Boxer briefs (sometimes spelledboxer-briefs or calledtight boxers, also known asA-Fronts) are a hybrid type of men'sundergarment which are long in the leg, similar toboxer shorts, but tight-fitting likebriefs. They emerged as a style in the 1990s and are commonly worn for sports and as every-day underwear.
The term derives from the elasticated shorts worn by participants in the sport of boxing.[citation needed]
Boxer briefs are also called "trunks" in the United Kingdom and Australia.[1]
Boxer briefs were once commonly thought to have been pioneered by designerJohn Varvatos during his 1990–1995 stint atCalvin Klein as head of menswear design.[2] However, the style was available much earlier, as designed byGiorgio Armani and as worn byRichard Gere in the 1980 filmAmerican Gigolo. Made famous by a series of 1992 print ads featuringMark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg,[2][3] they have been called "one of the greatest apparel revolutions of the century".[2] Of their creation Varvatos said in 2010, "We just cut off a pair oflong johns and thought, this could be cool..."[2]
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The boxer brief design provides form-fitting coverage for the midsection from thewaist to thethighs and are worn on thewaist. They are usually made of a combination ofcotton andspandex,polyester, or a soft, wovenflannel material. Boxer brief designs can have either akeyhole fly, button (snap) front, pouch, or no fly at all. The waistband is usually a separate band of elastic material, often in a contrasting color to the main material. The elastic band often has the name of the manufacturer printed on it. There may also be additional elastic sewn around the bottom end of the thigh portion of the garment. Some boxer briefs have stitching on the rear to outline thebuttocks and avoid a central seam. Boxer briefs are commonly used inathletics instead of, or in addition to, ajockstrap, but are common for everyday use as well.A variant that reaches to the knee or near it is marketed byJockey as "midway briefs", and is also sold by other companies. Another variant are boxer briefs that have shorter leg sections than the standard type, called "trunk briefs" or "trunks".[4]
Some studies have suggested that tightunderpants like boxer briefs and high temperature are not optimally conductive forsperm production. Thetesticles are outside the body for cooling because they operate for sperm production at a slightly lower temperature than the rest of the body, and boxer shorts allow the testicles to operate within the required temperature range. The compression of the genitals in boxer briefs, briefs,thongs, etc. may cause the temperature to rise and sperm production to fall. There is a similar theory regardingtesticular cancer risk.[5] Other sources dispute this theory. A study in the October 1998Journal of Urology, for example, concluded that underwear type is unlikely to have a significant effect onmale fertility.[6]
