By Bruce Horovitz, USA TODAY
Folks can’t seem to get enough of jocks in their skivvies.
The advertising tradition that first raised eyebrows three decades ago when Hall of Fame pitcher Jim Palmer bared some flesh in his Jockey briefs, is evolving into something closer to a bona fide free-for-all.
Basketball hunk Dwight Howard is now showing up in Adidas ads for its new line of performance underwear. A few months ago, quarterback Cam Newton appeared in his Under Armour briefs on a Times Square billboard. Earlier this year, soccer star David Beckham not only rolled out his own line of underwear for H&M, but flaunted it in a revealing Super Bowl spot. And quarterback Tim Tebow, of course, is now Jockey’s go-to spokesjock.
But the target of these ads isn’t just guys, it’s gals, too. Women make more than 40% of male underwear purchases, says industry giant Jockey. “The woman is the gatekeeper when it comes to all things underwear,” says New York ad consultant Allison Cohen.
But men’s underwear sales have taken a hit since the recession, falling to $3.2 billion last year from a high of $3.7 billion in 2007. The question is, will putting jocks in Jockeys help boost sales of briefs?
Among the well-buffed spokesjocks:
•Dwight Howard. Wearing nothing but $20 briefs, the Orlando Magic star appears in new promos for the Adidas Flex 360 men’s performance underwear. “It’s cool to be featured in a marketing campaign in nothing but your undies,” Howard says. Most athletes wouldn’t be comfortable in underwear ads, says Chris Grancio, head of global basketball sports marketing for Adidas. “But Dwight is an extrovert who loves to be in front of the camera — even in his underwear.”
•Cam Newton. In April, Newton wore nothing but boxers in an eye-catching digital billboard at New York’s Times Square that said, “Cam Newton doesn’t wear underwear.” That ad evolved into the next billboard that read, “He wears the Under Armour Boxerjock.” The collection, which sells for $20 to $30, is among the first Under Armour products sold at Macy’s.
•David Beckham. The David Beckham Bodywear line for H&M was launched in February with a racy Super Bowl spot featuring the soccer star in all shades of undress. “Our customers see David is one of the best-dressed men in the world,” says H&M spokeswoman Marybeth Schmitt.
The partnership is for two years, she says, noting that a new Beckham campaign will launch in the fall.
•Tim Tebow. For Jockey, signing Tim Tebow back in 2010 has been like the second coming — of sales.
Over the past year, the star quarterback has primarily been used to promote Jockey’s new, premium Staycool line of T-shirts and briefs. For the Jockey brand, which has been around since 1876, “This is by far the biggest and most successful launch in Jockey’s history,” says Dustin Cohn, chief marketing officer.
As far as just creating buzz, says Cohn, the number of Jockey’s Facebook fans and Twitter followers has quadrupled since signing Tebow.
•Michael Jordan. Jordan has appeared in about 30 Hanes underwear ads over the past two decades — but never in boxers. He does, however, don undershirts.
In new ads, Jordan helps Hanes get rid of annoying underwear tags. “Extensive consumer testing has shown that Mr. Jordan’s presence in Hanes advertising contributes to sales growth for the brand,” says David Robertson, director marketing, Hanes brand.
•Rafael Nadal. The tennis champ appeared in sexy Emporio Armani underwear ads in 2011, and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo appeared in 2010. Armani won’t say why, but it has recently nixed the use of spokesjocks in its underwear ads in favor of models.
NEW YORK — Some things are fashion, and some are necessity. Where do men’s undergarments fall? Increasingly, right in the middle.
There’s a guaranteed market that needs to replenish supplies no matter what the economy is doing. But innovation in style and technology has made boxers, briefs and undershirts that were once an afterthought into a buzz-worthy category of men’s clothes. So much so that H&M is debuting ads for its new undergarment collection by David Beckham during the Super Bowl on Sunday, and Jockey wasted no time signing football star Tim Tebow as its new spokesman.
It makes sense as a growth category, says Marshal Cohen, chief industry analyst with market research firm The NPD Group, but it took the right conditions to get on the fashion industry’s radar: streamlined design, comfortable stretch fabrics, the idea that dressing starts at the base layer and that shabby-chic doesn’t cut it anymore.
Men, in general, aren’t as interested in fleeting trends, he adds. They are, however, willing to buy an “evolved” product if they need to replace an old one. And, Cohen says, as has happened with smartphones or athletic apparel, sometimes men will trade up if they think there’s genuine newness.
It’s a purchase men are likely to make for themselves, although creating products that appeal to women — either on a business level or a more personal one — is a factor, and that’s why you’ll see models such as sports figures as top ambassadors, he says.
“Undergarments are relatively inexpensive so everyone can participate,” Cohen says. “It’s something that’s easy for a woman to buy for a guy, something for the guy to buy for himself, there’s need. It hits a large swath of demographics.”
The total men’s underwear and undershirt market for 2011 was up more than 7 percent over the previous year, totaling almost $3.3 billion, NPD numbers show
..DETROIT (AP) — A Nigerian man pleaded guilty Wednesday to trying to blow up an international flight for al-Qaida with a bomb in his underwear, taking a U.S. federal court by surprise on the second day of his trial.
Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab answered questions from U.S. District Judge Nancy Edmunds before pleading guilty to all eight charges he faced, including conspiracy to commit terrorism and attempted murder.
“Are you therefore pleading guilty freely and voluntarily?” Edmunds asked.
“That’s right, yes,” Abdulmutallab replied.
Edmunds reviewed the charges and possible penalties with Abdulmutallab before he entered his pleas, including that he faces a sentence of up to life in prison.
He’s accused of trying to blow up Northwest Airlines Flight 253 with a bomb in his underwear on Christmas 2009. The bomb didn’t work, and passengers jumped on Abdulmutallab when they saw smoke and fire.
Prosecutors’ evidence was stacked high. Abdulmutallab was badly burned in a plane full of witnesses. The government said he told FBI agents he was working for al-Qaida and directed by Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical, American-born Muslim cleric recently killed by the U.S. in Yemen.
There are also photos of his scorched shorts as well as video of Abdulmutallab explaining his suicide mission before departing for the U.S.
..
POLK COUNTY, FL (NBC) – Life for inmates in the Polk County jail is about to become, shall we say, more uncomfortable.
The county will no longer provide free underwear to male inmates.
“If you and I need to buy some underwear, we go to the store and buy them. So if folks we book into the county jail, the men, would like underwear, we will sell them to them on a commissary,” said Sheriff Grady Judd. “This is the county jail. It is not a welfare program.”
The county started buying the underwear years ago as a way to cut down on labor intensive searches.
“Because they will sew marijuana into them. They’ll sew weapons into them, they’ll sew lighters into them, so they went from allowing people to bring underwear into the facility to selling them underwear,” Judd said.
The sheriff says the move will save the county about $45,000 a year.
“Why shouldn’t they pay like the rest of us pay? We pay to maintain the county jail to keep them there. Certainly they can pay their way as much as they can afford,” he said.
The county jail will offer one brand and in one color white.
But what if inmates choose not to buy the underwear?
“The wind blows up one pants leg and down the other. It is their choice,” he said. “There is no state law, there is no federal law that says we have to provide underwear in the county jail so they’ll just be free spirits.”
The cost of the underwear varies. If inmates prefer boxers, they’re $4.48 a pair. If they’d rather wear briefs, they’re $2.54 a pair.
Female inmates will still be offered free underwear due to health concerns.
Copyright 2011 WFLA/NBC. All rights reserved.
Heres what I came across today, an ad for heavenly mens underwear. Heaven sent, its a work of art no less. This is what the ad reads and so naturally I have to check it out. Not only are they ugly as sin, they are made of 93% Nylon and the rest spandex. Just incase you dont know, all Nylon today is made from recycled plastic. 100% of the yarn is plastic. If you like plastic underwear it is cheaper to buy ziploc bags that you can cut holes out for your legs. They are $15.00 after the $5.00 discount, that is no deal. 
 Kyle Rover/Startraks
As if Twilight fans needed another reason to get giddy about Robert Pattinson, Guardian reports that British retailer Marks and Spencer has announced that they are creating a men’s underwear line inspired by the sexy star. Aptly called the R-Pant, the vampire-inspired slim-fit underwear collection of low-rise briefs and trunks is meant to be worn under skinny jeans like those sported by Katy Perry‘s funny man Russell Brand and, of course, Pattinson himself. And while the 24-year-old Twilight hottie will not be appearing in an ad campaign for the retailer (nor is he apparently endorsing the line), the Guardian reports that the actor has been spotted shopping for underwear at the store. With fellow vampire Kellan Lutz fronting Calvin Klein underwear, we’re wondering just how much the R-Pant collection will be able to sex up Marks and Spencer’s underwear department. Looks like we’ll have to wait until September, when the new range goes on sale, to see! –Jessie Goldberg - taken from style news, people style watch.
Anyone who would like to read an in depth review of mens underwear should check out the mens underwear guy . He is by far the most detailed reviewer I have come across. His articles are very indepth on many different aspects of grading. Just by reading one of his reviews gives you a sense of knowledge about what you should expect from your underwear.
Everyone, at some point in their lives, will experience the unfortunate incident known as “Tag Tearing”. If you haven’t yet, you are lucky. What I’m referring to is the care instructions tag sown on every garment ever made. It’s there to instruct you on how to care for it when cleaning it, and also legally, to inform you where it was made and what it contains. Of course there is nothing wrong with removing it, I do it all the time, but how you remove it is what this is all about. I use to grab hold of the tag, and with considerable force tear it like a sheet of paper. Until one day I bought a shirt online at a mens underwear store. It was mesh style knit, like a sport jersey and made of cotton, an otherwise strong looking shirt. I went to tear the tag off and to my horror….I tore the collar from the shirt. I was shocked, for a second I was paralyzed. Then came anger and shouting. Later after I calmed down I realized it wasn’t the shirts fault, I failed to notice it was stitched on pretty good and trying to tear it off would rip the collar off the shirt well before the tag ripped of the collar. I just learned the hard way that you don’t tear off the label. The other day my brother did this to a pair of underwear I had just gave him to try. I realized that this is really an unknown problem and should try to inform others before they tear apart their garment. So I found an article online about removing the tag and am cut-n-pasting it here.
Examine the label. Is it sewn on separately? Is the same seam holding the garment together, as well? Is the label made of fabric or is it made of something papery?
Cut any hang-tags on a new garment with scissors. Do not yank or pull to remove them, since you could tear or stretch out the garment, or leave a hole that could grow with time. Also look carefully and remove any stickers, pins, stiffeners, and other packaging.
Cut the tag out. If the problem is that the tag dangles out and shows, simply cut the tag out with scissors, being careful not to break any loops of thread. This is also your best bet if the label shares a seam that is holding fabric together. The down side to this method is that you may leave small corners of the tag that will continue to itch, depending on the label material.
Use a seam ripper to remove the label. Carefully use the seam ripper to cut each loop of thread holding the label. Try to avoid damaging the surrounding fabric or any seams that matter to the garment.
Use tweezers to extract any stray bits of thread remaining once the label is removed
“your mission should you choose to accept it,” no its not mission impossible, it Mens Intimate’s mission. Our Mission to educate men, and women who love their men, on how to pick out quality underwear thats going to fit right and feel right. This doesn’t have to be impossible, we made it easy by only offering styles we know are going to deliver that fit. No need to weed through hundreds of choices looking for it. Get the highest quality Mens Underwear now.
I use to pick out underwear solely by the look, but what was I looking at? how nice they look on the model wearing them? yes and many guys probably do. Its only after trial and error of buying ill fitting underwear did I realize what to be looking for. First shop at sites with good up-close images. You want to see the underwear like you were holding it. Look at the outseam/inseam length, too short they may be constricting, too long they may bunch up when you move. Look at the seams around the crotch, to many of them, or really thick and you might end up feeling it at the top inside part of your thigh or worse around your entire scrotum. Look at the shape of the crotch, to narrow of a pouch and you find yourself shifting your junk all around to keep it in there. Look to see how easily it stretches, if it looks tight chances are its gonna be snug and you may or may not want your package pulled that taut against you. Lastly look at the waistband, the narrower the elastic, the less aware I am of it around my waist. But you might prefer the firmer feel of a wider elastic. Some are covered in the same material as the underwear so you dont feel it at all. Now take a look here www.Mensintimates.com
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