There are a number of brands out there that carry a line of underwear designed with flags from around the world. These were intended to allow us the opportunity to show our national support at our innermost layer. Yet, can it be viewed as disrespectful?
Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 8 of the United States Code states “(d) The flag should NEVER be used as wearing apparel”. Now enforcement of this particular section of the code is questionable. When it comes to misuse commercially for advertising reasons under Section 3 of said code, a person may be fined up to $100 or by imprisonment for up to 30 days. Even though the wearing of a flag is probably not punishable, does that make it right? The purpose of this code is to bring and maintain a high level of respect and reverence, almost to the point of worship, not just for the flag but also for the country it represents. Although I am using the United States as an example other countries have similar codes and laws and their flags deserve the same reverence. So in simple terms the point of this code is not to condemn but to encourage respect.

Let’s look at this in connection to underwear. True one could argue that plain flag print or color patterns are not the same as using the actual flag to make the underwear. However the basic respect argument remains the same. So consider this, when a man purchases underwear with a particular countries flag printed on it is he doing so because he detests the country and wants to disrespect it by wearing it’s flag as underwear? Of course not! It’s quite the opposite. He is buying this underwear because he has a pride and appreciation for the country represented by the flag put on show. The mans decision to array himself in a flag designed pair of underwear is his way of displaying his patriotism and to show honor to this country. And in that sense he is in no way breaking the code of respect for the flag. After 9/11, individuals across the country adorned their cars with flags to show their support and love for their country, yet this was breaking that same code. When Rocky and real life athletes, particularly at the Olympics, drape themselves in a flag after a victory they too are infringing on this same code. But the meaning of the code remains unbroken for the individuals acting out of pride, veneration and a deep respect for the nation symbolized by the flag. In that same sense, our underwear is not bringing disrespect but demonstrating admiration, pride, and respect for the country represented on it. So show your pride men and sport Patriotic Underwear!

According to the Washington Post, if you want to tell how the economy is doing look in a man’s underwear drawer. Here’s the theory why: a man’s underwear is a necessity keeping the underwear market stable. However when times get financially hard, most men will make the supply they have last causing sales to dip. NPR reported that if you look at men’s underwear sales it’s pretty much a flat line hardly ever changing but when you look at the areas where it dips it’s because men are so pinched that they have decided not to replace underwear. Referring to the drop in men’s underwear sales, Alan Greenspan said “that is almost always a prescient, forward impression that here comes trouble.” So apparently some men are willing to deprive themselves of new underwear! Obviously these economists haven’t met us. We may need to spread the message about the paradisiacal world of underwear. However this theory has proven to be relevant.

According to the Mintel research firm, men typically purchase 3.4 pairs of underwear a year. Of course for us and our blog readers it may be closer to 34! In 2008 there was a 12% decline in the sales of briefs. The underwear began to fall to our knees! The first quarter of 2009 had a decline of 6%, and the final quarter a decline of 4%. And 2010 has had a prediction of a 2.3% decrease in briefs sales. However, there has been a nice silver microfiber lining to the falling briefs. The decline has been getting smaller. But Mintel doesn’t predict an increase until 2013! It may be time to buy some of your hard hit men some undies for Valentines Day.

We at Underwear News Briefs, and you our readers, would NEVER skimp on buying underwear but it’s nice to know the economic world is watching our valued assets. This is finally a startling study on the recession I can understand. I may have to consider a career in economics!

To be a winner, it takes hard work, rigorous training, a lot of practice, proper diet, and an extraordinary pair of underwear. For instance, some athletes will go to great lengths to avoid any change that could result in disrupting a winning streak. Some even go as far as refusing to change their underwear, wearing the same pair over and over again unwashed! Others have different yet just as compelling superstitions about their underwear. Adrian Mutu, a footballer for the Italia Serie A club Fiorentina, wards off bad luck by wearing his underwear inside out. Jason Giambi, of the Colorado Rockies, wears his lucky thong when he’s trying to break out of a slump. Giambi’s team mates have even reportedly asked to borrow the blessed thong believing that it really has brought about a positive change. Maybe this is a theme in baseball,. Audrey Huff of the San Francisco Giants wears his “rally thong” , a red rhinestone studded thong, for luck. This has inspired the underwear brand Papi of Miami to send the Giants three dress size boxes full of thong underwear of every color of the rainbow completely unsolicited! Casey Pucket, an Olympic cross country skier, said “if I have a good race, whatever socks I am wearing, whatever turtle neck I am wearing, that tends to be the go to. It generally is the undergarments”.

It’s only fitting that underwear serve such a special place in an athlete’s ensemble and heart. As the innermost layer of clothing, underwear is the foundation of our wardrobe. An athlete’s uniform serves a function of more than just looks. It’s practical, supportive and protective giving the athlete an edge in their performance. So naturally, the foundation of this important package is no mere collage of fabric. Underwear goes beyond its intended useful nature to that of a confidence booster. When you know you’re sporting an amazing pair of underwear it shines through in your actions and personality. That can be an amazing game changing boost for an athlete!

A study in the journal Physiological Science made some interesting conclusions after a series of experiments. Their conclusion was this: “activating a good-luck superstition, leads to improved performance by boosting people’s belief in their ability to master a task.” More precisely, they added, “the present findings suggest that it may have been the well-balanced combination of existing talent, hard training and good luck-underwear that made Michael Jordan perform as well as he did.” So men don’t take your underwear selection lightly. They can make you a legend!

The City Commissioner of Fort Pierce Florida, near Port St. Lucie, wants to pass a city ordinance banning the wearing of pants too low and thus exposing your underwear or “sagging”. The city of Rivera Beach Florida, near West Palm Beach, created a similar law however it was challenged in a state court and failed. The law was considered too broad and the penalties too severe. Both cities are working on new laws that are more constitutional and with consequences such as community service and small fines rather than jail time. Two other cities in Florida have laws banning sagging although they limit the restriction to city-owned property. These cities have declared that the exposure of underwear is offensive and indecent.

Florida is not the only place where the exposure of underwear has become a legal issue. Delcambre, Louisiana, near Baton Rouge, enforces penalties of $500 to 6 months in jail for sagging. Crack downs are also being considered in Trenton New Jersey and Atlanta, Georgia. This trend is growing and has popped up in other towns and cities as well.

I personally would say the trend of “sagging” is a fashion atrocity, then again who am I or anyone else to judge someone else’s freedom of expression through style just because I don‘t like it. And is it really offensive and indecent for your underwear to be showing? What makes underwear so scandalous anyway? Some people view underwear as lewd because they associate it with intimacy. As our last barrier to being naked, it’s an article of clothing that is generally kept private and shown only shown to those with whom we have a close relationship. Generally speaking, that is. So the exposing of it has been taken as the exposure of your private intimate being, shocking! Nonetheless, is this reasoning valid? You could walk down the street in bike shorts yet if you were in boxer briefs it would be indecent. They have the same coverage and are no more or less modest than the other. And if you expose your underwear in a locker room full of people and it’s not thought of to be “intimate“, it‘s just your shorts. Our underwear is just as much an expression of ourselves as our outer clothing. And underwear is just that, clothing. We shouldn’t make it a taboo nor a crime if our underwear happens to be revealed. Now, I am not saying we should walk around in just our underwear or with our pants down to our knees. Even though I personally would love it if all I had to wear were underwear. I think we do need to take other peoples views into consideration and we don’t want to intentionally offend people. So as much as I would love the sagging fad to end creating laws and ordinances dictating acceptable exposure of underwear is not a law I want to see created. After all, sometime it’s nice to see a hot pair of undies sticking out the top of a guys pants. So men expose your underwear responsibly or the authorities may come after you.

Our reaction to color is instantaneous and impacts us on a subliminal level and as conscious thought. It also says a lot about personality and effects our emotions and attitude. What are the best colors of underwear for a man? This is a topic that definitely is open to discussion. It’s one of those questions that doesn’t have a right or wrong answer. I’m sure everyone will have their own opinion. However, for this list, I had to be decisive. I asked the UNB underwear pro’s for their opinion and came up with the following list

We focused on the basic color while every color has an almost endless variety of shades to choose from. For instance, the darker shades – navy blue, maroon, hunter green, golden yellow and so forth – are great colors to highlight your deep intricate side as well as giving off a professional cerebral look that is just hot! Then there are the lighter pastel colors; these are great for giving off a fresh clean look and definitely great for Spring. Of course there’s bright and colorful in-your-face colors which demand to be noticed and are great for amplifying the colors, moods, and personality of the man in the underwear. Lastly and still deserving consideration are the patterns. Classics – paisley, polka dots, stripes and plaid – all have an individual charm they can adorn you with. (They may need their own list some day). Now let’s take a look at the top ten underwear colors.

Number 10 – SILVER

Silver – the metallic, shinny, show it all off color – is a great choice in underwear. Silver, like other metallic shades, is amazing at highlighting contrasts in your physical contour. That means it really does show it off. The reflective contrast will focus emphasis on all it covers. Silver is great for flaunting your “package” or nicely sculpted butt. The shinny illuminating quality of silver also screams for attention. It’s flashy, it’s sparkly and will give the wearer a spotlight in which to shine. Silver may not be the best color for everyday underwear but for guys looking for a special pair to stand out and attract attention, silver is a great choice. It’s also good for men with a pouch area worth showing off or guys with well defined muscular glutes.

Number 9 – NATURAL TONES

The best part about the natural tones is that, at a glance or from a distance, you appear to be naked. And the naked look is a good look. Contrary to popular belief, white is not the best color to wear under white or light clothing; nude or flesh tones are better. No persons skin is absolute white. White underwear will show up quite well in contrast to your skin. Nude and skin tone colors will blend in much better and give you a smoother look under light clothing. The exact tone for the nude look will vary from man to man but contrasting natural hues can also be very appealing as an underwear color on a man. Natural tones say stability, reliability and approachability and highlight that in the person wearing the natural tones. Everyone looks good in their own color.

Number 8 – PURPLE

Purple has long been associated with royalty and wealth because purple dyes were hard to find and therefore very expensive. Purple still has that regal look of nobility. Purple underwear could make you look like a king. Purple also has a mystical or magical side too. Purple has been said to bring about peace of mind. Due to its close relationship with red and blue, it can take on their qualities if they are the background undertone of the garment. Purple is a great color for eccentric and creative men like artists and magicians. But it also makes a nice compliment to a man of power.

Number 7 – YELLOW

Yellow is a color that gives off brightness, enlightenment, and happiness. Yellow can spark optimism, creative thoughts, and energy. It encourages communication and stimulates the nervous system and mental ability. The brightness of yellow makes it a wonderful choice for guys with a sense of humor and who bring smiles to others because it screams joy. If you need a pick-me-up, put on your yellow skivvies!

Number 6 – GREEN

Green is one of the most pervasive colors in nature and is a great color in underwear design since we are so used to seeing it all around us. Because of that, it has a very comforting and soothing quality. Our eyes have a lot of range for seeing green in the color spectrum. Green is considered the color for peace and ecology. However there is an industrial side to the color green that associates it with illness and government. When it comes to men’s underwear, green can give a man a look of being adventurous and wild in an outdoors sense. This is probably because it takes on an appearance of green leafed loin cloth or has a militaristic appearance. Green looks great on guys with green or hazel eyes as it really brings out the eye color. Green also is a good choice for camping, hiking, or any activity in nature.

Nicknames are often terms of endearment we give to the people or things that matter the most to us. So why wouldn’t we give our beloved underwear pet names as well. In researching this I found quite a barrage of terms and have come up with a list of the 10 best. That has not been an easy task because I love so many of these nicknames. I tried to set my viewpoint aside and went by popular usage and overall great names.

But first let’s look at a few honorable mentions. If I were basing the list on pure entertainment and originality the list would probably be completely different and many of these honorable mentions would be on it. I love the names that refer to supporting a mans package such as Jewel Cases, Junk Holders, Smuggling Duds, Tackle Bags, and Snake Slingers. Then there are a few less endearing names referring to the more functional and dirty side of underwear such as Rotten Cotton, Bog Catchers, Flavor savers, Cluster Grabbers, Wedgie Wear, Skidy Scrappers, and Jean Savers. And there are some terms I feel apply more to swimwear like Budgie Smugglers, Banana Hammocks, or Speedos. Then there’s one of my favorites Dakkers and it’s spin offs Underdakks and Acca Daccas. I would have put it on the list but found it to be rare and really couldn’t find it’s usage commonly known anywhere. Then there’s a plethora of other honorable mentions such as Ginch, Wrapping, Scanties, Guchies, Unmentionables, Slingshots, Incubators, Bum Floss, Geeto Bobbles, Brumbies, Scrunggies and of course Mr. Happy Pants! Some other terms were dropped since I didn’t want take our list to the lewd or vulgar. So let’s get to the top 10!

NUMBER 10 – Drawers

The word “Drawers” has become an almost too casual way of referring to ones underwear. Often you think of dresser drawers but the word in connection with underwear came about because underwear fit as if it were drawn on. When you think of it that way it gives the word a touch of sultriness.

NUMBER 9 – Butt Huggers

Ok I know this is not a very common name for our underwear but I can’t help being drawn to it due to the fact that it brings to mind images of beautiful bottoms nicely cuddled by a hot pair of underwear. Similar buttocks adoring terms are Bum Baggers and Bum Socks.

NUMBER 8 – Nut Huts

Another not so common cognomen however there are a variety of underwear nicknames that make reference to the male genitalia as some form of food. For instance the names Egg Cups, Potato Sacks, Nut Huggers and Meat Counter all refer to food. You could even make this connection to the brand Fruit of the loom. I like the connection… No further comment.

NUMBER 7 – Pants

If our list were primarily British based this could be our number one. However this nickname can be confusing to American English speakers sice pants pretty much only refers to outer wear that fully covers the lower body in the States. But this isn’t the only time words pertaining to lower body outwear became synonyms for underwear just think of Breeches (Britches) or Knickers.

NUMBER 6 – Chonies

Chonies is most likely the number one nickname for underwear within communities and circles with a Latin or Spanish background and influence. This is a slang or shortened version of the Spanish word “calzones” meaning underwear.

NUMBER 5 – Skivvies

Skivvies is a word that generally refers only to men’s underwear specifically briefs or skimpy underwear although at times it can refer to an undershirt as well. Although the origins of this word are disputed and probably unknown it’s earliest known occurrences are in the form of Military slang. It’s even trademarked in a Smithsonian document!

NUMBER 4 – Briefs

The word Briefs has become so commonly used it’s not thought of as a nickname but a type of underwear, so it’s not really a nickname. But a lot of people use this word to make mention of underwear whatever the style. And the reference to the mini size of this underwear has sparked similar nicknames such as Shorts or Smalls. Some even take the name and make it even more endearing calling them Briefskis.

NUMBER 3 – Tighty Whities

This nickname is very specific to white tight fitting briefs, a classically wonderful type of underwear. But more specifically it is generally in reference to the standard average common plain white briefs. Sometimes the words are reversed to Whitie Tighties, and often this type of underwear is referred to as Jockeys whatever the brand may actually be.

NUMBER 2 – Panties

Personally I hate this term because it feminizes my mantastically masculine underwear. Nevertheless it is a very common word used to describe men’s underwear even though it technically signifies women’s underwear or at times children’s. Actually according to one dictionary when in reference to men’s underwear it’s categorized as derogatory. But you have to admit it’s a fun word. The term “Panties” highlights the playful, youthful innocent side of men’s underwear. Other similar nicknames are Manties or Boy Panties.

NUMBER 1 – Undies

“Undies” is probably the most common word in American English making reference to underwear possibly even rivaling the word underwear itself. It’s obvious where this word comes from and why it’s so popular. We all like to save time and even though it’s only one syllable shorter than underwear every syllable counts. Plus even more importantly underwear sounds so formal where as Undies is more personal and chummy.  Other similar names include Under Bunders, Underpants, Under Roos, Underthings, the way too long Underpanticus Maximus and my personal favorite underwear nickname Fundies.

There was a time not too long ago when men didn’t have much of a choice in their selection of underwear. It was boxers or briefs and as for color, forget about it! Underwear was fabricated for men, not designed, to serve a utilitarian purpose alone. They went on, did their job, and when the time came, they were stripped off and the next pair took their place. They had their role and going beyond that in any way was not an option.

Unfortunately that also reflected the role of men. We don’t often think about the suppression of men in past generations. In fact, men are often placed as the suppressors while being expected to live in a functional manner also. They had their place, their role, and their obligation to society. Going beyond that in any way was not permitted.

Nonetheless, color was added in time to mens underwear; the guys liked this. Then a wider variety of styles were offered; men liked this as well. Today we no longer live in the systematized, fit into the mold, world of boring old characterless underwear. Hallelujah!

But some people would say, “Does it matter?” or “Who cares? It’s underwear”! Half the time nobody knows what you have on down there besides yourself anyway. Regardless, I have to say… Yes, underwear matters and this is why: Our ability to decide from an endless variety of underwear selections which one is right for us shows that we have been given the opportunity to decide who we are at our innermost level. That may sound kind of silly or that I am merely being melodramatic. However, look at women’s underwear. They have had this variety in under garb for a lot longer than men have. In many ways, women have had certain freedoms in expression, emotion, sensuality and the revelation of their honest self which men were denied.

This is why it is important that men have the options and the availability of underwear in as diverse an array of personalities as we are. Men no longer are enslaved to the colorless, styleless, drab realm of conceptualized machismo. We have been emancipated to express ourselves and show off the authenticity of our true individuality. Men are now free to reveal the beauty of their masculinity in both mind and body. Our selection of underwear gives us the choice to be fun, sexy, rugged, athletic, angelic, wild, docile, feisty, secure, bold, artistic, humorous, licentious, chic, noble, heroic, or any other word you may use to describe yourself. What you got under will blast through like thunder! You’re free men, deck yourself out as who you are in every color, style and fit that describes you!

Police Officers serving in the West Midlands Police Force in England are being told not to wear “sexy underwear” to work. They have been told their underwear should be an “appropriate color” and “inconspicuous” beneath their uniforms. That means no thongs, no visible underwear lines and no pink undies. This is the second largest Police force in the country serving a population of about 2.6 million people. The force itself has over 8,000 officers.  The claimed reason is that officers should present a “professional and corporate appearance” to the public. Obviously this has met some criticism from officers and others such as one officer who stated, “we are not a scouting organization made up of young children who need Nanning”. However Assistant Chief Constable Sharone Rowe defended the policy stating, “All supervisors, at whatever level they are in the organization, have a clear mandate to challenge inappropriate dress.” So will there be spot checks? No, this is more of a threatening recommendation that really can’t or won’t be enforced.

All I have to say is “really?” “REALLY?!” Does the head of this Police department which covers several cities including Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton have nothing better to do than dictate trivial suppressive regulations to it’s men and women who are working to keep millions of citizens safe? I should call them up and lay the bitchy journalist act on their ass! (Excuse my vulgar enthusiasm) But instead I have a proposition to police departments around the world. If you want better performance out of your officers create a policy mandating that your policemen and women only wear sexy colorful fun underwear on duty. I would personally guaranty that this would be affective and here’s why. It has been proven that the underwear you have on has an affect on your work drive. Athletes and other professionals will wear “lucky underwear” because it gives them the confidence they need to boost their performance. And honestly the public doesn’t ever see the underwear the police officer may be wearing. As a matter of fact no one may know besides the officer himself. And if the officer knows he’s decked out in styling undies it will be reflected in his demeanor, self-esteem and ultimately his job performance. So I would remind the supervisors of all companies, all employers and the heads of police departments that the better the underwear the better the man! So I plead to Police Departments Globally if you want to serve and protect your citizens to the fullest let your Policemen wear sexy underwear!

Editors Note: Welcome a new writer to the site, Valdamar! He’s going to share his take on undies and underwear collections. Let us know what you think!