BOXERS OR BRIEFS

A transition most men make is the move from the seemingly universal childhood white brief underwear to more adult types of undergarments. Back in the day men had limited options: continuing to wear white briefs, or making the switch to white boxers, or just forgoing things altogether and going Commando.

(Perhaps somebody can enlighten me on how it developed that name. To my knowledge Commandos don't necessarily go Commando. And if they do, why?)

The purpose of underwear, as far as I can tell, is to provide a layer of clothing between one's private parts and the outer clothing _ probably to extend the life and cleanliness of that outer layer. 

(My assumption being that human genitalia excrete bodily fluids, sometimes without permission, and underwear takes the hit should anything untoward come out.)

Anyway. Today's men and boys have a lot more options than they did when I was growing up. Colors, fit, style. There's even a Boxer Brief variant which is perhaps now the most popular style.

I think I was on college when I made a fairly abrupt change into wearing more decorative colors versus white briefs. Briefs cup your penis and testicles, holding them closer to the body and enhancing a tell-tale bulge. I was still sporting white briefs in my Freshman year, when a girl I was dating decided to put the kibosh on them, encouraging me to buy a pair of sheer briefs which had little support, but they were a light orange she said looked good on me. Being a horny 19 year old, I was more than happy to wear them.

(I'd lost my virginity a few years earlier, but High School girls didn't seem to be as occupied with the color of your briefs. Or, at least, never mentioned it. One girl I had sex with - not a girlfriend, just a lifeguard at a local pool I'd fooled around with - never saw me in briefs, only in, and out of, a pair of dark blue Speedos. Yeah, I wore Speedos.)

After breaking up with that particular girl, I went back to non-see-through briefs, but preferred the colors instead of pure white - perhaps that's because that first girl made it clear she thought white briefs were for boys, not men. During my college career I pretty much kept to that or Commando, which I thought was daring and sexy, even though I was often the only person who knew I wasn't wearing anything.

(And, yes, for a short time one girl convinced me mesh was the way to go. I'm not proud, but it did provide for a fair amount of entertainment. They were uncomfortable as Hell, particularly when sitting down. The welts on my ass after a movie and drive back to the apartment weren't all that exciting, not to mention looking like some sort of exotic rash, and they were downright embarrassing if you were caught wearing them by anyone other than your sex partner. Like a roommate... but I digress...)

It wasn't until much later, in my forties, that I fully transitioned to boxers. it was as a result of a hernia repair, and the briefs put too much pressure on the incision for comfort. I picked up a pack of boxers at Costco and have never looked back.

As I've gotten older the comfort of boxers or boxer-briefs has become my norm, with boxers being the most common. The comfort and freedom they offer, particularly given my history of having my testicles in a bind - literally and figuratively. Boxers allow Little Rambler and the boys to move naturally as I move, which, after getting used to it, was a more comfortable experience than the briefs.

(I'd tried boxers a few times over th years, but at those ages I liked the cupping of briefs. Boxer-briefs, I thought, cupped nicely but were too hot, particularly during the Summer months.)

Times change, and so do we. Boxers are now my go-to, offering my equipment a lot more freedom, which is definitely a necessary component of my post-surgical years. My left testicle in particular is sensitive to too much constant pressure, which is ironic given that post-this last surgery it's pulled closer to my abdomen. I think it's a result of scar tissue shortening whatever the constructs are that determine your testicular "hangage." My left nut hung much freer prior to last year's surgery, and post-op it was pulled somewhat painfully right up next to my groin. It's relaxed a bit but still hangs about half as low as it used to.

(It took the majority of abuse in last year's surgery to remove my vas deferens, and is probably a little shy about wandering too far from my body. It just needs some time and encouragement, I think.)

So, for now, it's boxers or, as Brooke Shields once suggestively said in her old Calvin Klein commercials, nothing at all. Well. Pants. But nothing underneath. It's not very common, but every once in a while the spirit takes me.

I wonder if I can add Commando to my resume...

"Yeah, that'll work."