Men and underwear: when do you change it?
Jeannie Mai, the host of a popular US talk show recently opened a can of worms when she exposed her husband on live television for his refusal to part with his old underwear that had reached their sell by date, even though he had a massive collection of new underwear.
Mai alongside four other women - Tamera Mowry, Tamar Braxton, Loni Love and Adrienne Bailon are hosts of The Real talk show. The Real airs weekdays at 1800hrs on BET (DStv). The conversation soon turned to the famous question, what is the lifespan of the opposite sex underwear, if there is any.
And at what point do men go shopping for new underwear? Inspired by this chat, Style asked around and talked to the male species to find out whether men are as passionate about underwear as women are, and at what point do they decide that their tattered underwear is no longer wearable. Think about this scenario: when was the last time you walked into any clothing store and found a man buying underwear? In the majority of cases when a man has been found making such a purchase, a woman has been with him, prodding him to get another set of underwear in order to give a breather to his old pair that is reaching breaking point.
Well you may also wonder, so what if someone prefers to hang onto his underwear for a long time. Truth of the matter is that while some women take special care to ensure that they update their lingerie collection as much as they can, men too should adopt the same rule if they wish to keep things in the bedroom interesting. It is just unacceptable for someone to wear the same undergarment without making any attempt to spice things up.
Leading international brands in male underwear such as Calvin Klein, Emporio Armani, Diesel and Jockey made famous by celebrities such as Christian Ronaldo, David Beckham and Rafael Nadal have given men a wide variety of what to buy, moving them away from the same tired designs that are past their dates. But before we get into what the local men think about their briefs, and boxers, a recent article that appeared in the http://www.dailymail.co.uk has shockingly revealed that the average man holds onto his beloved ‘smalls for a staggering seven years.’ The article says that a survey that was conducted concluded that 22 percent of men admit that they don’t change their underpants every day.
“A further seven percent confess they often wear the same pair for three days or more,” says the article. A spokesperson for Littlewoods.com, who commissioned this survey, had this to say ‘Over half of women are so fed up with their partner’s underwear care they’ve made it their responsibility to look after that department.’
Coming back home, Mai is not the only woman who is sick and tired about this issue that seems to even affect even metro-sexual men. A snap survey that was posted on social media and face-to-face has found that the average lifespan for a brother’s underwear differs from individual to individual. Most men divulged that the garment is ‘good enough’ for as long as it has not discoloured, does not have holes and the elastic band is still holding on. “Until the boxers no longer hug me,” says one commentator.
“It does not have a lifespan. I will wear it until it can no longer take it anymore, and it is tired,” says another.
The honest ones say it remains durable for a period of three to six months. “For as long as the elasticity is intact, and there are no holes or the colour has faded,” says one man. To avoid any stress, other men prefer to keep at least three to five pairs in order to have variety and option. According to one man, the lifespan depend on the quantity.
For instance if one has stocked one’s drawers with four brands that come in a set of three, it means that one has 12. “These can last up to two years. On average one-underwear is used every two weeks,” he says.
According to Mothusi Lesolle, the face behind Izaura, the drawers of some men are usually stocked by their women. He says that in some occasions, one can walk into the bathroom of even men who are considered metrosexuals only to find tired underwear. “They don’t take underwear seriously,” he notes.
He also says that when it comes to the lifespan, with the many choices and options that men have regarding fabrics and various brands on offer, it now means that men can keep their underwear for longer, provided they have a dozen in their collection.
“It also depends on the individual if he reckons that his underwear is tired and discoloured,” he notes. He cautions men to always be cautious of the state of one’s underwear because one could drop and faint and require medical assistance that will require stripping one naked! But Lesolle worries greatly about some men who clearly don’t know the difference between underwear and short pants. In some instances, he says that there are men who will wash the car in their boxer shorts. He says another shocking trend is men who wear more than one pair of underwear, for example, the boxer shorts, brief and another set of shorts. “That is just wrong,” he says. He advises men that there are so many options to choose from today not just with the normal designs but with fetish ranges (that he says are not a reflection of one’s sexuality). He also cautions his fellow brothers to remember that their choice of underwear and not investing in one might be the deal breaker when it comes to the bedroom.
