The Fascinating History of Boxers: Where Did They Come From and How Did They Evolve?
Boxers , shorts that sit just below the groin, offer good support, which is particularly popular with modern men. Available in a wide variety of colors and adorned with multiple patterns, these underwear have only been around for a century and represent the fruit of a long and exciting evolution! PULLIN has retraced the history of boxers for you in this article.
The origin of men's underwear
Underwear has existed since the dawn of humanity. It seems that both men and women have always felt the need to conceal and, more importantly, protect their genitals, regardless of time or place.
The first underwear, strictly speaking, is said to have appeared in Rome and Ancient Greece . Wealthy people then wore a subligaculum, a piece of fabric made of linen or leather, which looked very similar to the briefs we know today. In ancient Egypt, three millennia before our era, the wealthiest men wore the chendjit, a white linen loincloth tied with a belt, for the same purpose.
The history of underwear continues in the Middle Ages, where they were primarily used to protect the skin from irritation and to keep clothes, made of linen, wool, or flannel, clean, as these were very expensive. Undergarments, called breeches, then had a hygienic function and reached down to the calf. Over the centuries, their length continued to decrease, until they resembled long johns in the 18th century.
At the end of the 19th century, men wore wool or cotton jumpsuits under their uniforms, with an opening at the crotch. These were a resounding success in the United States and gradually came in several shades: initially ecru, they became gray, blue, red, or flesh-colored.
The appearance of boxers
Boxers as we know them today are most often made of cotton, polyamide and elastane. Particularly appreciated for the support they offer, similar to that of briefs, they still have legs and remain very close to the body, unlike traditional briefs , which are much looser. The frequent confusion between these two words comes from the fact that the Anglo-Saxons speak of boxer shorts to designate these famous long briefs.
Boxer briefs first appeared barely a century ago. They were reportedly invented by the Everlast brand, which specialized in boxing equipment. The elastic waistband allows for better leg work during training sessions, hence their name. Their popularity grew in the 1990s, when these underwear became true branding tools, thanks to the waistband that allows for the possibility of inscribing one's name. Available in a wide range of colors and patterns, boxer briefs are now a fashion accessory in their own right, promoted by brands like Pull In. There is also a feminine equivalent: the shorter boy shorts, which are also a piece of lingerie.
