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:''For other uses of Brief(s), see Brief''

'Briefs' are a type of short, tight Y-shaped underwear and swimwear, as opposed to styles where the material extends down the legs.
In the case of men's underwear, briefs, unlike boxer shorts, hold the wearer's genitals in a relatively fixed position, which makes briefs a popular underwear choice for men who are participating in athletic activities or who feel they need more support than loose-fitting underwear can provide. In addition, boxers often ride up the body when the wearer is running.
Tight briefs have been blamed for negatively affecting the sperm count, as they may interfere with the cooling of the testes. ^[1]

Contents

History

Briefs in popular culture

Video games

Television shows

Comic strips

Movies and films

Other languages

References

History

Briefs were first sold on 19 January 1935 by Coopers Inc., in Chicago, Illinois. They dubbed the new undergarment the "Jockey" because it offered a similar degree of support as the jockstrap (one style of which is also called ''Jock brief'' or Support briefs). Thirty-thousand pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. In North America, "Jockey shorts" or "Jockeys" is often used as a generic term for men's briefs.
In Great Britain, briefs were first sold in 1938. Soon, shops were selling 3,000 briefs per week. They were so popular that in 1948 every member of the British Olympic team was given a free pair of briefs.
In Britain the term "jockeys" has not caught on, and briefs are often referred to as "Y-fronts". The term derives from the inverted Y-shape formed by the seams at the front of the underpants which allows easy access to the penis for urination etc. The colloquialism is used even when the fly opening may differ in style, and not actually form the shape of the inverted letter "Y" fly on Cooper Jockey brand briefs.
They are also sometimes described as conduit briefs.
In Australia, briefs are often referred to as "jocks", but should not be confused with jockstraps (more specifically used by athletes) which expose the buttocks.
In recent years, a hybrid called boxer briefs has become popular. Like boxers, they have short legs, but like briefs, they are made of elastic, snug-fitting material.
Prior to the 2000s, waistbands for briefs were made of hard elastic and caused stretch marks in people with obese skin. Today, waistbands are made of soft elastic and do not cause stretch marks. While most people have accepted this as progress in the fashion industry, there are people who purchase vintage briefs from the 1970s and 1980s from the Internet, because they prefer the feel of hard elastic over soft elastic. .
According to recent polls done in several English speaking countries, more men wear briefs than boxers. Sales of briefs increased dramatically from 2002 and onwards. The fact that they are available in different colors and cuts may be a factor in their renewed popularity.

Briefs in popular culture

★ "Tighty-whities," or "Whitey-tighties," is a common American nickname for briefs. The name has entered the mainstream and is usually accepted as the name of briefs; the term is often derogatory in nature. In the 1990s, briefs were seen as uncool, especially among U.S. teenagers. Bullying has often been the result of wearing tighty-whities.


★ "Jockey Briefs" are recognized with an entry (Page 52) in ''Quintessences: the Quality of Having It'' (New York: Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers, 1983).

★ Since 1998, there has been an annual Underpants Run as part of the Ironman Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii.

★ Robert John Burck, also known as the "Naked Cowboy", is a musician who plays in Times Square (Manhattan, New York City) clad only in his briefs, boots and a cowboy hat.

★ In 2002, columnist Dan Savage held a "Tighty Whities Are Hot" contest.

★ On May 3, 2003, Ashton Kutcher delivered his opening monologue on ''Saturday Night Live'' in a pair of briefs.

★ On June 11, 2004, English football captain David Beckham was photographed by a paparazzo while standing on the balcony of a Lisbon hotel wearing nothing but a pair of briefs.

★ A popular children's book series features Captain Underpants, a chubby super-hero who wears only white briefs and a red cape with black polka dots.

★ Actor Ryan Pinkston wears briefs in the television shows and films he appears in.

★ Actor Martin Spanjers also wears briefs.

★ Bass player Flea of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers often appears on stage wearing only white briefs.

Video games

★ Carl Johnson from the video game '' wears white briefs underneath his clothes, as can be seen when the player removes his trousers in the changing room of one of his safehouses.

★ Jimmy Hopkins from the video game "Bully (video game) wears white briefs, titled in game as "tightie whities", as can be seen when the player removes his pants in any of the changing rooms available in the game.

Television shows

★ Several Fox series in the 1990s and 2000s featured characters that were depicted wearing briefs. They include, but are not limited to:

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★ In the episode "What Goes Around Comes Around" of ''Married ... with Children'', a girl embarrasses character Bud Bundy by showing everyone a pair of his briefs that she obtained after asking him to skinnydip with her.

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★ The animated cartoon character Homer Simpson is often depicted sitting on his couch in his briefs drinking a can of 'Duff Beer'. Son Bart Simpson and most of his classmates also wear briefs.

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★ In ''King of the Hill'', character Bobby Hill was often seen wearing briefs.

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★ Characters on ''That 70s Show'', included Ashton Kutcher and Topher Grace, were depicted wearing briefs, largely because that was the popular style of underwear during the decade in which the show takes place.

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★ In early episodes of the show ''Malcolm in the Middle'', characters Malcolm and Dewey are often depicted exposing their briefs. In the episode "Funeral", Malcolm is seen in his briefs by a girl he has a crush on. In another episode, the boy's father, Hal, is even arrested wearing only a shirt and a pair of briefs.

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★ In one episode of ''Bones'', David Boreanaz's character is seen in briefs.

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★ In the series ''Family Guy'', both Peter and Chris Griffin are depicted wearing briefs.

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★ On the series ''American Dad!'', the show's theme song is sung by the main character who is in briefs for most of the song.

★ In the Canadian adult cartoon, ''Kevin Spencer'', the title character wears yellow briefs when in a bathroom scene

★ In competitive swimwear, competition briefs, or speedos as they are commonly called, are a popular style of bathing suits.

★ In the series ''Beavis and Butt-head'', both Beavis and Butt-head wear briefs, along with most of the other characters on the series.

★ In the Cartoon Network series ''Dexter's Lab'' and ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', many of the characters are featured wearing briefs.

★ Rocko, the protagonist, on the Nickelodeon series ''Rocko's Modern Life'' often wears briefs, along with many other characters on the show.

★ On the Nickelodeon animated series ''Doug'', the main character Doug Funnie often accidentally exposes his briefs. In some fantasy sequences on the show, Doug's alter ego, Quailman, is a superhero who wears a cape, briefs over his pants, and a belt on his head.

★ On Nickelodeon's ''Rocket Power'', although most of the "cooler" characters wear boxer shorts; nerdy character Sam Dullard wears briefs in several episodes.

★ Cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants also is depicted wearing briefs.

★ In "Futurama", Fry is seen walking around in his briefs.

★ In "My Gym Partner's A Monkey", Adam Lyon is seen in his briefs.

★ In the 1990s sitcom ''Boy Meets World'', the protagonist, Cory Matthews, wears briefs.

★ In the 1988-1993 dramadey ''The Wonder Years'', main character Kevin Arnold wears briefs and is often seen in them.

★ On the PBS cartoon series Arthur, Arthur sees Binky split his pants during class while working on a math problem. Arthur makes fun of him, until he has dreams that his friends see him in his briefs. He then fears he will be seen in public without his pants. His worst fears finally come true when he shreds his pants in the cafeteria, exposing his briefs. Then, the dreams cease.

★ In the Paul Whitehouse sitcom Happiness, the protagonist works as a voiceover artist for Dexter, an animated kung-fu nurse bear whose principal attire is a capacious pair of Y-fronts.

★ In "Danny Phantom", both Danny and bully Dash wear briefs. Danny's are exposed in Urban Jungle, when he awakes in a thawing tank clad only in his briefs. Dash's are exposed in Splitting Images and Fright Knight.

Comic strips

★ In the comic strips ''Bloom County'' and ''Outland'', cartoonist Berkeley Breathed often drew his characters Opus the Penguin and Bill the Cat sitting on a couch wearing briefs while discussing their anxieties.

★ In a July 1997 issue of the comic strip ''Motley's Crew'', Mike Motley is shaking the hand of his brother-in-law Abel while wearing a used three-piece tuxedo with a pair of white briefs sticking out of his formal trousers while his wife Mabel is watching.

★ In The Guardian, Steve Bell used to draw John Major wearing briefs.

Movies and films

★ Perhaps the most famous scene in a movie involving briefs is in "Risky Business", where Tom Cruise dances in Calvin Klein briefs to the song "Old Time Rock and Roll".

★ In the film ''Cry-Baby'', Wade Walker, portrayed by Johnny Depp, reveals his Fruit of the Loom underwear as he attempts to escape from a training school for boys.

★ In the 2002 teen film The New Guy, Dizzy Gillespie Harrison (the main character) is seen tied to a chair with a pair of white briefs on top of his head.

★ In the 2004 film ''The Girl Next Door'', Emile Hirsch's character Matthew Kidman is forced to strip in front of Elisha Cuthbert's character Danielle. He is embarrassed to be wearing briefs; and in a later scene, he strips to his boxers and tells Danielle, "I always wear boxers. You just caught me on a weird day." Later, after prom, Chris Marquette's character is seen wearing leopard-print briefs.

★ In "Birthday Girl", Ben Chaplin's character is kidnapped while wearing blue jockey shorts.

★ Jon Heder appears in briefs in the movies "School for Scoundrels" and "Blades of Glory".

★ Actor Michael J. Fox wears purple Clavin Klein briefs in the movie "Back to the Future".

★ In the movie "Weird Science", Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith are pantsed during gym class, revealing white briefs.

★ Patrick Fugit wears briefs in the movie "Almost Famous".

★ In the film "Half Nelson", Ryan Gosling is shown in briefs.

★ Actor Zach Galligan is often seen in briefs in the movie "All Tied Up".

★ Actor Seth Green's character in the film ''Without a Paddle'' is stranded in the wilderness wearing nothing but briefs.

Other languages

In various continental European languages, such as Bulgarian, Dutch, French, German, Polish and Spanish, briefs are not called by a word indicating shortness, but rather by the English word slip, which in English is rather used for a type of lingerie, the slip (clothing). However, in Canadian French, the word ''caleçon'' is used instead of the International French word ''slip''.

References

1. WebMD, Boxers vs Briefs