BOXERS OR BRIEFS {or boxer briefs}??

In my opinion, there's a time and a place for all 3. Here are some quick pros and cons of each one for your reading pleasure. Scroll past all these if you're looking for more of a narrative report (for some reason)

PROS OF BOXERS:

• Excellent “ventilation” if paired with the right shorts
• Feels like you’re wearing nothing if you’re into that
• If you’re more of a grower (lol), they’re not too revealing
• Allows gravity to do its work
• Usually has an available fly if that matters
• Great if you suffer from restless leg syndrome

CONS OF BOXERS:

• Can allow in cold wintery drafts
• Often bunch up and cause problems with tighter pants/shorts
• Can be very revealing if you’re more of a show-er
• Decent possibility of indecent exposure if worn with short shorts (that’s a crime buddy 👮)
• No support (physical or emotional)

PROS OF BOXER BRIEFS:

• They bridge cultural divides and promote global unity
• Lowest possibility of indecent exposure (legally based)
• Often provide excellent support (mainly physical)
• Look pretty cool
• Might be visible when worn under short shorts (some people like that)
• Rarely bunch up like boxers do

CONS OF BOXER BRIEFS:

• Might be visible when worn under short shorts (some people don't like that)
• Not as well ventilated as boxers
• May feel restrictive or rough around the legs if you have sensory problems
• Many boxer briefs don’t have a fly these days (but BoyCore ones do ofc)

PROS OF BRIEFS:

• Will not be visible with short shorts
• Usually the most supportive/restrictive if that matters to you
• Typically has a fly hole thing
• Least likely to bunch up
• Some people really love how they look
• Less bothersome to your legs than boxer briefs but still supportive
• Super underrated imo

CONS OF BRIEFS:

• If the size isn't right they can be uncomfortably tight on your thigh
• Can cause some indecent exposure problems with short shorts especially if you don’t shave (just presenting the facts)
• Lowkey pretty revealing when worn on their own (if you care about that)
• Haters

Boxers: Boxers play it fast and loose and sometimes they feel like you’re not wearing any underwear. If you like to live life on the edge and be as close to "commando" as possible without actually being such an animal, then boxers are perfect for you. Of course, that means they have no support if that’s something you care about.

Depending on the kind of pants/shorts you wear they can be a good way to get some much needed fresh air during stifling summer days, but they can introduce some cold drafts in the winter if ya know what I mean. If you wear a lot of tighter pants you’ll often find they bunch up and can feel pretty awful crowding the valuable real estate between your skin and cold hard denim.

If stray boner anxiety (just being real here) is something that concerns you then don’t even bother with boxers bc you’ll be stressed all day. If that doesn’t concern you and you don’t mind the lack of support, then they’re great for people who don’t like the sensory experience of having something squeezing their legs 24/7. I personally wear them to sleep because I get restless leg syndrome and boxers help mitigate it.

One problem that not many people talk about though: if you wear boxers with shorts (especially short ones) you may be at risk of indecent exposure when you sit down. Just a fair warning.

 

Boxer briefs: They’re literally the best of both worlds in terms of form and function. Some people don’t really like how briefs look (and those people are haters) so the boxer brief is a great middle ground if you need the extra support they provide. Long boxer briefs are typically called "compression shorts" (even when that isn't accurate) and short boxer briefs are typically called "trunks". Since boxer briefs are the most popular variety they also have the widest selection. You can find everything from plain black to vibrant colors and cute patterns (ref boycoreshop.com). They're also sold in a variety of different “pouch” designs which some people like, but frankly the support of stretchy fabric is more than enough.

 

Briefs: Briefs are super underrated. I usually wear briefs if I have on really short shorts, or sometimes when I’m swimming, or sometimes when I just don’t need the extra fabric of boxer briefs rubbing on my legs. If you're a staunch boxer brief person and you haven’t tried briefs, you definitely should because it is surprising how different it feels not having that extra fabric on your legs. Briefs tend to provide the more "support" than boxer briefs because they have tight elastic near the crotch area. If you like to have a plan and stick to it, briefs will probably appeal to you. For some reason, briefs get a lot of hate, but in reality most people don’t care that much and some find them really attractive.

Of course some notable issues: if you don’t like the boys to be bound up so to speak you won’t really like briefs. But if that's the case you probably didn't even get past the boxers section.