Ok, the subject of men’s underwear is not really that interesting. What’s really interesting though, is how many people on the Internet want to know something about men’s underwear. Variations of men’s undergarments are searched even more frequently than women’s underwear. – Considering that women buy the vast majority of clothing in the US, that’s a surprise. What is with this fascination of men’s underwear anyway? By all intensive purposes, it should be a very boring and dull subject. – Right? That’s because the most popular underwear worn by men is basic boxer shorts or those plain white briefs you find at nearly every discount store called “tighty-whities”.
In the last decade or so, the men’s underwear departments in retail stores have blossomed from drab white to a plethora of color. Even sexy men’s thongs and colorful men’s micro bikini briefs are merchandised front and center in mainstream retail. Sexy men’s underwear fashions are getting even more popular in Europe (where people are generally in better shape and have less hang-ups about their body image). Male bikini underwear has been a standard in regions of South America for many years.
The reason for the heavy Internet traffic on this subject is not clear. Maybe some of the otherwise mass-market male consumers are getting board with standard utilitarian undergarments offered to men. Historically, there has been a much broader range of under garments offered to women over the years while comparatively, so few choices have been offered to men. Reportedly, specialty undergarments for both men and women are among one of the fastest growing segment of the apparel industry. While the market for men’s sheer underwear is probably much smaller than for women’s, there are frequent searches conducted every day for variations of men’s see through underwear. Perhaps the wives and significant others are also getting bored with what they see on their partner at bedtime?
There are over 90,000 pages on the Internet mentioning men’s lingerie. The Internet has allowed specialty online retailers to prosper without having to build up expensive mass-market distribution for their goods. Some are saying that there is a new kind of consumer on the horizon dubbed as the “metrosexual male”. – These are men who are active consumers of fashion and personal care products that enhance visual appearance.
The last couple hundered years have been rough on the male species. From frequent wars and the resulting toil of the rapid progression of industrialization, men became the workhorse while women (the lucky ones anyway) became the sole beneficiaries of pampering and indulgence. As society steams forward from the technology age to the information age, men are finding time to participate in the vanity of life.
A lot of younger men nowadays are spending more effort to look their best. From hair products and teeth whitening, to cosmetics and hair-loss treatment, men are getting into the “fashion” game. No-doubt, due to the help of savvy vanity product manufactures who gleam for new market frontiers to concur. Vying for space at the shopping districts and cosmetic counters now are manufacturers of effeminate men’s products. For the men’s fashion world, a vicious circle has begun. – As it did for women many decades ago.
The problem for most men is that the situation can’t be ignored. For instance, if everyone around you gets a makeover, you don’t look so attractive anymore. So off we go to spruce up our look just to keep pace. Specialty retailers seem to be anticipating a kind of a renaissance movement in the men’s fashion world. The surge of interest in men’s underwear may be a barometer of things to come. So next time you feel compelled to buy those men’s stretch jeans, you might be coaxed into buying a men’s micro thong to keep your physic in best form.