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'''Underwear''', '''underclothing''', or '''undergarments''' are items of [[clothing]] worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled or damaged by [[Human waste|bodily excretions]], to lessen the [[friction]] of [[outerwear]] against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it. In cold weather, [[long underwear]] is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Special types of undergarments have religious significance. Some items of clothing are designed as undergarments, while others, such as [[T-shirt]]s and certain types of shorts, are appropriate both as underwear and outerwear. If made of suitable material or [[textile]], some underwear can serve as [[nightwear]] or [[swimwear]], and some undergarments are intended for [[sexual attraction]] or visual appeal.
Undergarments are generally of two types, those that are worn to cover the torso and those that are worn to cover the waist and legs, although there are also underclothes which cover both. Different styles of underwear are generally worn by females and males. Undergarments commonly worn by females today include [[bra]]s and [[panties]] ([[wikt:knickers|knickers]] in [[British English]]), while males often wear
briefs]], [[thong]]s, [[G-string]]s and [[T-front]]s. == Terminology ==
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[[commons:File:Les Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry février.jpg|Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry]] by [[Limbourg Brothers]], or in the [[commons:File:15th-century unknown painters - Grimani Breviary - The Month of February - WGA15776.jpg|Grimani Breviary: The Month of February]] by [[Gerard Horenbout]].
In 2012, findings in [[Lengberg Castle]], in [[Austria]], showed that [[lace]] and [[linen]] brassiere-like garments, one of which greatly resembled the modern bra, date back to hundreds of years before it was thought to exist.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=Time|access-date=21 July 2012|url=
{{clear left}}
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The invention of the [[spinning jenny]] machines and the [[cotton gin]] in the second half of the 18th century made cotton fabrics widely available. This allowed factories to [[mass production|mass-produce]] underwear, and for the first time, large numbers of people began buying undergarments in stores rather than making them at home.
Women's [[History of corsets#16th and 17th centuries|stays]] of the 18th century were laced behind and drew the shoulders back to form a high, round bosom and erect posture. Colored stays were popular. With the relaxed country styles of the end of the century, stays became shorter and were [[Bone (corsetry)|unboned]] or only lightly boned, and were now called corsets. As tight waists became fashionable in the 1820s, the corset was again boned and laced to form the figure. By the 1860s, a tiny ("[[Wasp waist|wasp]]") waist came to be seen as a symbol of beauty, and the corsets were stiffened with whalebone or steel to accomplish this. While "tight lacing" of corsets was not a common practice except among a minority of women, which sometimes led to a woman needing to retire to the [[fainting room]], the primary use of a corset was to create a smooth line for the garments to effect the fashionable shape of the day, using the optical illusion created by the corset and garments together to achieve the look of a smaller waist.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://foundationsrevealed.com/articles/corset-making/health/562-busting-corset-myths |title=Busting Corset Myths - Foundations Revealed |access-date=23 April 2020 |archive-date=9 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809121125/https://foundationsrevealed.com/articles/corset-making/health/562-busting-corset-myths |url-status=dead }}</ref> By the 1880s, the [[Victorian dress reform|dress reform]] movement was campaigning against the alleged pain and damage to internal organs and bones caused by [[Tightlacing|tight lacing]]. [[Inez Gaches-Sarraute]] invented the "health corset", with a straight-fronted busk made to help support the wearer's muscles.
The corset was usually worn over a thin shirt-like shift of linen or cotton or [[muslin]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Regency nightwear: Shift|url=http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=478&step=4|publisher=[[Jane Austen|The Jane Austen Centre]]|access-date=7 April 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521083811/http://www.janeausten.co.uk/magazine/page.ihtml?pid=478&step=4|archive-date=21 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Skirt]] styles became shorter and long drawers called [[pantalettes]] or [[wikt:pantaloons|pantaloons]] kept the legs covered. Pantalettes originated in France in the early 19th century, and quickly spread to Britain and America. Pantalettes were a form of [[leggings]] or long drawers. They could be one-piece or two separate garments, one for each leg, attached at the waist with buttons or laces. The crotch was left open for hygiene reasons.
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As skirts became fuller from the 1830s, women wore many petticoats to achieve a fashionable bell shape. By the 1850s, stiffened [[crinoline]]s and later [[hoop skirt]]s allowed ever wider skirts to be worn. The [[bustle]], a frame or pad worn over the buttocks to enhance their shape, had been used off and on by women for two centuries, but reached the height of its popularity in the later 1880s, and went out of fashion in the 1890s.
Women dressed in crinolines often wore drawers under them for modesty and warmth.
[[File:Bosom support - DPLA - e1d39635ea4d2599d715b2a966768907 (page 1) (cropped).jpg|thumb|Kidney-like shaped pad, stuffing is man's facial hair covered w/ linen]]
Another common undergarment of the late 19th century for men, women, and children was the [[union suit]]. Invented in [[Utica, New York]] and patented in 1868, this was a one-piece front-buttoning garment usually made of knitted material with sleeves extending to the wrists and legs down to the ankles. It had a buttoned flap (known colloquially as the "access hatch", "drop seat", or "fireman's flap") in the back to ease visits to the toilet. The union suit was the precursor of [[Long underwear|long johns]], a two-piece garment consisting of a long-sleeved top and long pants possibly named after American boxer [[John L. Sullivan]] who wore a similar garment in the ring.<ref name="Independent" />
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=== 1930s and 1940s ===
Modern men's [[underpants]] were largely an invention of the 1930s. On 19 January 1935, [[Coopers Inc.]] sold the world's first [[briefs]] in Chicago. Designed by an "apparel engineer" named Arthur Kneibler, briefs dispensed with leg sections and had a Y-shaped overlapping fly.<ref name="Independent" /> The company dubbed the design the "Jockey" since it offered a degree of support that had previously only been available from the jockstrap. Jockey briefs proved so popular that over 30,000 pairs were sold within three months of their introduction. Coopers, renaming their company Jockey decades later, sent its "Mascul-line" plane to make special deliveries of "masculine support" briefs to retailers across the US. In 1938, when [[wikt:jockeys|jockeys]] were introduced in the UK, they sold at the rate of 3,000 a week, given the moniker [[wikt:Y-fronts|Y-fronts]] there.<ref name="Independent" />
In this decade, companies also began selling buttonless drawers fitted with an elastic waistband. These were the first true [[boxer shorts]], which were named for their resemblance to the shorts worn by [[Boxing|professional fighters]]. Scovil Manufacturing introduced the [[snap fastener]] at this time, which became a popular addition to various kinds of undergarments.
Women of the 1930s brought the corset back, now called the "[[girdle (undergarment)|girdle]]". The garment lacked the whalebone and metal supports and usually came with a brassiere (now usually called a "bra") and attached garters.
{{anchor|String vest}}
In 1933, Henrik Natvig Brun, a commandant in the Norwegian army, invented the first Brynje thermal {{ill|String vest|no|Helsetrøye}}, as Norwegian King’s Guard cold season clothing, in development since [[1921 in science|1921]], repurposing two fishing nets, previously used to catch herring, and made into a shirt for trapping air close to the skin which would provide insulation.<!-- https://www.brynje.no/gb/en/historie https://www.brynje.no/gb/en/helsetroya https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/design-dinosaurs-4-the-string-vest-1395433.html https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/dec/07/fashion.katecarter --> In 1896, under the trade name Aertex, a cellular cloth based on the same principle was patented.<!-- https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/design-dinosaurs-4-the-string-vest-1395433.html --> It was later called a "Fishnet Tank Top", a ''Mesh Marina'',<!-- https://www.dancehallmag.com/2022/12/23/style/10-times-reggae-dancehall-artists-grabbed-attention-in-a-mesh-marina.html --> and a "mesh shirt" and used for ''[[Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt]]'', [[Mattel]] [[Barbie]]{{'}}s ''[[Earring Magic Ken]]'' doll, [[E-kid]]s, [[Andy Capp]],<!-- https://www.dancehallmag.com/2022/12/23/style/10-times-reggae-dancehall-artists-grabbed-attention-in-a-mesh-marina.html --> [[Rab C. Nesbitt]],<!-- https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/dec/07/fashion.katecarter --> [[Jim Royle]],<!-- https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/end-string-vest-17953720 --> [[List of Wallace & Gromit characters#Wallace|Wallace]] in ''[[The Wrong Trousers]]'', [[Madonna]], and [[Kylie Minogue]]{{'}}s ''[[Fever (Kylie Minogue album)|Fever]]'' US cover artwork.<!-- https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/fashion/features/unravelled-the-death-of-the-string-vest-763781.html https://www.gq.com/story/best-mesh-tank-top-for-men https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/string-vest https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2007/dec/07/fashion.katecarter --> English brands include ''Cockney Finestyle'',<!-- https://pawwearstore.com/products/english-style-mens-premium-cotton-mesh-string-vest-fisherman-mesh-marina --> ''Crystal '',<!-- https://www.unitedgarmentsltd.co.uk/product-page/crystal-string-vest --> and ''Pendeen''.<!-- https://www.tradekey.com/product-free/Pendeen-String-Vest-212175.html -->
<blockquote>"In 1955 the [[War Office]] ordered tests to be conducted on the garment. That summer, the [[Ministry of Supply]] ran a "subjective study of string vests under hot/dry conditions" in the (British) [[History of Egypt under the British#Continued influence (1936–1952)|Canal Zone of Egypt]]. For four weeks in July and August, as temperatures rose to 37C, men from the 1st Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment were made to wear three different types of vest underneath their bush jackets. In every case the men reported that string vests kept them cool and reduced "dragging or sticking" between clothes and skin from sweat. However, at the end of the experiment, only two of the men agreed to continue wearing the vest. The report concluded that "seemingly, all vests were to be regarded with suspicion" and that "efficient indoctrination" would be required to encourage men to wear them. Back home no such indoctrination was required. Worn by miners and builders, the string vest, like the [[flat cap]] and [[donkey jacket]], became a garment associated with working class grit."<ref name="the-independent/string-vest">{{cite news |last1=Rushton |first1=Susie |title=Unravelled! The death of the string vest |url=https://www.the-independent.com/life-style/fashion/features/unravelled-the-death-of-the-string-vest-763781.html |access-date=7 November 2024 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=8 December 2007 |language=en}}</ref></blockquote>
During World War II, elastic waistbands and metal snaps gave way once again to button fasteners due to rubber and metal shortages. Undergarments were harder to find as well, since soldiers abroad had priority to obtain them. By the end of the war, Jockey and Hanes remained the industry leaders in the US, but Cluett, Peabody and Company made a name for itself when it introduced a preshrinking process called "[[Sanforization]]", invented by Sanford Cluett in 1933, which came to be licensed by most major manufacturers.
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Women's undergarments began to emphasize the breasts instead of the waist. The decade saw the introduction of the bullet bra pointed bust, inspired by [[Christian Dior]]'s "[[Christian Dior#The New Look|New Look]]", which featured pointed cups. The original [[Wonderbra]] and [[Brassiere designs|push-up bra]] by [[Frederick's of Hollywood]] achieved great popularity. Women's panties became more colorful and decorative and, by the mid-1960s, were available in two abbreviated styles called the hip-hugger and the [[bikini]] (named after the Pacific Ocean [[Bikini Atoll|island]] of that name), frequently in sheer nylon fabric.
[[Pantyhose]], also called ''tights'' in British English, which combined panties and hose into one garment, made their first appearance in 1959,<ref name=Belkin1986>{{cite news|last=Belkin|first=Lisa|author-link=Lisa Belkin |title=Lingerie's Great Leap Forward|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/24/business/lingerie-s-great-leap-forward.html|access-date=17 October 2012|newspaper=The New York Times|date=24 August 1986}}</ref> invented by [[Glen Raven, Inc.|Glen Raven Mills]] of [[North Carolina]]. The company later introduced seamless pantyhose in 1965, spurred by the popularity of the [[miniskirt]]. By the end of the decade, the girdle had fallen out of favor as women chose sexier, lighter and more comfortable alternatives.<ref>{{cite book|author=Daniel Delis Hill|title=As Seen in Vogue: A Century of American Fashion in Advertising [Costume Society of America series]|location=Lubbock|publisher=Texas Tech University Press|year=2005|page=[https://archive.org/details/asseeninvoguecen00dani/page/153 153]|isbn=0-89672-534-0|url=https://archive.org/details/asseeninvoguecen00dani/page/153}}</ref>
With the emergence of the woman's movement in the United States sales for pantyhose dropped off during the later half of the 1960s having soared initially.<ref name=Belkin1986 />
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}}</ref>
Underwear is sometimes partly exposed for fashion reasons or to titillate. A woman may, for instance, allow the top of her brassiere to be visible from under her [[Collar (clothing)|collar]], or wear a see-through [[blouse]] over it. Some men wear T-shirts or A-shirts underneath partly or fully unbuttoned shirts. A common style among young men (2018) is to allow the trousers to sag below the waist, thus revealing the waistband or a greater portion of their underpants. This is commonly referred to (in [[North America]]) as "[[Sagging (fashion)|hang-low style]]". A woman wearing low-rise trousers exposing the upper rear portion of her thong underwear is said to display a "[[whale tail]]".<ref name="Desborough2021">{{cite web |first=Jenny|last=Desborough|url=
===Used underwear===
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|date=22 August 2018
|title=It's Surprisingly Difficult to Sell Your Panties Online
|newspaper=[[Vice (
|access-date=12 November 2018
|url=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/gy39jw/its-surprisingly-difficult-to-sell-your-panties-online}}</ref>
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|- valign=top
|'''[[Thong]]'''<br />[[File:
|
|Has a narrow strip of material along the centre of the garment's rear which sits between the wearer's buttocks and connects the front or pouch to the waistband behind the wearer. Thongs are sometimes worn to reduce "panty lines" when wearing tightly fitting trousers.
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|- valign=top
|'''[[Panties]]'''<br />[[File:Panties-white-2007.jpg|frameless|upright=0.5|Knickers (panties)]]
|
'''UK''': knickers
|These usually have an elastic waistband, a crotch to cover the genital area which is usually lined with absorbent material such as cotton, and a pair of leg openings which are often also elasticized. They either have very short or no leg sections.
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|boxers
'''UK''': trunks
|These have an elasticized waistband that is at or near the wearer's waist, while the leg sections are fairly loose and extend to the mid-thigh. There is usually a fly, either with or without [[Button (clothing)|button]]s
Boxer shorts with colorful patterns, pictures of cartoon characters, sports team logos, and slogans are readily available.
|
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* Woven boxers
|- valign=top
|'''[[Briefs]]'''<br /> [[File: Full Cut Fruit of the Looms Men's Classic Briefs in white.jpg|frameless|upright=0.5]]
|classic briefs
'''UK''': [[wikt:Y-fronts|Y-fronts]]
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Going without lower body undergarments has come to be known by the slang term '''going commando''', as well as sometimes '''free-balling''' or '''free-buffing''' (referencing the [[scrotum]] and the [[Human vulva|vulva]] respectively).<ref name=Donald2008>{{Citation |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Rq2dCwAAQBAJ |page= 94 |access-date=19 October 2012 |title= Sticklers, Sideburns and Bikinis: The military origins of everyday words and phrases |first= Graeme |last= Donald |publisher=[[Osprey Publishing]] |year= 2008 |isbn= 9781846033001 }}</ref>
The origins of the phrase ''go commando'' are uncertain, with some speculating that it may refer to being "out in the open" or "ready for action".<ref>{{cite web |last=Gisesa |first=Nyambega |title=When a little goes a long way to ruin your reputation |url=http://zuqka.com/news/when-a-little-goes-a-long-way-to-ruin-your-reputation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723025157/http://zuqka.com/news/when-a-little-goes-a-long-way-to-ruin-your-reputation/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 July 2013 |access-date=17 September 2013 |work=Zuqka |date=16 April 2012 |publisher=Nation Media Group |location=Nairobi |quote=It's during the Vietnamese war, that the earliest cases of going without underwear were recorded. It meant ... being 'out in the open' or 'ready for action'. }}</ref> The modern usage may be traced in the United States to university students {{Circa|1974}}, where it was perhaps associated with soldiers in the [[Vietnam War]], who were reputed to go without underwear to "increase ventilation and reduce moisture".<ref name="Engber"/> The phrase was in use in the UK before then, referring mainly to women, from the late 1960s.<ref name="Donald2008" /> The connection to the UK and women has been suggested to link to a [[World War II]] euphemism for prostitutes working in London's West End, who were termed "Piccadilly Commandos".<ref>{{cite book | last = Gardiner | first = Juliet | author-link = Juliet Gardiner | title = Wartime: Britain 1939-1945 | publisher = Headline Review | date = 2005 | isbn = 0755310284}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Wagner | first = Paul | title = Rest and Relaxation, WW II Style | publisher = 398th Bomb Group Memorial Association | url = http://www.398th.org/History/Veterans/History/Wagner/Wagner_1945_RandR.html | access-date = 23 December 2014 }}</ref> The term was re-popularized in the US after it appeared in a 1996 episode of ''[[Friends]]'', where [[Joey Tribbiani]] wears everything [[Chandler Bing]] owns in an act of revenge, while also going "commando".<ref>{{cite news |url=
In a 2014 [[open-access poll|open-access internet-based poll]], ''[[60 Minutes]]'' and ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' asked visitors to their websites the question "How often do you 'go commando'?" A quarter of participants said that they did this at least occasionally, while 39% said they never did so, and 35% said that they did not know the meaning of the term.<ref>{{cite magazine|access-date=31 January 2019 |title=60 Minutes Poll: 25 Percent of Americans Don't Wear Underwear Sometimes|url=https://www.vanityfair.com/magazine/2014/04/60-minutes-poll-fashion-clothes|magazine=Vanity Fair|date=April 2014 |quote=To answer the questions yourself, visit the 60 Minutes homepage at CBSNews.com. }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url= https://www.cbsnews.com/news/60-minutes-vanity-fair-fashion/ |title= 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair: Fashion; Who's afraid of Anna Wintour or Tim Gunn? More Americans fear fashion criticism from their mates |date=10 March 2014 |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] }}</ref>
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