Briefs

Briefs have various different styles, usually with a waistband attached to fabric that runs along the pelvis to the crotch and buttocks, and are worn by both men and women.

[1][2] Men's classic briefs were first sold on January 19, 1935, by Coopers, Inc. (now known as Jockey International), in Chicago, Illinois, at Marshall Field's department store.

[3] The designer of the new style was reportedly inspired by a postcard he had received from a friend visiting the French Riviera depicting a man in a very short, form-fitting bathing suit.

[1] In 1990 Tom Zucco of the Tampa Bay Times interviewed menswear sellers: one worker stated that about 50% of the underpants sold were white briefs.

[6] During the 1990s to early 2000s, the popularity of men's briefs declined in the U.S. and boxer shorts became widely portrayed as the casual and masculine choice.

In Australia, male briefs are referred to as "jocks" but should not be confused with jockstraps (more specifically used by athletes) which expose the buttocks.

Briefs without a fly-opening are often referred to as "slips" or "slip-briefs", a term that also sees use in non-English speaking European countries.

"Briefs" also refers to a style of women's and girls' panties that is typically cut with a high waist to provide full coverage of the hips and buttocks.

Briefs is also the name given to costumed outerwear worn by female dancers and athletes in sports such as cheerleading, figure skating, and tennis.

A study in the October 1998 Journal of Urology, for example, concluded that underpant type is unlikely to have a significant effect on male fertility.