“Boxers Briefs or Commando”??
[An “almost 16” year old boy out on a church group date is set about by a girl he likes and a couple of her friends who ask him what type of underwear he wears “boxers briefs or commando”. Having a good relationship with his doctor’s office he texted their “answer-line” to see if there was a particular type that might be better. He really hasn’t given it too much thought and basically just picks “the top one out of the drawer that’s clean that still fits” out of many Christmas and Birthday gifts from the past.
His doctor, a friend of mine, was a bit perplexed about how to answer, so I offered to take a stab at it on the blog.]
I need to ask a question about underwear. Is there a type that is better? I’m almost 16 and really don’t think about it. I just wear whatever is on the top of the drawer. We all get new underwear for Christmas and our birthday, so I don’t really think about it. I guess I like boxers but don’t really care.
Last Thursday I talked to a girl I like at a church party and two of her friends tagged along. They kept interrupting and one of them asked: “What do you wear? boxers briefs or commando.” I didn’t know how to answer. So, I said “all of them” and they just laughed…
Last Thursday I talked to a girl I like at a church party and two of her friends tagged along. They kept interrupting and one of them asked: “What do you wear? boxers briefs or commando.” I didn’t know how to answer. So, I said “all of them” and they just laughed…
Thanks [name deleted] for sharing that with me. I hope you’re in a position now where we can both chuckle about this together. I’m sure it was a bit embarrassing for you, it would have been for me, and I’m sure glad that kind of “game” wasn’t a habit of the girls I went to school with.
I called it a “game” because that, I think, was what they were doing… just trying to embarrass you – copycatting some of the idiocy they’ve seen on television. At least you had an acceptable answer, I’d of probably just been so stunned I’d have merely given them a disgusted “are you kidding me!” look until they left. And that wouldn’t have won me any points.
Now, you asked a legitimate question, and it deserves a legitimate answer. Too bad there isn’t an exact one with scientific evidence that either boxers, briefs or commando is better than the others. The problem is that most of what we all wear is sheer scam and manipulation by the fashion industry trying to get more of our money pure and simple.
That doesn’t mean that there AREN’T some things we know about boys’ bodies, safety and comfort that make a difference, because there are. But that also doesn’t mean that there ARE a lot of things that we know scientifically either; because there aren’t. All three of the states you mention probably have their place; but none of them have won scientific studies as being the “best for you to wear” – (I don’t even think research is actually being done on the topic)
Tell you what. I’ll give it some more thought and give some better answers in a blog post; but, for now, just know that you already gave a good answer (better than they deserved in my opinion) and just “keep on keepin’ on” until then. [Except to say: you DO need to wear a supporter/cup when playing sports AND YOU BETTER wear at least some kind of underwear if you’ve got pants with a zipper.]
I called it a “game” because that, I think, was what they were doing… just trying to embarrass you – copycatting some of the idiocy they’ve seen on television. At least you had an acceptable answer, I’d of probably just been so stunned I’d have merely given them a disgusted “are you kidding me!” look until they left. And that wouldn’t have won me any points.
Now, you asked a legitimate question, and it deserves a legitimate answer. Too bad there isn’t an exact one with scientific evidence that either boxers, briefs or commando is better than the others. The problem is that most of what we all wear is sheer scam and manipulation by the fashion industry trying to get more of our money pure and simple.
That doesn’t mean that there AREN’T some things we know about boys’ bodies, safety and comfort that make a difference, because there are. But that also doesn’t mean that there ARE a lot of things that we know scientifically either; because there aren’t. All three of the states you mention probably have their place; but none of them have won scientific studies as being the “best for you to wear” – (I don’t even think research is actually being done on the topic)
Tell you what. I’ll give it some more thought and give some better answers in a blog post; but, for now, just know that you already gave a good answer (better than they deserved in my opinion) and just “keep on keepin’ on” until then. [Except to say: you DO need to wear a supporter/cup when playing sports AND YOU BETTER wear at least some kind of underwear if you’ve got pants with a zipper.]
See also: Puberty and Underwear: “Boxers Briefs or Commando”?
Series next: Boys Underwear: Boxers, Briefs or Commando – explanation, recommendationsSeries previous: Doctor’s Talking About Puberty and Sex to Patients
10 Posts in Puberty Talk (tanner) Series
- Boys Underwear: Boxers, Briefs or Commando - explanation, recommendations – 22 Sep 2018
- FAQ - Boxers, Brief's or Commando – 28 Aug 2018
- Doctor's Talking About Puberty and Sex to Patients – 28 Aug 2017
- Video: Puberty Time Lapse – 5 Jul 2017
- Puberty: Psychological Stages - Part 2 – 13 Aug 2015
- Puberty: Psychological Stages – 5 Aug 2015
- Tanner Stages - Boys – 28 Jul 2015
- Tanner & Growth - Girls – 20 Jul 2015
- Tanner Stages and Growth – 12 Jul 2015
- Puberty, Tanner Series: Intro/Index – 11 Jul 2015
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