A guy doesn’t have to strip down to his skivvies before making an impression on passers-by.

He should also consider how his underwear can accentuate the rest of his ensemble. If his boxer fabric has a good pattern, the boxers act as accessories to people who wear their pants low, said Siouhan Ward, a sophomore interior design major.

But sagging pants do not work with briefs.

‘You want tighty-whiteys hanging out?’ asked Christine Shannon, a sophomore illustration major, in disgust.

For men, though, the debate between boxers and briefs extends beyond fashion.

A man’s underwear choice usually results from a personal underwear evolution. Men begin with briefs as a child, then move to boxers and then, for some, the next stop is the skivvies de jour: boxer-briefs. Increasing needs for comfort, changing fashion trends and a desire to have sex appeal have helped to push many along.

‘When I was young I wore tighty-whiteys, then switched for awhile to boxers,’ said Grayson Adler, an undecided sophomore in The College of Arts and Sciences. ‘Then I got hard wedgies as I walked around because I sagged my pants a lot. Now I’m most comfortable in a pair of soft, Polo boxer briefs that aren’t too tight around the genitals.’

To the surprise of most men, both boxers and briefs have medical benefits and drawbacks.

Briefs lose points in the debate when one considers the mechanisms of the male anatomy. The male scrotum acts as an elevator, lifting the testicles away from the body’s perineum-the area between the thighs before the anus – whenever they become too warm, said Joseph Fanelli, professor of human sexuality. If the testicles are not kept at a lower temperature than the body, then sperm cannot be produced and mature properly.

‘So if a guy is working out-getting hot-the scrotum sags and pulls the testicles away from the perineum,’ Fanelli said. ‘If he gets cold, the scrotum tightens and pulls them closer to the perineum.’

If a man who wears brief underwear experiences fertility problems, then his physician may recommend that he wear boxer shorts to allow more cool air to circulate, and allow the scrotum its full range of motion, said Fanelli, who wears briefs.

Without the support of briefs, boxer-wearing men may eventually complain of discomfort in their genital area from stretching or jostling. Some men also bruise their testicles because they are not fully supported, especially after playing sports, said James Jacobs, physician and director of SU health services. But this condition, Jacobs said, is temporary and rare.

Some young men may develop epididymitis, an inflammation or infection of the epididymis-a convoluted duct that lies on the posterior surface of the testicle-usually caused by a sexually transmitted pathogen, and, in such cases, their doctors may also recommend that they switch to briefs, Jacobs said.

‘Medically, you don’t want to have really tight boxer-briefs of briefs,’ Adler said. ‘But with boxers, I get annoyed cause I’m just flopping around.’

Fanelli compared the sports-induced pain experienced by some men to what women may experience in their chests when they do not wear the proper bra while exercising.

All of these issues may cause problems when trying to get an erection, said Brett Julian, a boxer-wearing sophomore speech psychology major who once tried briefs but found them too restricting.

Most men, however, do not realize many of the health concerns of boxers and briefs and instead consider their underwear choice in terms of freedom of motion and style. Briefs clearly are the loser, say many SU men, but boxers also seem to be losing popularity.

‘Why should you wear shorts under shorts?’ said Sherlen Archibald, a junior psychology major.

Boxer-briefs, a current favorite of many, provide comfort and support, without acting as a form of birth-control, said Adam Gerode, a junior music industry major.

‘If you’re going wear boxers, you might as well go commando, ’cause then it gets all jangled,’ Gerode said.

Comfort may not always be a man’s first priority. Many SU men consider who else may be seeing their selection-knowing that special someone may have a certain preference.

‘Boxer briefs are hot,’ said Allison Cozzi, a fifth-year design major.

Her boyfriend, Alex Ruiz, a senior political science major, said that he, however, believes boxer shorts are less restrictive. But after pressure from his girlfriend, who explained her belief that boxers appear childish, Ruiz gave in.

‘Whatever you say,’ he said to Cozzi.

Despite the general belief that briefs belong on either 5-year-olds or senior citizens, the little white hot-pants still have a few fans on campus. But not all men can pull them off, said Casey Gray, an undecided sophomore in The College of Arts and Sciences.

‘If a guy has nice legs, (briefs) are good,’ Gray said.

Even sales of boxers and briefs illustrate a tug-of-war among consumers. Boxers and briefs each compose about 40 percent of all underwear purchases at the Fayetteville Target, with boxer-briefs accounting for the remaining 20 percent, said Christos Christo, manager of the store’s men’s department. Mostly young men buy boxers, Christo said, probably because they find them most comfortable.

‘It’s an age-old question,’ said Christo, who could not declare a definitive winner in the battle.

For most men, though, as long as they’re covered, everybody wins.

‘I’m kind of dirty, so I borrow my friend’s boxers,’ Adler said. ‘I need to go Kmart and buy a shitload of dirt cheap boxers. I go through them so fast.’

Published on September 27, 2004 at 12:00 pm