The age-old debate, boxers or of briefs, pervades curious minds everywhere. Both types of men's underwear have their supporters for different reasons.
An informal poll of a dozen Hopkins males found that roughly half wore boxers exclusively, one admitted to wearing both (but made it clear that he only wore briefs for sports and other more vigorous activities) and the rest wore boxer-briefs.
They almost all felt that boxers provide much more comfort than briefs, and that boxers are considerably less embarrassing to be caught wearing.
There is a stigma attached to briefs, and for that reason many guys shy away to maintain their reputations.
Yet briefs are still on shelves in stores everywhere and seem to sell just as well as boxers, so some men must be wearing the briefs--just not college-aged guys.
Males of younger generations are averse to wearing briefs for a variety of personal reasons. "If I were just wearing underwear in public, I feel like people would respect me more if I was wearing boxers instead of briefs," says sophomore Anthony Booker.
He feels that wearing briefs is acceptable for males "under the age of seven, and over the age of fifty-five. Wait--no, any age when you shouldn't be having sex."
An obvious aspect of the stigma surrounding briefs is that many men assume that women are turned off by briefs, but this belief is at least partially misinformed.
Female Hopkins students agree that, though briefs may be "kind of nerdy," it's not an absolute deal breaker if the objects of their affections are sporting a pair of briefs or tighty whiteys.
Overall, the not-so-sexy stereotype attached to briefs seems to come mostly from the guys' perspectives, specifically from the teenage and young adult population. But briefs have an appeal for some men, particularly for the slightly older generations. Many men are shown wearing briefs in movies and televisions shows, and these men look perfectly acceptable or, yes, even sexy -- think Aidan in Sex and the City or Tom Cruise in the classic Risky Business scene.
Perhaps because they are slightly swayed by their elders, some young men opt for the less extreme version of briefs--the boxer-brief. This style of underwear provides men with a choice that gives them the best of both boxers and briefs without the stigma attached to the latter.
"Boxer-briefs are less constricting than briefs, but they still provide support," says sophomore Ben Wilson.
Other guys choose to wear boxer-briefs in certain situations, such as playing sports. "In basketball, there's a lot of jumping and support is necessary," says sophomore Kevin Hassall.
Perhaps the boxer-brief is indeed a happy medium, or maybe it's just another fleeting trend.
Either way, it caters to the needs of the male population because it provides the benefits of both genres without being too extreme.
And it looks good, which is an aspect that makes the ladies appreciate the boxer-brief just as much as their male counterparts seeking a perfect balance between style and comfort.
