A timeless classic: The undeniable appeal of ‘tighty-whities’
Queerty as we delve into the enduring appeal of the cotton classic – the snugger the bulge, the closer to heaven. Tighty-whities are snug white underpants for men, i.e.
white briefs, according to Merriam-Webster. Many gay men started wearing them unconsciously, courtesy of Mom, but their first retail encounter with tighty-whities often sparked their gay awakening.
Underwear packaging was the holy grail of seduction. 8 year old me sneaking off to the men’s underwear aisle: pic.twitter.com/272IcEkD4bWhat closeted teenager hasn’t lingered a bit too long in the underwear aisle, savoring every glimpse as if trying to remember enough imagery to last for as many erections as possible?It may surprise you to learn that the jockstrap predated tighty-whities, which didn’t make their debut until 1934, first dubbed “jockey.”An undergarment designer named Arthur Kneibler received a postcard of a friend wearing a short, tight, bikini-style bathing suit in the French Riviera and became inspired.
If that’s not a gay origin story, we don’t know what is.The fit and comfort made the underwear style skyrocket in popularity.
