Briefs have been one of the most popular men’s underwear types since the 1930s and have seen something of a resurgence in recent years. Briefs are close-fitting pants, offering plenty of support where you need it most - they keep a firm grip on the front pouch. This is perfect for anyone who enjoys sporting activities and needs the extra support (and it’s also pretty good at concealing an erection… let’s face it. We’ve all been there).
When briefs first went on sale in 1935, it was immediately obvious that they presented several advantages over other underwear types on the market at the time. And they persist to this day, which is why briefs have remained an immensely popular choice.
In addition to providing ample support and making it much easier to conceal unwanted visitors from view, briefs are also excellent pants to wear as the weather heats up. They are also great for anyone who experiences bunching and chafing in their longer underwear. And, finally, they’re pretty damn sexy: the perfect vehicle for showing off that well-toned physique you’ve spent all that time down the gym for.
Of course, there are some disadvantages to briefs as well. And let’s face it, it really wouldn’t be fair on the other underwear types if we didn’t discuss both the positives and negatives of men’s briefs (spoiler: there are more positives).
So, let’s get into some finer details and explore the unique advantages offered by men’s briefs and why you should pick up a pair today.
5 advantages of wearing briefs
- Support where it counts
- Great for warmer weather
- Say goodbye to chafing
- Hide unwanted guests…
- Strut your stuff
1. Support where it counts
This is the main reason to pick up a pair of briefs today. They’re the perfect underwear choice for anyone who values support for the 3 amigos. And no, we’re not talking about the nurturing and caring type of support that’ll pick you up when you’re down and pat you on the back. We’re talking the type of support that holds your member as if he were born aloft on a sacred palanquin and carried diligently by his attendants wherever he wishes to go…
Naturally, this makes for a striking pair of pants that draws attention to your crotch and holds everything in place.
This support means that if you’re an avid sports player or gym goer, you may have just found your ideal pants. The last thing you want is your trouser cobra flopping around willy nilly and generally causing a bad scene. You want him held firmly in place (and somewhat protected by the supportive layers of fabric) and flop-free.
And if you’re wondering whether this is comfortable or not - never fear! Briefs aren’t looking to crush your nuts in a vice-like grip. They merely seek to offer the right amount of package support to keep everything comfortably in place.
2. Great for warmer weather
And the comfort levels don’t begin and end with your penis! Briefs are a great choice of pants for anyone who has something of a harder time in warmer weather.
Briefs are designed to provide that aforementioned support with as little fabric coverage as possible. This means that they don’t extend down your legs at all and should sit comfortably on your hips, covering only your ass and cobra.
Basically, whilst your crotch area is well covered and supported, your legs have total freedom from fabric, meaning less of your skin is covered up and, consequently, you’ll stay cooler for longer. Which is great if you’re prone to overheating.
3. Say goodbye to chafing
And speaking of sweating, that’s one of the biggest perpetrators of chafing going. So, not only should briefs help you stay cooler for longer, they’ll also protect you against unwanted chafing.
The last thing you want is sweat between your legs making your pants a little damp and causing friction on your inner thighs. Since briefs keep you cooler, you should be sweating less anyway, but they also don’t have any fabric on your legs to get damp or bunch up. Thus, you can kiss unwanted chafing from your pants goodbye.
4. Hide unwanted guests...
Let’s not beat about the bush…
We’ve all had a hard-on when you don’t want it. In the office. On the bus. And it always seems to happen 30 seconds before you need to get up and walk around, resulting in you having to shuffle around like quasimodo in an attempt to distract from the bulge in your pants.
Well, briefs can help you with that.
One benefit of the highly supportive brief is its resultant ‘containment field’ around your family jewels. Just like the electric fence in Jurassic Park that keeps the T. Rex in place, so too will a good pair of briefs have the elastic capacity to hold your erection at bay and enable you to reposition it into a less compromising place and go walking about at your leisure while it calms down.
5. Strut your stuff
Finally, wearing briefs can make you look sexy as hell.
Their minimal fabric coverage and often plain and understated designs will do very little to distract from that beast of a physique you’ve spent your blood, sweat, and tears building over the last… well … however long you’ve been hitting the gym.
Once again, this makes them the perfect choice for sportsmen as you’ll get to show off that killer bod.
Oh, and yes that extra support in the front pouch will make it stick out. So, if you want to impress a partner in the bedroom with your well-packaged manhood, then briefs literally have you covered (and this would be the perfect time to deactivate that park security system and let Rexy loose).
4 disadvantages of wearing briefs
Yes, of course there are some disadvantages - nobody’s perfect, are they? But we at Pants & Socks feel that these are more issues of personal preference than anything else. But it’s nice to know all the same.
- A tighter hold
- No leg coverage
- Not great for lounging
- Style decisions
1. A tighter hold
Yes, briefs are designed for a tighter fit and a firm hold on your privates. If that’s what you’re after, then fantastic. If not and you prefer to let everything hang loose and free, then briefs aren’t the pants for you.
If this is the case, then the only pants that truly let you hang free are traditional boxer shorts. Briefs won’t let you hang and flop. It’s just not in their nature.
2. No leg coverage
Similarly, if you’re after some pants that do provide coverage for your legs - for example, if you have thighs that naturally rub against each other and you need some fabric protection for them, then briefs won’t have you covered. Literally. They can’t. They end at the tops of your thighs and that’s just the way they like it.
3. Not great for lounging
As with disadvantage 1, briefs won’t let you hang free. Whilst this certainly isn’t uncomfortable by any means, sometimes we want to hang loose. For example, when lounging around the house or for sleeping in. Again, we’d recommend boxer shorts for both of these activities as wearing briefs constantly can make you feel a little confined.
4. Style decisions
Finally, the ultimate issue of personal taste: your own style choices. Maybe you simply don’t like the cut of a brief. It’s not their fault - they only want to please.
But, if you don’t like the fit of a brief on your body, don’t like the way they look or feel, or if they simply aren’t for you… then try a different style of underwear. Briefs are big boys. They can handle rejection.
So why do guys wear briefs?
Maybe you’re after that extra bit of support. Maybe you want to fight chafing fabric. Maybe you want to stay cool. Or perhaps you have a killer physique that you want to show off to the world.
Briefs have you covered in all of these departments and more, making them a truly timeless classic that we can’t see going out of style any time soon.
If you’ve caught the brief bug, then check out our Pants & Socks selection of men’s briefs.