There is no doubt that a well chosen pair of underwear can add quite a bit of panache to your look. The colors, the contours, and the style definitely bring out your manly charm. However, some underwear go above and beyond when it comes to enhancing your allure. To the applause of all the men who are built like a board, as in flat as, and the guys who are just never satisfied with their outline some underwear comes designed to enhance your form.

First off we have the pad fad. Undergear, Gregg Homme, Go Softwear and others have created underwear with padding. Sometimes removable and in just the right places, it can give your silhouette a fuller shapelier look. Some guys feel they need help with their rear view so designers have added two round pads strategically placed over each glut to give men that oh so sought after bubble butt look. Other men are looking to boost their protuberance with “Bulge Enhancing” underwear. Gregg Homme has even come up with a “push up” boxer brief with a removable foam pad that fits into a front pocket almost like a cup.

There are other ways to perk up that pouch. Cocksox and DMK Designs have bulge enhancing attire designed so that the front pouch creates a free space for a mans package to protrude without confinement. Another option for getting that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in between the front pockets is a “c-ring”. In terms of underwear, this is a ring usually made of a soft fabric or elastic which wraps around your genitals and lightly pulls them up giving you a fuller appearance. This can be worn on its own under any pair of underwear or some designs come with it built in. Go Softwear, N2N, Pulse Underwear from International Jock and Priape Wear all have products with a c-ring built in.

Another option is compression. Spanx now offers a men’s line of under shirts, briefs, and boxer briefs. The concept here is a material that compresses in areas we want contained, such as our stomachs, and releases in areas we want to jut out, such as the crotch and seat. As they say “butt pockets lift your seat”. Under Armour, Reebok, Nike and other athletic brands also use this compression technique to give support to areas calling for it during times of high activity. However these designs can also be worn by men who are looking to contract rather than expand their assets.

Men have many options to use underwear to enhance their physiques. Is it a good thing for guys to be doing? Yes, no, maybe… I am not going to tell you. I can see pros and cons to it. First, lets look at the cons. It’s a lot healthier for us as men to be comfortable with our bodies and have a self love that can see past what we perceive to be flaws. If these enhancers are bought to hide imagined imperfections from ourselves, the real problem is just being masked not solved. You’re beautiful the way you are men! This pursuit of perfection could create an unhealthy even dangerous negative body image especially for our young men. Another thing to consider is if your plan is to attract someone to you by luring them in with “falsies” there will always be that moment they find out the truth. It’s much better to find someone who wants you for you not the sock down your shorts.

On the other hand, there are pros to shape enhancing underwear. First off, let’s be realistic, these are simply enhancers not miracle makers. A thin foam pad on your butt or a ring around your groin under your jeans is not going to turn you into an Adonis. These products give you a slight enhancement of the goods you already have. That being said it’s often more of a confidence boost for the wearer. When we buy any hot pair of stylish underwear it’s more for ourselves than anyone else anyway. Knowing you have a great pair of underwear on under your outfit is definitely a confidence booster. So if these shape enhancers do that for you, rock on with your bad self and don’t let anyone put you down. And just because a man has shape enhancers it doesn’t mean that he has any negative body image about himself. In fact, it may be because this guy is so happy and confident with his body, he wants to show it off any way he can. So he is wearing these underpants to enhance his beautiful self. Let’s be honest…we all “enhance” ourselves. Would we say a man who puts gel in his hair is trying to hide the natural look of his hair? Or, when a man grooms his body hair is he ashamed of his appearance? We all do what we need to do to make ourselves look our best. That is a healthy sign that we do care about and are pleased with ourselves.  Of course, another pro for these shape enhancers is that some of them look and feel amazing! They come in some great styles and comfortable fabrics. So if these underwear give you that boost in confidence and extra edge to make you the best man you can be, go for it. So to all you gorgeous men (that’s all of you), shape enhancers can give you the opportunity to feel your prettiest and highlight the stunning man curves you possess!