024 and 127 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Blue	158 | 77.8%	Blue	127 | 80.4%
2	Black	122 | 60.1%	Black	100 | 63.3%
3	Red	115 | 56.7%	Red	81 | 51.3%
4	Green	84 | 41.4%	Purple	63 | 39.9%
5	White	80 | 39.4%	Green	57 | 36.1%
6	Purple	79 | 38.9%	White	53 | 33.5%
7	Orange	71 | 35.0%	Pink	50 | 31.6%
8	Pink	70 | 34.5%	Orange	41 | 25.9%

Response base: 203 nonblank responses in 2024 and 158 nonblank responses in 2025.

17. Which brands are your must have brands in your underwear drawer?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **Calvin Klein** led the answers, while in 2025 **Cocksox** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Calvin Klein	27 | 15.3%	Cocksox	16 | 11.3%
2	Aussiebum	25 | 14.1%	N2N	15 | 10.6%
3	Andrew Christian	22 | 12.4%	Ergowear	13 | 9.2%
4	2xist	19 | 10.7%	Aussiebum	12 | 8.5%
5	Cocksox	19 | 10.7%	Calvin Klein	12 | 8.5%
6	Gregg Homme	18 | 10.2%	Gregg Homme	12 | 8.5%
7	Jockey	18 | 10.2%	2xist	7 | 5.0%
8	N2N	18 | 10.2%	Andrew Christian	7 | 5.0%

Response base: 177 nonblank responses in 2024 and 141 nonblank responses in 2025.

18. Which Brands do you not like or had a bad experience with?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Andrew Christian** showed up 10 times in 2024 and 15 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Andrew Christian	10 | 8.4%	Andrew Christian	15 | 14.7%
2	2xist	5 | 4.2%	Hanes	9 | 8.8%
3	Aussiebum	5 | 4.2%	2xist	5 | 4.9%
4	Hanes	5 | 4.2%	Calvin Klein	5 | 4.9%
5	Candyman	4 | 3.4%	Fruit of the Loom	4 | 3.9%
6	Jockey	4 | 3.4%	jockey	4 | 3.9%
7	Box	3 | 2.5%	JJ Malibu	3 | 2.9%
8	Fruit of the Loom	3 | 2.5%	N2n	3 | 2.9%

Response base: 119 nonblank responses in 2024 and 102 nonblank responses in 2025.

19. Has UNB influenced your underwear/Swimwear/Gear buying?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Yes** stayed on top, moving from 62.6% in 2024 to 63.4% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Yes	129 | 62.6%	Yes	102 | 63.4%
2	No	74 | 35.9%	No	53 | 32.9%

20. What influenced your purchase?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Review** showed up 101 times in 2024 and 77 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Review	101 | 63.1%	Review	77 | 55.8%
2	Social Media Post	48 | 30.0%	Social Media Post	49 | 35.5%
3	Brief Distraction	46 | 28.7%	Brief Distraction	45 | 32.6%
4	UNB Brief Talk Podcast	46 | 28.7%	UNB Brief Talk Podcast	42 | 30.4%
5	Interview with brand	39 | 24.4%	Interview with brand	27 | 19.6%
6	News Write up	35 | 21.9%	Interview with Model	23 | 16.7%
7	UNB Swimwear Guide	21 | 13.1%	News Write up	21 | 15.2%
8	UNB Reader Awards	18 | 11.2%	UNB Swimwear Guide	15 | 10.9%

Response base: 160 nonblank responses in 2024 and 138 nonblank responses in 2025.

21. If you would like, tell us in your own words how UNB Influenced your buying decisions.

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 66 nonblank responses in 2024 and 44 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **talk, styles, different, other** in 2024 and **reviews, based, interviews, show** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	talk	5	reviews	5
2	styles	5	based	4
3	different	5	interviews	4
4	other	4	show	4
5	thongs	4	styles	4
6	know	4	never	3
7	products	3	made	3
8	good	3	different	3
9	reviews	3	trying	2
10	hearing	3	seeing	2

Response base: 66 nonblank responses in 2024 and 44 in 2025.

22. Who are your favorite online underwear retailers

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **International jock** showed up 27 times in 2024 and 14 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	International Jock	27 | 20.9%	International jock	14 | 15.2%
2	Amazon	16 | 12.4%	N2N	7 | 7.6%
3	N2N	8 | 6.2%	Aussiebum	5 | 5.4%
4	aussiebum	7 | 5.4%	Amazon	4 | 4.3%
5	Cheapundies	7 | 5.4%	Andrew Christian	4 | 4.3%
6	Calvin Klein	4 | 3.1%	deadgoodundies	4 | 4.3%
7	freshpair	4 | 3.1%	Gregg Homme	4 | 4.3%
8	Hisroom	4 | 3.1%	hisroom	4 | 4.3%

Response base: 129 nonblank responses in 2024 and 92 nonblank responses in 2025.

23. What do you consider a good sale?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **30%+** led the answers, while in 2025 **20-25% off** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	30%+	93 | 45.8%	20-25% off	68 | 43.0%
2	20-25% off	90 | 44.3%	30%+	64 | 40.5%
3	25-30% off	71 | 35.0%	25-30% off	40 | 25.3%
4	15-20% off	40 | 19.7%	15-20% off	39 | 24.7%
5	10-15% off	7 | 3.4%	10-15% off	7 | 4.4%
6	5-10% off	2 | 1.0%	5-10% off	2 | 1.3%

Response base: 203 nonblank responses in 2024 and 158 nonblank responses in 2025.

24. What is a brand or few brands you splurge on and pay full price?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Gregg Homme** showed up 9 times in 2024 and 9 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Gregg Homme	9 | 7.2%	Gregg Homme	9 | 9.9%
2	N2N	9 | 7.2%	N2N	6 | 6.6%
3	2xist	7 | 5.6%	Ergowear	5 | 5.5%
4	Calvin Klein	7 | 5.6%	Cocksox	4 | 4.4%
5	Olaf Benz	6 | 4.8%	Manstore	3 | 3.3%
6	Addicted	5 | 4.0%	modus vivendi	3 | 3.3%
7	Ergowear	5 | 4.0%	Muscleskins	3 | 3.3%
8	Manstore	5 | 4.0%	Olaf Benz	3 | 3.3%

Response base: 125 nonblank responses in 2024 and 91 nonblank responses in 2025.

25. What types of swimwear do you normally wear each year? (choose all that apply)

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Swim Briefs** showed up 122 times in 2024 and 96 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Swim Briefs	122 | 64.2%	Swim Briefs	96 | 62.7%
2	Swim trunks	83 | 43.7%	Swim trunks	61 | 39.9%
3	Trunks	83 | 43.7%	Trunks	61 | 39.9%
4	Swim Shorts	72 | 37.9%	Swim Shorts	54 | 35.3%
5	Thongs	49 | 25.8%	Thongs	50 | 32.7%
6	Board Shorts	35 | 18.4%	Board Shorts	25 | 16.3%
7	G-strings	1 | 0.5%	g string	1 | 0.7%
8	String bikini briefs	1 | 0.5%	Small bikinis	1 | 0.7%

Response base: 190 nonblank responses in 2024 and 153 nonblank responses in 2025.

26. Have you ever worn a swim thong?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **But I want to wear one** led the answers, while in 2025 **Yes** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	But I want to wear one	77 | 39.7%	Yes	67 | 43.5%
2	Yes	62 | 32.0%	But I want to wear one	57 | 37.0%
3	I do not have an interest in wearing	55 | 28.4%	I do not have an interest in wearing	30 | 19.5%

Response base: 194 nonblank responses in 2024 and 154 nonblank responses in 2025.

27. Which swimwear styles are you going to buy this year?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Swim Briefs** showed up 113 times in 2024 and 93 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Swim Briefs	113 | 64.2%	Swim Briefs	93 | 62.4%
2	Thongs	67 | 38.1%	Thongs	56 | 37.6%
3	Swim trunks	55 | 31.2%	Swim Shorts	34 | 22.8%
4	Trunks	55 | 31.2%	Swim trunks	30 | 20.1%
5	Swim Shorts	43 | 24.4%	Trunks	30 | 20.1%
6	Board Shorts	20 | 11.4%	Board Shorts	12 | 8.1%
7	As of now none	1 | 0.6%	and seldom get to a beach unfortunately	1 | 0.7%
8	As opposed to switching styles I’m slowly lowering the inseam measurement.	1 | 0.6%	Bikini	1 | 0.7%

Response base: 176 nonblank responses in 2024 and 149 nonblank responses in 2025.

28. What are your favorite colors of swimwear?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Blue** showed up 149 times in 2024 and 120 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Blue	149 | 81.0%	Blue	120 | 78.9%
2	Black	105 | 57.1%	Black	84 | 55.3%
3	Red	87 | 47.3%	Red	59 | 38.8%
4	Green	72 | 39.1%	Green	54 | 35.5%
5	Orange	56 | 30.4%	Purple	44 | 28.9%
6	Pink	51 | 27.7%	White	35 | 23.0%
7	Purple	50 | 27.2%	Pink	32 | 21.1%
8	White	50 | 27.2%	Yellow	28 | 18.4%

Response base: 184 nonblank responses in 2024 and 152 nonblank responses in 2025.

29. How many pairs of swimwear do you plan to buy this year?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This one shifted. In 2024 the top answer was **2-3** at 42.2%, while in 2025 **1** moved into first at 40.4%. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	2-3	87 | 42.2%	1	65 | 40.4%
2	1	61 | 29.6%	2-3	58 | 36.0%
3	4-6	24 | 11.7%	4-6	16 | 9.9%
4	11+	9 | 4.4%	7-10	8 | 5.0%
5	7-10	8 | 3.9%	11+	8 | 5.0%

30. How much do you spend on a pair of swimwear?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **$36-50** stayed on top, moving from 36.4% in 2024 to 32.9% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	$36-50	75 | 36.4%	$36-50	53 | 32.9%
2	$20-35	62 | 30.1%	$20-35	52 | 32.3%
3	$51-65	29 | 14.1%	$51-65	21 | 13.0%
4	$66-80	12 | 5.8%	$66-80	15 | 9.3%
5	Under $20	12 | 5.8%	$80+	10 | 6.2%

31. What would you wear in these situations? [Public Pool]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 198 nonblank responses in 2024 and 159 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **swim, shorts, brief, trunks** in 2024 and **swim, shorts, brief, trunks** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	swim	175	swim	152
2	shorts	146	shorts	97
3	brief	75	brief	73
4	trunks	56	trunks	41
5	square	56	square	41
6	cuts	56	cuts	41
7	board	50	board	26
8	thong	4	thong	8

Response base: 198 nonblank responses in 2024 and 159 in 2025.

32. What would you wear in these situations? [Public Lake]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 194 nonblank responses in 2024 and 157 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **swim, shorts, brief, board** in 2024 and **swim, shorts, brief, trunks** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	swim	186	swim	160
2	shorts	146	shorts	93
3	brief	75	brief	74
4	board	49	trunks	36
5	trunks	48	square	36
6	square	48	cuts	36
7	cuts	48	board	25
8	thong	14	thong	18

Response base: 194 nonblank responses in 2024 and 157 in 2025.

33. What would you wear in these situations? [Public Beach]

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **Swim Shorts** led the answers, while in 2025 **Swim Brief** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Swim Shorts	90 | 45.7%	Swim Brief	86 | 54.1%
2	Swim Brief	83 | 42.1%	Swim Shorts	66 | 41.5%
3	Square cuts	51 | 25.9%	Square cuts	41 | 25.8%
4	Trunks	51 | 25.9%	Trunks	41 | 25.8%
5	Board Shorts	50 | 25.4%	Swim thong	29 | 18.2%
6	Swim thong	26 | 13.2%	Board Shorts	27 | 17.0%

Response base: 197 nonblank responses in 2024 and 159 nonblank responses in 2025.

34. What would you wear in these situations? [Private Resort Pool/Beach]

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Swim Brief** showed up 113 times in 2024 and 94 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Swim Brief	113 | 57.7%	Swim Brief	94 | 59.9%
2	Swim thong	62 | 31.6%	Swim thong	61 | 38.9%
3	Swim Shorts	54 | 27.6%	Square cuts	39 | 24.8%
4	Square cuts	50 | 25.5%	Trunks	39 | 24.8%
5	Trunks	50 | 25.5%	Swim Shorts	36 | 22.9%
6	Board Shorts	28 | 14.3%	Board Shorts	16 | 10.2%

Response base: 196 nonblank responses in 2024 and 157 nonblank responses in 2025.

35. What would you wear in these situations? [Private Pool]

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Swim Brief** showed up 118 times in 2024 and 96 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Swim Brief	118 | 59.9%	Swim Brief	96 | 61.1%
2	Swim thong	100 | 50.8%	Swim thong	95 | 60.5%
3	Square cuts	36 | 18.3%	Square cuts	25 | 15.9%
4	Trunks	36 | 18.3%	Trunks	25 | 15.9%
5	Swim Shorts	35 | 17.8%	Swim Shorts	23 | 14.6%
6	Board Shorts	19 | 9.6%	Board Shorts	8 | 5.1%

Response base: 197 nonblank responses in 2024 and 157 nonblank responses in 2025.

36. What would you wear in these situations? [Private sunbathing – Outoors]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 195 nonblank responses in 2024 and 156 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **swim, thong, brief, shorts** in 2024 and **swim, thong, brief, shorts** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	swim	236	swim	200
2	thong	113	thong	99
3	brief	101	brief	85
4	shorts	34	shorts	21
5	trunks	23	trunks	16
6	square	23	square	16
7	cuts	23	cuts	16
8	board	12	board	5

Response base: 195 nonblank responses in 2024 and 156 in 2025.

37. What would you wear in these situations? [Tanning Booth]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 175 nonblank responses in 2024 and 134 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **swim, thong, brief, shorts** in 2024 and **swim, thong, brief, shorts** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	swim	201	swim	147
2	thong	118	thong	88
3	brief	73	brief	52
4	shorts	17	shorts	9
5	trunks	10	trunks	7
6	square	10	square	7
7	cuts	10	cuts	7
8	board	7	board	2

Response base: 175 nonblank responses in 2024 and 134 in 2025.

38. What Gymwear do you wear to work out in?  [Running]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 181 nonblank responses in 2024 and 133 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **shorts, spandex, pants, runners** in 2024 and **shorts, spandex, pants, runners** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	shorts	173	shorts	134
2	spandex	103	spandex	74
3	pants	75	pants	57
4	runners	64	runners	45
5	tights	64	tights	45
6	track	25	track	19
7	sweat	25	sweat	19
8	yoga	25	yoga	19
9	singlets	9	singlets	7

Response base: 181 nonblank responses in 2024 and 133 in 2025.

39. What Gymwear do you wear to work out in?  [Lifting Weights]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 171 nonblank responses in 2024 and 131 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **shorts, pants, spandex, runners** in 2024 and **shorts, pants, spandex, runners** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	shorts	164	shorts	126
2	pants	75	pants	63
3	spandex	66	spandex	60
4	runners	38	runners	37
5	tights	38	tights	37
6	track	25	track	21
7	sweat	25	sweat	21
8	yoga	25	yoga	21
9	singlets	12	singlets	16

Response base: 171 nonblank responses in 2024 and 131 in 2025.

40. What Gymwear do you wear to work out in?  [Cardio]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 182 nonblank responses in 2024 and 138 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **shorts, spandex, pants, runners** in 2024 and **shorts, spandex, pants, runners** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	shorts	184	shorts	135
2	spandex	85	spandex	74
3	pants	66	pants	54
4	runners	43	runners	45
5	tights	43	tights	45
6	track	22	track	18
7	sweat	22	sweat	18
8	yoga	22	yoga	18
9	singlets	10	singlets	10

Response base: 182 nonblank responses in 2024 and 138 in 2025.

41. What Gymwear do you wear to work out in?  [Crossfit/HIIT]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 163 nonblank responses in 2024 and 114 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **shorts, spandex, pants, runners** in 2024 and **shorts, spandex, pants, runners** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	shorts	163	shorts	104
2	spandex	65	spandex	47
3	pants	57	pants	45
4	runners	33	runners	30
5	tights	33	tights	30
6	track	19	track	15
7	sweat	19	sweat	15
8	yoga	19	yoga	15
9	singlets	9	singlets	8

Response base: 163 nonblank responses in 2024 and 114 in 2025.

42. What Gymwear do you wear to work out in?  [Yoga]

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 153 nonblank responses in 2024 and 116 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **shorts, pants, spandex, runners** in 2024 and **shorts, pants, spandex, runners** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	shorts	135	shorts	95
2	pants	105	pants	75
3	spandex	70	spandex	60
4	runners	42	runners	38
5	tights	42	tights	38
6	track	35	track	25
7	sweat	35	sweat	25
8	singlets	10	singlets	7

Response base: 153 nonblank responses in 2024 and 116 in 2025.

43. Are you confident in just wearing spandex to the gym (such as a singlet, full-body suit, UA shirts, and runners? No cover-ups)

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **No** stayed on top, moving from 47.1% in 2024 to 38.5% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	No	97 | 47.1%	No	62 | 38.5%
2	Yes	52 | 25.2%	I wear something over my spandex (shorts, etc)	47 | 29.2%
3	I wear something over my spandex (shorts, etc)	41 | 19.9%	Yes	42 | 26.1%

44. How much do you pay for gym wear?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This one shifted. In 2024 the top answer was **$21-35** at 31.6%, while in 2025 **$36-50** moved into first at 28.0%. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	$21-35	65 | 31.6%	$36-50	45 | 28.0%
2	$36-50	60 | 29.1%	$21-35	40 | 24.8%
3	$51-70	32 | 15.5%	$51-70	33 | 20.5%
4	Under $20	15 | 7.3%	Under $20	14 | 8.7%
5	$71-90	9 | 4.4%	$71-90	9 | 5.6%

45. What gymwear brands do you wear on a regular basis

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Nike** showed up 27 times in 2024 and 23 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Nike	27 | 25.2%	Nike	23 | 28.0%
2	Under Armour	20 | 18.7%	Adidas	11 | 13.4%
3	Adidas	18 | 16.8%	Under Armour	7 | 8.5%
4	Lululemon	8 | 7.5%	N2N	5 | 6.1%
5	Gymshark	5 | 4.7%	Teamm8	5 | 6.1%
6	UA	4 | 3.7%	UA	5 | 6.1%
7	2xu	3 | 2.8%	Lululemon	4 | 4.9%
8	Addidas	3 | 2.8%	Matador	3 | 3.7%

Response base: 107 nonblank responses in 2024 and 82 nonblank responses in 2025.

46. What fetishwear do you wear on a regular basis? (choose all that apply)

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Spandex gear** showed up 54 times in 2024 and 45 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Spandex gear	54 | 49.1%	Spandex gear	45 | 43.3%
2	Lace	48 | 43.6%	Lace	36 | 34.6%
3	Bodysuits	36 | 32.7%	Wrestling Singlets	36 | 34.6%
4	Leather	32 | 29.1%	Harness	35 | 33.7%
5	Wrestling Singlets	30 | 27.3%	Bodysuits	33 | 31.7%
6	Harness	28 | 25.5%	Leather	31 | 29.8%
7	Latex	8 | 7.3%	Latex	10 | 9.6%
8	Rubber	7 | 6.4%	Rubber	7 | 6.7%

Response base: 110 nonblank responses in 2024 and 104 nonblank responses in 2025.

47. Where do you buy your fetish gear

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 125 nonblank responses in 2024 and 110 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **online, store, specialty, brick** in 2024 and **online, store, specialty, brick** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	online	102	online	96
2	store	73	store	67
3	specialty	43	specialty	38
4	brick	13	brick	10
5	mortar	13	mortar	10
6	thing	1	wrestling	1
7	need	1	supplier	1
8	another	1	amazon	1
9	selection	1	zentai	1
10	above	1	stores	1

Response base: 125 nonblank responses in 2024 and 110 in 2025.

48. Should we showcase real guys of all shapes and sizes?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Yes** stayed on top, moving from 70.4% in 2024 to 80.1% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Yes	145 | 70.4%	Yes	129 | 80.1%
2	Maybe	35 | 17.0%	Maybe	28 | 17.4%
3	No	15 | 7.3%	No	4 | 2.5%
4	Real sizes, but not overweight or obese :/	1 | 0.5%		| %
5	I say yes because we should all feel comfortable in our skin. At the same time I say no because we need to set examples of health. Real heathy guys. Not super fit that is unobtainable for most.but not obese either. This one is a difficult question	1 | 0.5%		| %

49. If yes what content do you want to see featuring real guys?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Brief Talk – Their favorite style and why they love it** showed up 147 times in 2024 and 114 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Brief Talk – Their favorite style and why they love it	147 | 84.0%	Brief Talk – Their favorite style and why they love it	114 | 78.1%
2	Brief Tales – How they fell in love with underwear	135 | 77.1%	Brief Distractions – pictures	108 | 74.0%
3	Brief Distractions – pictures	127 | 72.6%	Brief Tales – How they fell in love with underwear	105 | 71.9%
4	Interviews	95 | 54.3%	Interviews	70 | 47.9%
5	attending parties or clubs where everyone is in their briefs	1 | 0.6%	it’s not good. It’s not sexy. That may not be progressive but I would hate for your site to die due to a few who want to share their own photos. No brand uses real guys. Because I think all of us want to be the hot model. That’s what makes underwear to appealing. Something I hope you consider as I know some will be vocal for real guys	1 | 0.7%
6	If they feel comfortable and you’re cool with it all the above.	1 | 0.6%	No.	1 | 0.7%
7	I’d like to hear real guys telling fantasy or real stories about adventures in briefs	1 | 0.6%	Not sure – yet to listen	1 | 0.7%
8	More sexual content	1 | 0.6%	Photos	1 | 0.7%

Response base: 175 nonblank responses in 2024 and 146 nonblank responses in 2025.

50. What are your biggest issues with your own body image?

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 129 nonblank responses in 2024 and 93 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **weight, skinny, belly, enough** in 2024 and **weight, belly, size, stomach** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	weight	24	weight	16
2	skinny	11	belly	8
3	belly	9	size	7
4	enough	7	stomach	6
5	than	7	hair	5
6	muscle	6	overweight	5
7	look	6	muscle	4
8	small	5	shape	4
9	even	5	myself	4
10	work	5	muscular	3

Response base: 129 nonblank responses in 2024 and 93 in 2025.

51. We love having our own models, which models do you enjoy?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **A mix of all?** stayed on top, moving from 49.0% in 2024 to 49.7% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	A mix of all?	101 | 49.0%	A mix of all?	80 | 49.7%
2	Real Guys/Average Guys	41 | 19.9%	Real Guys/Average Guys	43 | 26.7%
3	Up and coming Models	22 | 10.7%	Body Positive guys (guys of all sizes)	13 | 8.1%
4	Professional Models	20 | 9.7%	Up and coming Models	12 | 7.5%
5	Body Positive guys (guys of all sizes)	12 | 5.8%	Professional Models	9 | 5.6%

52. Would you be willing to submit your own pics for a Brief Distraction or Share your story as a Brief Tale?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **No** stayed on top, moving from 56.3% in 2024 to 52.8% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	No	116 | 56.3%	No	85 | 52.8%
2	Yes	79 | 38.3%	Yes	69 | 42.9%

53. Do you share your passion for underwear/gear on social media through a personal account?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Yes** showed up 65 times in 2024 and 70 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Yes	65 | 33.5%	Yes	70 | 45.8%
2	an alt account	51 | 26.3%	an alt account	55 | 35.9%
3	my main account	14 | 7.2%	my main account	15 | 9.8%

Response base: 194 nonblank responses in 2024 and 153 nonblank responses in 2025.

54. Which social sites do post your own underwear/swimwear pics/content?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **Twitter** led the answers, while in 2025 **BlueSky** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Twitter	53 | 65.4%	BlueSky	43 | 61.4%
2	Instagram	31 | 38.3%	Instagram	29 | 41.4%
3	Facebook	8 | 9.9%	Twitter	25 | 35.7%
4	Reddit	5 | 6.2%	Reddit	7 | 10.0%
5	BlueSky	4 | 4.9%	Just For Fans	5 | 7.1%
6	Just For Fans	4 | 4.9%	Only Fans	5 | 7.1%
7	Only Fans	4 | 4.9%	Threads	4 | 5.7%
8	Threads	4 | 4.9%	tumblr	4 | 5.7%

Response base: 81 nonblank responses in 2024 and 70 nonblank responses in 2025.

55. Which social media accounts have been deleted due to TOS violations around underwear/gear content?

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 25 nonblank responses in 2024 and 23 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **instagram, pinterest, facebook, tumblr** in 2024 and **instagram, twitter, facebook, threads** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	instagram	13	instagram	15
2	pinterest	5	twitter	3
3	facebook	4	facebook	3
4	tumblr	3	threads	2
5	something	3	pinterest	2
6	youtube	2	tumblr	1
7	tiktok	2	youtube	1
8	don’t	2
9	because	2
10	didn’t	2

Response base: 25 nonblank responses in 2024 and 23 in 2025.

56. What issues do you face using social media?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **gear lovers (Community Building)** showed up 63 times in 2024 and 39 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	gear lovers (Community Building)	63 | 57.8%	gear lovers (Community Building)	39 | 50.0%
2	Unsure where to go to connect with other underwear	63 | 57.8%	Unsure where to go to connect with other underwear	39 | 50.0%
3	Unclear rules on what is a TOS violation	32 | 29.4%	Having posts deleted for TOS violations	29 | 37.2%
4	Having posts deleted for TOS violations	26 | 23.9%	Unclear rules on what is a TOS violation	29 | 37.2%
5	Loosing touch with online friends to account or social media site issues (Communication)	16 | 14.7%	Accounts deleted	12 | 15.4%
6	Accounts deleted	12 | 11.0%	Loosing touch with online friends to account or social media site issues (Communication)	11 | 14.1%
7	Career choices I don’t want to post things online that could potentially get back to me.	1 | 0.9%	and have no desire to communicate with people other than relatives	1 | 1.3%
8	I don’t share my own content on social	1 | 0.9%	Avoid due to privacy concerns	1 | 1.3%

Response base: 109 nonblank responses in 2024 and 78 nonblank responses in 2025.

57. Do we need a men’s underwear only social network?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This one shifted. In 2024 the top answer was **Yes** at 44.2%, while in 2025 **Maybe** moved into first at 39.8%. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Yes	91 | 44.2%	Maybe	64 | 39.8%
2	Maybe	74 | 35.9%	Yes	64 | 39.8%
3	No	29 | 14.1%	No	22 | 13.7%

58. Do you follow underwear brands/stores on social media

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **Yes** stayed on top, moving from 71.8% in 2024 to 74.5% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	Yes	148 | 71.8%	Yes	120 | 74.5%
2	No	42 | 20.4%	No	25 | 15.5%
3	Maybe	7 | 3.4%	Maybe	9 | 5.6%

59. Which social sites do follow underwear/swimwear brands on?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Instagram** showed up 122 times in 2024 and 90 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Instagram	122 | 78.2%	Instagram	90 | 70.3%
2	Twitter	104 | 66.7%	Twitter	64 | 50.0%
3	Facebook	52 | 33.3%	BlueSky	56 | 43.8%
4	YouTube	27 | 17.3%	Facebook	35 | 27.3%
5	TikTok	14 | 9.0%	YouTube	20 | 15.6%
6	Threads	10 | 6.4%	TikTok	10 | 7.8%
7	Pinterest	7 | 4.5%	Threads	6 | 4.7%
8	Mastadon	4 | 2.6%	Mastadon	3 | 2.3%

Response base: 156 nonblank responses in 2024 and 128 nonblank responses in 2025.

60. What are your thoughts of the current social media featuring underwear? (Please share any thoughts and concerns you are facing)

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **are geared away from straight men.** led the answers, while in 2025 **Americans are too damn conservative.** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	are geared away from straight men.	1 | 1.6%	Americans are too damn conservative.	1 | 2.2%
2	bikinis	1 | 1.6%	been left high and dry by a company that does no customer service outreach.	1 | 2.2%
3	but  it frustrates me that men get judge when showing theirs.  I have curated my IG so I can learn more about brands and their fit.	1 | 1.6%	Bluesky preferred	1 | 2.2%
4	but I lost many great connections and friends when my account got deleted after a post.  There was no disputing their decision.  Just gone!  I’m on twitter but its been work to rebuild connections.	1 | 1.6%	but imagine only features within the gay community	1 | 2.2%
5	classist	1 | 1.6%	but it was actually fine	1 | 2.2%
6	Communities to join are limited knowledge for me	1 | 1.6%	but may be a bit too much whenever I am out and about in public	1 | 2.2%
7	condescendant and mean to others.	1 | 1.6%	but not on the level of women’s.	1 | 2.2%
8	Didn’t know that was a  thing.	1 | 1.6%	but social networks trying to pretend it does not exist	1 | 2.2%

Response base: 61 nonblank responses in 2024 and 46 nonblank responses in 2025.

61. What challenges do you face in loving men’s underwear

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **friends about underwear** led the answers, while in 2025 **Acceptance by Society** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	friends about underwear	90 | 47.1%	Acceptance by Society	67 | 44.1%
2	Not being able to talk freely to family	90 | 47.1%	friends about underwear	55 | 36.2%
3	Acceptance by Society	79 | 41.4%	Not being able to talk freely to family	55 | 36.2%
4	Being labeled as gay for liking underwear	73 | 38.2%	Being labeled as gay for liking underwear	50 | 32.9%
5	The price of underwear	71 | 37.2%	The price of underwear	45 | 29.6%
6	Having to sneak and buy your underwear	48 | 25.1%	I have no challenges	36 | 23.7%
7	Acceptance by Significant other (Wife	45 | 23.6%	Acceptance by Significant other (Wife	33 | 21.7%
8	BF or GF)	45 | 23.6%	BF or GF)	33 | 21.7%

Response base: 191 nonblank responses in 2024 and 152 nonblank responses in 2025.

62. Is your partner/significant other supportive of your love of underwear?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Yes** showed up 98 times in 2024 and 82 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Yes	98 | 50.0%	Yes	82 | 53.9%
2	they aren’t into it as much as me	54 | 27.6%	they aren’t into it as much as me	46 | 30.3%
3	I don’t have a partner (single)	45 | 23.0%	I don’t have a partner (single)	39 | 25.7%
4	fully support me	44 | 22.4%	fully support me	36 | 23.7%
5	But they don’t stop me from my love	34 | 17.3%	But they don’t stop me from my love	18 | 11.8%
6	It’s hidden from them	8 | 4.1%	It’s hidden from them	7 | 4.6%
7	they don’t know of my love of underwear	8 | 4.1%	they don’t know of my love of underwear	7 | 4.6%
8	They don’t get it at all	6 | 3.1%	Maybe	3 | 2.0%

Response base: 196 nonblank responses in 2024 and 152 nonblank responses in 2025.

63. Does your partner see your underwear buying as “excessive”?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **No** stayed on top, moving from 37.9% in 2024 to 39.8% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	No	78 | 37.9%	No	64 | 39.8%
2	Maybe	59 | 28.6%	Maybe	31 | 19.3%
3	Yes	41 | 19.9%	Yes	31 | 19.3%

64. Why do they see it as excessive?

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 59 nonblank responses in 2024 and 37 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **because, money, don’t, need** in 2024 and **because, need, thongs, don’t** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	because	6	because	4
2	money	6	need	4
3	don’t	6	thongs	4
4	need	4	don’t	3
5	than	4	number	3
6	cost	3	money	3
7	fetish	3	problem	3
8	spending	3	probably	2
9	spent	3	expensive	2
10	thing	3	styles	2

Response base: 59 nonblank responses in 2024 and 37 in 2025.

65. Do you listen to the UNB Podcast

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This one shifted. In 2024 the top answer was **No** at 40.3%, while in 2025 **Yes** moved into first at 46.0%. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	No	83 | 40.3%	Yes	74 | 46.0%
2	Yes	78 | 37.9%	No	56 | 34.8%
3	Maybe	30 | 14.6%	Maybe	22 | 13.7%

66. Which topics do you want to hear more often on the podcast?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **Personal Stories – Brief Tales** led the answers, while in 2025 **Thong Shows** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Personal Stories – Brief Tales	108 | 65.1%	Thong Shows	83 | 68.6%
2	Thong Shows	108 | 65.1%	Personal Stories – Brief Tales	78 | 64.5%
3	Masculinity & Underwear	99 | 59.6%	Sensuality – (feeling your best in undies)	56 | 46.3%
4	Sensuality – (feeling your best in undies)	73 | 44.0%	Sexuality	56 | 46.3%
5	Sexuality	71 | 42.8%	Body Image	54 | 44.6%
6	Body Image	64 | 38.6%	Masculinity & Underwear	53 | 43.8%
7	Jock Shows	45 | 27.1%	Jock Shows	48 | 39.7%
8	Community Building	41 | 24.7%	Community Building	37 | 30.6%

Response base: 166 nonblank responses in 2024 and 121 nonblank responses in 2025.

67. What topics would you like to see covered on the Podcast? (Either new topics or more in-depth on previous topics, and list as many topics as you would like)

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **50+ year old men** led the answers, while in 2025 **acceptance. Actively discourage board shorts** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	50+ year old men	1 | 2.0%	acceptance. Actively discourage board shorts	1 | 2.3%
2	A discovery of new brands podcast	1 | 2.0%	Also more female perspective. Especially those who love men in sexy underwear	1 | 2.3%
3	A local meet up podcast with guys in the same city	1 | 2.0%	and bringing micro underwear both into the mainstream AND promote acceptance	1 | 2.3%
4	a lot of brands are fast fashion trash that pretend to be high fashion and selling at the same price as big names	1 | 2.0%	and encourage high street retailers to stock male thongs	1 | 2.3%
5	advices from the brands	1 | 2.0%	and wear them to the gym and locker room all the time	1 | 2.3%
6	and Ethnicity	1 | 2.0%	Any topic is great. Just not tighty white topics.	1 | 2.3%
7	and underwear in general. Body image and underwear	1 | 2.0%	As above	1 | 2.3%
8	Anything on thongs	1 | 2.0%	Asexuality	1 | 2.3%

Response base: 51 nonblank responses in 2024 and 43 nonblank responses in 2025.

68. What would make you consider supporting the UNB Podcast Patreon? What benefits would you like?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **$1** led the answers, while in 2025 **Maybe** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	$1	1 | 3.3%	Maybe	2 | 7.1%
2	$10	1 | 3.3%	A discount (if possible) off of underwear from the UNB store.	1 | 3.6%
3	$5	1 | 3.3%	A simple shout-out at the end	1 | 3.6%
4	A discount on the underwear in the UNB store.	1 | 3.3%	Already am supporting it	1 | 3.6%
5	Ability to actually interact with a community. Patron is limited.	1 | 3.3%	Already do 🙂	1 | 3.6%
6	Already a paid member	1 | 3.3%	and sought after in an open	1 | 3.6%
7	and perhaps a discord or other platform to help make new underwear friends and connections!	1 | 3.3%	But I’m always fascinated by men in 70s or 80s who wore the sheer socks and sock garters as normal. So perhaps questions around things men wish would become normal again or sexy looks men tried for partners.	1 | 3.6%
8	but am between jobs at the moment	1 | 3.3%	but minimal styles	1 | 3.6%

Response base: 30 nonblank responses in 2024 and 28 nonblank responses in 2025.

69. Would you be willing to submit your own underwear selfies or pics? Be part of a regular “real guys of UNB” segment published on the blog and social?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **No** stayed on top, moving from 38.8% in 2024 to 35.4% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	No	80 | 38.8%	No	57 | 35.4%
2	Maybe	53 | 25.7%	Yes	46 | 28.6%
3	Yes	43 | 20.9%	Maybe	40 | 24.8%

70. Which Brands do you think deserves more attention in the US Market?

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **Olaf Benz** led the answers, while in 2025 **Awry** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Olaf Benz	6 | 7.1%	Awry	3 | 5.5%
2	Hom	4 | 4.8%	Hom	3 | 5.5%
3	manstore	4 | 4.8%	Aronik	2 | 3.6%
4	Aussiebum	3 | 3.6%	Gregg Homme	2 | 3.6%
5	Doreanse	3 | 3.6%	Jack Adams	2 | 3.6%
6	Gregg Homme	3 | 3.6%	Skull & Bones	2 | 3.6%
7	Teamm8	3 | 3.6%	Sukrew	2 | 3.6%
8	2xist	2 | 2.4%	2xist	1 | 1.8%

Response base: 84 nonblank responses in 2024 and 55 nonblank responses in 2025.

71. Are there any brands you feel are over exposed? If so tell us.

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The same item led both years: **Andrew Christian** showed up 17 times in 2024 and 12 times in 2025. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Andrew Christian	17 | 27.4%	Andrew Christian	12 | 27.3%
2	Calvin Klein	15 | 24.2%	Calvin Klein	6 | 13.6%
3	CK	4 | 6.5%	Aussiebum	2 | 4.5%
4	2xist	2 | 3.2%	Ck	2 | 4.5%
5	JJ malibu	2 | 3.2%	JJ Malibu	2 | 4.5%
6	jockey	2 | 3.2%	n2n	2 | 4.5%
7	Pump	2 | 3.2%	2xist and Cin2	1 | 2.3%
8	2 xist	1 | 1.6%	2xst (plain Jane of underwear)	1 | 2.3%

Response base: 62 nonblank responses in 2024 and 44 nonblank responses in 2025.

72. Do you know any new brands we should cover? If so share them with us.

Column type: multi-answer / list-style response. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The mix changed here. In 2024 **Awry** led the answers, while in 2025 **rick majors** took the top spot. Since this question behaves like a list, I counted the individual items separated by commas or line breaks so we can see what readers named most often.

Rank	2024 item	2024 mentions | % of nonblank	2025 item	2025 mentions | % of nonblank
1	Awry	3 | 6.2%	rick majors	2 | 6.2%
2	King Underwear	2 | 4.2%	A Quiet Piece	1 | 3.1%
3	Kovarx	2 | 4.2%	Alfons dovana makes the best thongs	1 | 3.1%
4	4 Hunks	1 | 2.1%	AsWeMove – really nice to wear under spandex (no lines!)	1 | 3.1%
5	a	1 | 2.1%	At the moment I cannot think of any.	1 | 3.1%
6	Alas no.	1 | 2.1%	Awry	1 | 3.1%
7	although it may be too late.	1 | 2.1%	B2ld	1 | 3.1%
8	and foreign ones (there are ones in Spain	1 | 2.1%	BearSkin	1 | 3.1%

Response base: 48 nonblank responses in 2024 and 32 nonblank responses in 2025.

73. Would you like to share your origin story or join UNB?

Column type: standard response set. This one is an exact question match across both years.

The headline here is consistency. **No** stayed on top, moving from 37.4% in 2024 to 37.3% in 2025. My take: this is a good apples-to-apples read, and it helps show whether reader habits are holding steady or starting to move.

Rank	2024 answer	2024 count | %	2025 answer	2025 count | %
1	No	77 | 37.4%	No	60 | 37.3%
2	Maybe I need more info	64 | 31.1%	Maybe I need more info	49 | 30.4%
3	Yes – On the Blog	12 | 5.8%	Yes, on the Podcast	14 | 8.7%
4	Yes, on the Podcast	11 | 5.3%	Yes – On the Blog	11 | 6.8%

74. Are there any new questions we should add for next survey?

Column type: open-ended commentary. This one is an exact question match across both years.

This was a more open-ended question, so instead of pretending it behaves like a neat poll, I treated it as reader commentary. There were 29 nonblank responses in 2024 and 17 in 2025. The recurring words leaned toward **some, people, going, email** in 2024 and **change, styles, would, thongs** in 2025.

Rank	2024 keyword	2024 mentions	2025 keyword	2025 mentions
1	some	4	change	3
2	people	4	styles	3
3	going	3	would	3
4	email	3	thongs	3
5	options	2	fabric	3
6	none	2	time	2
7	don’t	2	think	2
8	would	2	sheer	2
9	know	2	socks	2
10	give	2	normal	2

Response base: 29 nonblank responses in 2024 and 17 in 2025.

Columns That Do Not Match Perfectly

Some sections changed format between years, so I would not call them perfect apples-to-apples comparisons without manual normalization. I am listing them here so the structure changes are clear.

Only in 2024

• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Thong]
• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Jock]
• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Brief]
• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Bikini]
• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Boxer Brief]
• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Trunk]
• What styles do you wear on a regular basis? [Jock Brief]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Material]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Cut]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Fit]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Pouch]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Sizing]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Style  (brief, thong, etc)]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Color]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Price]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Sex Appeal]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Fashion]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear [Construction]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Partner/Significant Other (wife/husband)]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Brand emails]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [News Write ups]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Friends]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Reviews]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Social  Influencers]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Underwear Blogs]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Price]
• Who Influences Your Underwear Decisions?  [Sales]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Official Brand Site]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Internet Stores (ex. International Jock, etc)]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Underwear Specialty Stores (ex. Skivvies Dallas)]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Department stores (ex. Macys)]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Close Out Stores (ex. TJ Maxx/Marshalls]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Discount Stores (ex. Target/Kohls)]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Online Discount Stores (ex. Cheapundies.com)]
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? [Big Online Sites (Amazon – AliExpress)]
• What are your most important Factors in shopping an Underwear Sale?  [Percent Off]
• What are your most important Factors in shopping an Underwear Sale?  [Free Shipping]
• What are your most important Factors in shopping an Underwear Sale?  [Number of Brands]
• What are your most important Factors in shopping an Underwear Sale?  [New Releases/Lines]
• What are your most important Factors in shopping an Underwear Sale?  [Clearance Sales]
• What other sites have you joined or considered joining?  [Mastodon]
• What other sites have you joined or considered joining?  [Tumber (with new rules)]
• What other sites have you joined or considered joining?  [BlueSky]
• What other sites have you joined or considered joining?  [Specialty Fetish Site]
• Do you follow UNB on

Only in 2025

• What styles do you wear regularly?
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Material]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Cut]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Fit]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Pouch]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Sizing]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Style  (brief, thong, etc)]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Color]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Price]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Sex Appeal]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Fashion]
• What are your top factors In Choosing Underwear? [Construction]
• Which of these influence your underwear buying  
• Which sites do you buy underwear from?
• Which sites do you buy underwear from? 2
• What are your most important Factors in shopping an Underwear Sale?

Final Take

The big picture is pretty clear. The UNB audience is still engaged, still buying, still exploring, and still asking for better quality, better conversation, and better spaces to be themselves. The details move around from year to year, but the heart of this audience stays the same: these guys care about underwear as style, confidence, and community, not just utility.

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with a concept I can’t stop thinking about — Bro Drag.

It’s not traditional drag. It’s not wigs and gowns and lip-sync battles. Bro Drag is something different. It’s hyper-masculinity turned into performance. Think backwards caps, gold chains, jerseys, compression shorts, competition speedos, fake swagger, and exaggerated frat energy. It’s masculinity dialed all the way up.

But here’s the twist — it’s intentional.

Bro Drag plays with straight bro culture in a way that feels ironic, erotic, and sometimes camp. It’s the performance of the “jock,” the “frat guy,” the “straight-acting” fantasy — but in queer spaces, by queer men.

While the term “Bro Drag” appears to be relatively recent (gaining visibility in the 2010s through social media, circuit culture, and themed party branding), the roots go much deeper.

The Historical Roots

In the 1970s, gay “clone culture” in places like the San Francisco Castro district and New York City featured hyper-masculine styling — mustaches, boots, tight jeans, leather. It was a political and erotic shift away from stereotypes of effeminacy.

In the 1990s and early 2000s, brands like Abercrombie & Fitch helped mainstream the frat-boy fantasy — which gay men simultaneously consumed, reinterpreted, and eroticized.

Fast forward to today, and Bro Drag exists in:

• Circuit parties
• Instagram underwear culture
• “Masc” branding
• Jockstrap revivals
• Themed events like Frat Night

It’s masculinity as costume. It’s drag without dresses. And it raises real questions:

• Is this parody?
• Is this desire?
• Is it reclaiming masculinity — or reinforcing narrow standards?

For a community that has long negotiated what masculinity means, Bro Drag feels like the latest evolution of that conversation.

And honestly? It connects directly to underwear culture, jock aesthetics, and the performance of confidence.

This isn’t just a look. It’s a statement. If you are a Patreon member, you can hear my podcast on this subject under the first Tim’s Take very soon.