Underwear,underclothing, orundergarments are items ofclothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled or damaged bybodily excretions, to lessen thefriction ofouterwear against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it. In cold weather,long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Special types of undergarments have religious significance. Some items of clothing are designed as undergarments, while others, such asT-shirts and certain types of shorts, are appropriate both as underwear and outerwear. If made of suitable material ortextile, some underwear can serve asnightwear orswimwear, and some undergarments are intended forsexual attraction or visual appeal.

Undergarments are generally of two types, those that are worn to cover the torso and those that are worn to cover the waist and legs, although there are also underclothes which cover both. Different styles of underwear are generally worn by females and males. Undergarments commonly worn by females today includebras andpanties (knickers inBritish English), while males often wearboxer briefs orboxer shorts. Items worn by both sexes include T-shirts,sleeveless shirts (also called singlets, tank tops, A-shirts, or vests), classicbriefs,bikini briefs,thongs,G-strings andT-fronts.

Undergarments are known by a number of terms.Underclothes,underclothing andunderwear are formal terms, while undergarments may be more casually called, in Australia,Reg Grundys (rhyming slang forundies) andReginalds, and, in the United Kingdom,smalls (from the earliersmallclothes) and (historically)unmentionables. In the United States, women's underwear may be known asdelicates due to the recommended washing machine cycle or because they are, simply put, delicate.^{[citation needed]}

Women's undergarments collectively are also calledlingerie. They also are calledintimate clothing andintimates.

Anundershirt (vest in the United Kingdom) is a piece of underwear covering thetorso, whileunderpants (often calledpants in the United Kingdom),drawers, andundershorts cover thegenitals and often buttocks. Terms for specific undergarments are shown in the tablebelow.

Underwear is worn for a variety of reasons. They keep outer garments from being soiled byperspiration,urine,^[1]semen,pre-seminal fluid,feces,vaginal discharge, andmenstrual blood.^[2] Women'sbrassieres provide support for thebreasts, and men'sbriefs serve the same function for themale genitalia. Acorset may be worn as afoundation garment to provide support for the breasts and torso, as well as to alter a woman'sbody shape. For additional support and protection when playing sports, men often wear more tightly fitting underwear, includingjockstraps and jockstraps with cup pocket andprotective cup. Male dancers sometimes weardance belts for support and modesty while wearing tights. Women may wearsports bras which provide greater support, thus increasing comfort and reducing the chance of damage to theligaments of the chest during high-impact exercises such as jogging.^{[citation needed]}

In cold climates, underwear may constitute an additional layer of clothing helping to keep the wearer warm. Underwear may also be used to preserve the wearer'smodesty – for instance, some women wearcamisoles andslips (petticoats) under clothes that aresheer. Conversely, some types of underwear can be worn for sexual titillation, such asedible underwear or crotchless panties.^{[citation needed]}

Undergarments are worn for insulation underspace suits anddry suits. In the case of dry suits, the insulation value of the undergarments is selected to match the expected water temperature and the level of activity for the planned dive or water activity.^[3]

Some items of clothing are designed exclusively as underwear, while others such asT-shirts and certain types of shorts are suitable both as underwear and as outer clothing. The suitability of underwear as outer clothing is, apart from the indoor or outdoor climate, largely dependent on societal norms, fashion, and the requirements of the law. If made of suitable material, some underwear can serve asnightwear orswimsuits.^{[citation needed]}

Undergarments can also have religious significance:

• Judaism. To conform with societal dress codes, thetallit katan is often worn beneath the shirt.^{[citation needed]}
• Mormonism. Following theirendowment in atemple,Mormons wear specialtemple garments which help them to remember the teachings of the temple.^[4]
• Sikhism. One of the five articles of faith (panj kakaar) worn bySikh men and women is a certain style of underpants similar toboxer shorts and known as thekacchera.^{[citation needed]}
• Zoroastrianism. Zoroastrians wear an undershirt called aSedreh that is fastened with a sacred girdle around the waist known as aKushti.^{[citation needed]}

Theloincloth is the simplest form of underwear; it was probably the first undergarment worn by human beings. In warmer climates, the loincloth was often the only clothing worn (effectively making it an outer garment rather than an undergarment), as was doubtless its origin, but in colder regions, the loincloth often formed the basis of a person's clothing and was covered by other garments. In most ancient civilizations, this was the only undergarment available.

A loincloth may take three major forms. The first, and simplest, is simply a long strip of material that is passed between the legs and then around the waist. Archaeologists have found the remains of such loincloths made of leather dating back 7,000 years.^[5] The ancient Hawaiianmalo was of this form, as are several styles of the Japanesefundoshi. Another form is usually called acache-sexe: a triangle of cloth is provided with strings or loops, which are used to fasten the triangle between the legs and over the genitals.Egyptian kingTutankhamun (1341 BC – 1323 BC) was found buried with numerouslinen loincloths of this style.^[5] An alternate form is moreskirt-like: a cloth is wrapped around the hips several times and then fastened with agirdle.

Men are said to have worn loincloths inancient Greece andRome, though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. There is some speculation that only slaves wore loincloths and that citizens did not wear undergarments beneath theirchitons.Mosaics of the Roman period indicate that women (primarily in an athletic context, whilst wearing nothing else) sometimes worestrophiae (breastcloths) or brassieres made of soft leather, along withsubligacula which were either in the form of shorts or loincloths.Subligacula were also worn by men.^[5]

The fabric used for loincloths may have beenwool,linen or alinsey-woolsey blend. Only the upper classes could have afforded imported silk.

The loincloth continues to be worn by people around the world – it is the traditional form of undergarment in many Asian societies, for example. In various, mainly tropical, cultures, the traditional male dress may still consist of only a single garment below the waist or even none at all, with underwear as optional, including the Indiandhoti andlungi, or the Scottishkilt.

In theMiddle Ages, western men's underwear became looser fitting. The loincloth was replaced by loose,trouser-like clothing calledbraies, which the wearer stepped into and then laced or tied around the waist and legs at about mid-calf. Wealthier men often worechausses as well, which only covered the legs.^[5] Braies (or ratherbraccae) were a type of trouser worn by Celtic and Germanic tribes in antiquity and by Europeans subsequently into the Middle Ages. In the later Middle Ages they were used exclusively as undergarments.^{[citation needed]}

By the time of theRenaissance, braies had become shorter to accommodate longer styles of chausses. Chausses were also giving way to form-fittinghose,^[5] which covered the legs and feet. Fifteenth-century hose were often particolored, with each leg in a different-colored fabric or even more than one color on a leg. However, many types of braies, chausses and hose were not intended to be covered up by other clothing, so they were not actually underwear in the strict sense.

Braies were usually fitted with a front flap that was buttoned or tied closed. Thiscodpiece allowed men tourinate without having to remove the braies completely.^[5] Codpieces were also worn with hose when very shortdoublets – vest- (UK: waistcoat-) like garments tied together in the front and worn under other clothing – were in fashion, as early forms of hose were open at thecrotch.Henry VIII of England began padding his codpiece, which caused a spiralling trend of larger and larger codpieces that only ended by the end of the 16th century. It has been speculated that the King may have had thesexually transmitted diseasesyphilis, and his large codpiece may have included a bandage soaked in medication to relieve its symptoms.^[5] Henry VIII also wanted a healthy son and may have thought that projecting himself in this way would portray fertility. Codpieces were sometimes used as a pocket for holding small items.^[5]

Over the upper part of their bodies, both medieval men and women usually wore a close-fitting shirt-like garment called achemise in France, or a smock or shift in England. The forerunner of the modern-day shirt, thechemise was tucked into a man's braies, under his outer clothing. Women wore a chemise underneath theirgowns orrobes, sometimes withpetticoats over the chemise. Elaboratelyquilted petticoats might be displayed by a cut-away dress, in which case they served as a skirt rather than an undergarment. During the 16th century, thefarthingale was popular. This was a petticoat stiffened withreed orwillow rods so that it stood out from a woman's body like a cone extending from the waist.

Corsets also began to be worn about this time. At first they were called pairs of bodies, which refers to a stiffened decorativebodice worn on top of another bodice stiffened withbuckram, reeds, canes,whalebone or other materials. These were not the small-waisted, curved corsets familiar from theVictorian era, but straight-lined stays that flattened the bust.

Men's braies and hose were eventually replaced by simple cotton, silk orlinen drawers, which were usually knee-length trousers with a button flap in the front.^[5]

Medieval people wearing only tunics, without underpants, can be seen on works likeThe Ass in the School byPieter Bruegel the Elder, in theTrès Riches Heures du duc de Berry byLimbourg Brothers, or in theGrimani Breviary: The Month of February byGerard Horenbout.

In 2012, findings inLengberg Castle, inAustria, showed thatlace andlinen brassiere-like garments, one of which greatly resembled the modern bra, date back to hundreds of years before it was thought to exist.^[6][7]

The invention of thespinning jenny machines and thecotton gin in the second half of the 18th century made cotton fabrics widely available. This allowed factories tomass-produce underwear, and for the first time, large numbers of people began buying undergarments in stores rather than making them at home.

Women'sstays of the 18th century were laced behind and drew the shoulders back to form a high, round bosom and erect posture. Colored stays were popular. With the relaxed country styles of the end of the century, stays became shorter and wereunboned or only lightly boned, and were now called corsets. As tight waists became fashionable in the 1820s, the corset was again boned and laced to form the figure. By the 1860s, a tiny ("wasp") waist came to be seen as a symbol of beauty, and the corsets were stiffened with whalebone or steel to accomplish this. While "tight lacing" of corsets was not a common practice except among a minority of women, which sometimes led to a woman needing to retire to thefainting room, the primary use of a corset was to create a smooth line for the garments to effect the fashionable shape of the day, using the optical illusion created by the corset and garments together to achieve the look of a smaller waist.^[8] By the 1880s, thedress reform movement was campaigning against the alleged pain and damage to internal organs and bones caused bytight lacing.Inez Gaches-Sarraute invented the "health corset", with a straight-fronted busk made to help support the wearer's muscles.

The corset was usually worn over a thin shirt-like shift of linen or cotton ormuslin.^[9]Skirt styles became shorter and long drawers calledpantalettes orpantaloons kept the legs covered. Pantalettes originated in France in the early 19th century, and quickly spread to Britain and America. Pantalettes were a form ofleggings or long drawers. They could be one-piece or two separate garments, one for each leg, attached at the waist with buttons or laces. The crotch was left open for hygiene reasons.

As skirts became fuller from the 1830s, women wore many petticoats to achieve a fashionable bell shape. By the 1850s, stiffenedcrinolines and laterhoop skirts allowed ever wider skirts to be worn. Thebustle, a frame or pad worn over the buttocks to enhance their shape, had been used off and on by women for two centuries, but reached the height of its popularity in the later 1880s, and went out of fashion in the 1890s.Women dressed in crinolines often wore drawers under them for modesty and warmth.

Another common undergarment of the late 19th century for men, women, and children was theunion suit. Invented inUtica, New York and patented in 1868, this was a one-piece front-buttoning garment usually made of knitted material with sleeves extending to the wrists and legs down to the ankles. It had a buttoned flap (known colloquially as the "access hatch", "drop seat", or "fireman's flap") in the back to ease visits to the toilet. The union suit was the precursor oflong johns, a two-piece garment consisting of a long-sleeved top and long pants possibly named after American boxerJohn L. Sullivan who wore a similar garment in the ring.^[5]

Thejockstrap was invented in 1874, by C. F. Bennett of a Chicago sporting goods company, Sharp & Smith, to provide comfort and support for bicycle jockeys riding thecobblestone streets ofBoston, Massachusetts.^[5] In 1897 Bennett's newly formed Bike Web Company patented and began mass-producing the Bike Jockey Strap.^[10]

By the early 20th century, the mass-produced undergarment industry was booming, and competition forced producers to come up with all sorts of innovative and gimmicky designs to compete. TheHanes company emerged from this boom and quickly established itself as a top manufacturer of union suits, which were common until the 1930s.^[5] Textile technology continued to improve, and the time to make a single union suit dropped from days to minutes.

Meanwhile, designers of women's undergarments relaxed the corset. The invention of new, flexible but supportive materials allowed whalebone and steel bones to be removed. The emancipation orliberty bodice offered an alternative to constricting corsets and, in Australia and the UK, the liberty bodice became a standard item for girls as well as women.

Men's underwear also continued to be developed. Benjamin Joseph Clark, a migrant toLouisiana fromNew Jersey, opened aventure capitalist firm named Bossier inBossier Parish. One product manufactured by his firm was tightly fittingboxer shorts that resembled modern underwear. Though the company was bankrupt by the early 20th century, it had some influence on men's underwear design.

Underwear advertising first made an appearance in the 1910s. The first underwear print advertisement in the US appeared inThe Saturday Evening Post in 1911 and featured oil paintings byJ. C. Leyendecker of the "Kenosha Klosed Krotch". Early underwear advertisements emphasized durability and comfort, and fashion was not regarded as a selling point.

By the end of the 1910s, Chalmers Knitting Company split the union suit into upper and lower sections, effectively inventing the modern undershirt and drawers. Women wore lacier versions of this basic duo known as thecamisole and tap pants.

In 1912, the US had its first professional underwear designer. Lindsay "Layneau" Boudreaux, a French immigrant, established the short-lived panty company Layneau. Though her company closed within one year, it had a significant impact on many levels. Boudreaux showed the world that an American woman could establish and run a company, and she also caused a revolution in the underwear industry.

In 1913, a New York socialite namedMary Phelps Jacob created the first modern brassiere by tying two handkerchiefs together with ribbon. Jacob's original intention was to cover the whalebone sticking out of her corset, which was visible through her sheer dress. Jacob began making brassieres for her family and friends, and news of the garment soon spread by word of mouth. By 1914, Jacob had a patent for her design and was marketing it throughout the US. Although women had worn brassiere-like garments in years past, Jacob's was the first to be successfully marketed and widely adopted.

By the end of the decade, trouser-like "bloomers", which were popularized byAmelia Jenks Bloomer (1818–1894) but invented byElizabeth Smith Miller, gained popularity with the so-calledGibson Girls who enjoyed pursuits such as cycling and tennis. This new female athleticism helped push the corset out of style. The other major factor in the corset's demise was the fact that metal was globally in short supply during the First World War. Steel-laced corsets were dropped in favor of the brassiere.

Meanwhile, World War I soldiers were issued button-front shorts as underwear. The buttons attached to a separate piece of cloth, or "yoke", sewn to the front of the garment, and tightness of fit was adjusted by means of ties on the sides. This design proved so popular that it began to supplant the union suit in popularity by the end of the war.Rayon garments also became widely available in the post-war period.

In the 1920s, manufacturers shifted emphasis from durability to comfort. Union suit advertisements raved about patented new designs that reduced the number of buttons and increased accessibility. Most of these experimental designs had to do with new ways to hold closed the crotch flap common on most union suits and drawers. A new woven cotton fabric callednainsook gained popularity in the 1920s for its durability. Retailers also began selling preshrunk undergarments.

Also in the 1920s, ashemlines of women's dresses rose, women began to wear stockings to cover the exposed legs. Women's bloomers also became much shorter. The shorter bloomers became looser and less supportive as the boyishflapper look came into fashion. By the end of the decade, they came to be known as "step-ins", very much like modern panties but with wider legs. They were worn for the increased flexibility they afforded.

Thegarter belt was invented to keep stockings from falling.

In 1928,Maidenform, a company operated byIda Rosenthal, a Jewish immigrant from Russia, developed the brassiere and introduced modern cup sizes for bras.

Modern men'sunderpants were largely an invention of the 1930s. On 19 January 1935,Coopers Inc. sold the world's firstbriefs in Chicago. Designed by an "apparel engineer" named Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly.^[5] The company dubbed the design the "Jockey" since it offered a degree of support that had previously only been available from the jockstrap. Jockey briefs proved so popular that over 30,000 pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. Coopers, renaming their company Jockey decades later, sent its "Mascul-line" plane to make special deliveries of "masculine support" briefs to retailers across the US. In 1938, whenjockeys were introduced in the UK, they sold at the rate of 3,000 a week, given themonikerY-fronts there.^[5]

In this decade, companies also began selling buttonless drawers fitted with an elastic waistband. These were the first trueboxer shorts, which were named for their resemblance to the shorts worn byprofessional fighters. Scovil Manufacturing introduced thesnap fastener at this time, which became a popular addition to various kinds of undergarments.

Women of the 1930s brought the corset back, now called the "girdle". The garment lacked the whalebone and metal supports and usually came with a brassiere (now usually called a "bra") and attached garters.

In 1933, Henrik Natvig Brun, a commandant in the Norwegian army, invented the first Brynje thermalString vest [no], as Norwegian King’s Guard cold season clothing, in development since1921, repurposing two fishing nets, previously used to catch herring, and made into a shirt for trapping air close to the skin which would provide insulation. In 1896, under the trade name Aertex, a cellular cloth based on the same principle was patented. It was later called a "Fishnet Tank Top", aMesh Marina, and a "mesh shirt" and used forBruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt,MattelBarbie'sEarring Magic Ken doll,E-kids,Andy Capp,Rab C. Nesbitt,Jim Royle,Wallace inThe Wrong Trousers,Madonna, andKylie Minogue'sFever US cover artwork. English brands includeCockney Finestyle,Crystal, andPendeen.

"In 1955 theWar Office ordered tests to be conducted on the garment. That summer, theMinistry of Supply ran a "subjective study of string vests under hot/dry conditions" in the (British)Canal Zone of Egypt. For four weeks in July and August, as temperatures rose to 37C, men from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were made to wear three different types of vest underneath their bush jackets. In every case the men reported that string vests kept them cool and reduced "dragging or sticking" between clothes and skin from sweat. However, at the end of the experiment, only two of the men agreed to continue wearing the vest. The report concluded that "seemingly, all vests were to be regarded with suspicion" and that "efficient indoctrination" would be required to encourage men to wear them. Back home no such indoctrination was required. Worn by miners and builders, the string vest, like theflat cap anddonkey jacket, became a garment associated with working class grit."^[11]

During World War II, elastic waistbands and metal snaps gave way once again to button fasteners due to rubber and metal shortages. Undergarments were harder to find as well, since soldiers abroad had priority to obtain them. By the end of the war, Jockey and Hanes remained the industry leaders in the US, but Cluett, Peabody and Company made a name for itself when it introduced a preshrinking process called "Sanforization", invented by Sanford Cluett in 1933, which came to be licensed by most major manufacturers.

Meanwhile, some women adopted the corset once again, now called the "waspie" for thewasp-shapedwaistline it gave the wearer. Many women began wearing the strapless bra as well, which gained popularity for its ability to push the breasts up andenhance cleavage.

Before the 1950s, underwear consisted of simple, functional, white pieces of clothing which were not to be shown in public. In the 1950s, underwear came to be promoted as a fashion item in its own right, and came to be made in prints and colors. Manufacturers also experimented with rayon and newer fabrics likeDacron, nylon, andSpandex.^[5] By 1960, men's underwear was regularly printed in loud patterns, or with messages or images such as cartoon characters. By the 1960s, department stores began offering men's double-seat briefs, an optional feature that would double the wear and add greater comfort. Stores advertising the double thickness seat as well as the manufacturing brands such asHanes andBVD during this time period can be viewed^[12] usingNewspapers.com.

Women's undergarments began to emphasize the breasts instead of the waist. The decade saw the introduction of the bullet bra pointed bust, inspired byChristian Dior's "New Look", which featured pointed cups. The originalWonderbra andpush-up bra byFrederick's of Hollywood achieved great popularity. Women's panties became more colorful and decorative and, by the mid-1960s, were available in two abbreviated styles called the hip-hugger and thebikini (named after the Pacific Oceanisland of that name), frequently in sheer nylon fabric.

Pantyhose, also calledtights in British English, which combined panties and hose into one garment, made their first appearance in 1959,^[13] invented byGlen Raven Mills ofNorth Carolina. The company later introduced seamless pantyhose in 1965, spurred by the popularity of theminiskirt. By the end of the decade, the girdle had fallen out of favor as women chose sexier, lighter and more comfortable alternatives.^[14]

With the emergence of the woman's movement in the United States sales for pantyhose dropped off during the later half of the 1960s having soared initially.^[13]

Underwear as fashion reached its peak in the 1970s and 1980s, and underwear advertisers began to focus less on comfort, health, durability, and overall practicality.Sex appeal became a main selling point, in swimwear as well, bringing to fruition a trend that had been building since at least the flapper era. Designers such asCalvin Klein began featuring near-naked male models in their advertisements forbriefs. The increased wealth of thegay community helped to promote a diversity of undergarment choices.^{[citation needed]} In his bookThe Philosophy of Andy Warhol (1975),^[15]Andy Warhol wrote:

I told B I needed some socks too and at least 30 pairs of Jockey shorts. He suggested I switch to Italian-style briefs, the ones with the T-shaped crotch that tends to build you up. I told him I'd tried them once, in Rome, the day I was walking through aLiz Taylor movie – and I didn't like them because they made me too self-aware. It gave me the feeling girls must have when they wear uplift bras.^[5]

Warhol liked his Jockey briefs so much that he used a pair as a canvas for one of his dollar-sign paintings.^[5]

In the UK in the 1970s, tight jeans gave briefs a continued edge over boxer shorts among young men, but a decade later boxers were given a boost byNick Kamen's performance inLevi's "Laundrette" TV commercial for its501 jeans, during which he stripped down to a pair of white boxers in a publiclaundromat.^[5] Briefs however remained popular in America amongst young men from the 1950s until the mid-1990s.

Thetank top, an undershirt named after the type of swimwear dating from the 1920s known as a tank suit ormaillot, became popular warm-weather casual outerwear in the US in the 1980s. Performers such asMadonna andCyndi Lauper were also often seen wearing their undergarments on top of other clothes.

Although worn for decades byexotic dancers, in the 1980s theG-string first gained popularity in South America, particularly in Brazil. Originally a style ofswimsuit, the back of the garment is so narrow that it disappears between the buttocks. By the 1990s the design had made its way to most of the Western world, andthong underwear became popular. Today, the thong is one of the fastest-selling styles of underwear among women, and is also worn by men.

The 1990s saw the introduction ofboxer briefs, which take the longer shape of boxer shorts but maintain the tightness of briefs.Hip hop stars popularized "sagging", in which loosely fitting pants or shorts were allowed to droop below the waist exposing the waistband or a greater portion of the underpants worn underneath; typically boxer shorts or boxer briefs.

Some people choose not to wear any underpants, a practice sometimes referred to asgoing commando, for comfort, to enable their outer garments (particularly those which are form-fitting) to look more flattering, to avoid creating a panty line, because they find it sexually exciting,^[16] to increase ventilation and reduce moisture^[17][18] or because they do not see any need for them. Certain types of clothes, such ascycling shorts andkilts (SeeTrue Scotsman), are designed to be worn or are traditionally worn without underpants.^{[19][20][21][22][23]} This also applies for most clothes worn asnightwear and asswimwear. Some analysts have encouraged people with a higher than averagelibido to change their underpants more frequently than average due to hygiene-related issues of by-products such ascowper's fluid andvaginal lubrication.^[24]

Underwear is sometimes partly exposed for fashion reasons or to titillate. A woman may, for instance, allow the top of her brassiere to be visible from under hercollar, or wear a see-throughblouse over it. Some men wear T-shirts or A-shirts underneath partly or fully unbuttoned shirts. A common style among young men (2018) is to allow the trousers to sag below the waist, thus revealing the waistband or a greater portion of their underpants. This is commonly referred to (inNorth America) as "hang-low style". A woman wearing low-rise trousers exposing the upper rear portion of her thong underwear is said to display a "whale tail".^[25]

The sale of used female underwear for sexual purposes began inJapan, in stores calledburusera, and it was even sold in vending machines. In the 21st century, when theInternet made anonymous mail-order sales possible for individuals, some women in the U.S. and UK, in response to male demand, began selling their dirty panties, and sometimes other underwear. Some men find the odor of a woman's bodily secretions sexually arousing, and will use the dirty panties as amasturbation aid. The sale of dirty panties, sometimes worn for several days, and sometimes customized with requested stains, is a significantniche in thesex work field. A far smaller market sells used male underwear togay men.^[26]

Celebrity underwear is sometimes sold. A framed pair ofElvis Presley's dirty underwear sold for $8,000 in 2012.^{[27][28][29][30]} Undergarments ofMarilyn Monroe,Queen Elizabeth, and former Austrian EmperorFranz Joseph have been sold at auction.^[28] The celebritiesJarvis Cocker,Alison Goldfrapp,Nick Cave,Sacha Baron Cohen,Ricky Gervais,Jah Wobble,Fergie, andHelen Mirren donated underwear to be sold for charity.^[31]

Common contemporary types and styles of undergarments are listed in the table below.

In January 2008 it was reported that, according tomarket research firmMintel, the men's underwear market in the UK was worth£674 million, and volume sales of men's underpants rose by 24% between 2000 and 2005. British manufacturers and retailers claim that most British men prefer "trunks", or short boxer briefs. The director of menswear of major British retailerMarks & Spencer (M&S), which sells 40 million pairs of men's underpants a year, was quoted as saying that while boxer shorts were still the most popular at M&S, demand was easing off in favor of hipster trunks similar in design to theswimming trunks worn by actorDaniel Craig in theJames Bond filmCasino Royale (2006).^[5]

In 1985,Fruit of the Loom,Hanes, andJockey International had the largest shares of the U.S. men's underwear market; these companies had about 35%, 15%, and 10% of the market, respectively.^[32]

Gregory Woods, author of "We're Here, We're Queer and We're not Going Catalogue Shopping", stated that in companies often do not market men's underwear to straight men on the assumption that they are not interested in buying underwear for themselves; therefore many such advertisements are catered to women to convince them to buy underwear for their husbands, as well as to gay or bisexual men.^[33] In 1985 Jockey International president Howard Cooley stated that women often shop more than men do, and men request women to buy underwear for them.^[32] According to multiple studies conductedc. 1985, 60-80% of men's undergarments for sale had been purchased by women.[32]

A number of majordesigner labels are renowned for their underwear collections, includingCalvin Klein,Dolce & Gabbana, andLa Perla. Likewise, specialist underwear brands are constantly emerging, such asAndrew Christian,2(x)ist,Leonisa, and Papi.

Specialist retailers of underwear includehigh street storesLa Senza (Canada),Agent Provocateur (UK),Victoria's Secret (U.S.), and GapBody, the lingerie division of theGap established in 1998 (U.S.). In 2000, the online retailer,Freshpair, started in New York and in 2008Abercrombie & Fitch opened a new chain of stores,Gilly Hicks, to compete with other underwear retailers.

The 2014 Stockholm Skateathon was sponsored byBjörn Borg and the advertising campaign encouraged participants eitherskateboarding orlongboarding, for example, to wear undergarments, and whilst it received criticism by the skateboarders, some people ended up dressing in the undergarments^[34]

Going without lower body undergarments has come to be known by the slang termgoing commando, as well as sometimesfree-balling orfree-buffing (referencing thescrotum and thevulva respectively).^[35]

The origins of the phrasego commando are uncertain, with some speculating that it may refer to being "out in the open" or "ready for action".^[36] The modern usage may be traced in the United States to university studentsc. 1974, where it was perhaps associated with soldiers in theVietnam War, who were reputed to go without underwear to "increase ventilation and reduce moisture".^[17] The phrase was in use in the UK before then, referring mainly to women, from the late 1960s.^[35] The connection to the UK and women has been suggested to link to aWorld War II euphemism for prostitutes working in London's West End, who were termed "Piccadilly Commandos".^[37][38] The term was re-popularized in the US after it appeared in a 1996 episode ofFriends, whereJoey Tribbiani wears everythingChandler Bing owns in an act of revenge, while also going "commando".^[39][40]

In a 2014open-access internet-based poll,60 Minutes andVanity Fair asked visitors to their websites the question "How often do you 'go commando'?" A quarter of participants said that they did this at least occasionally, while 39% said they never did so, and 35% said that they did not know the meaning of the term.^[41][42]

• Corset controversy
• Diaper
• Hosiery
• Ring, slide and hook
• Social aspects of clothing
• Swimsuit
• Trousers – Law – laws on underwear exposure
• Underwear as outerwear
• Underwear Museum - A museum in Lessines, Belgium, and previously in Brussels, displaying undergarments of famous persons

Notes

Further reading

• Benson, Elaine; John Esten (1996).Unmentionables: A Brief History of Underwear. New York: Simon & Schuster.
• Cunnington, C[ecil] Willett;Phillis Cunnington (1992).The History of Underclothes. New York:Dover Publications.ISBN 0-486-27124-2. First published in London by Michael Joseph in 1951.
• Hawthorne, Rosemary (1993).Stockings & Suspenders: A Quick Flash. Lucy Pettifer & Claire Taylor (ill.). London: Souvenir.ISBN 0-285-63143-8.
• Martin, Richard [Harrison]; Harold Koda (1993).Infra-apparel. photographs byNeil Selkirk. New York:Metropolitan Museum of Art.ISBN 0-8109-6430-9.

• Historical Lingerie pictures from the New York Public Library Picture CollectionArchived 9 August 2020 at theWayback Machine
• Handmade women's underwear set, 1911, in the Staten Island Historical Society Online Collections Database.