Do men wear Boxers to hide their genitals?

At one time, boxers divided upper class men, young, and old, from the other classes of men. Males had a penis (medical term), cock, dick, piece, package (common terms), until they had junk. A connection? Men wearing briefs displayed their genitals, the tighter, thinner, the stronger the outline. Men, and boys knew that a doctor was going to pull them down, off, up, with, or without their help for the genital exam, hernia check. Before a male physical exam accommodated the reluctance to make them visible. Boxers hide sexual organs: junk. A connection? Peer pressure? Social media? Movies? The Internet? Older brothers? Absent, or present fathers?

Interesting question. The sight of underwear is, however, reserved for private moments (or at the doctor's office, more often in the changing rooms of gyms), but I think there has been the same evolution on beaches with swimsuits. It was sometimes also possible to see if one was circumcised or not.

One hypothesis I haven't verified: has the size of male genitalia decreased over the last few decades? Are men now self-conscious about it?

Another possibility: fashion dictates that everyone should buy the same clothes. Could a teenager wear briefs nowadays without having any comments on this matter? Or worse, malicious assumptions about his sexual orientation? (I remember similar comments 50 years ago regarding an usual color of briefs)

Regarding the evolution of language, I have not observed the same thing in French, the most commonly used word (“bite”) having appeared around 1940. In German as well, the word “Schwanz” (tail) does not have a pejorative connotation.

Not sure if this is quite the question, but certainly in the UK, I understand that the popularity of boxers took off after the Nick Kamen Levis advert of him stripping down to white boxers and white socks in a laundrette. I also read that in the original plan for the advert he was going to be in tightie whites but the advertising regulator vetoed it as too risque.

Certainly as a kid born in the mid 80s I wore briefs when I was young before switching to boxers later on and then boxer briefs in my teens as they took off also.

I altered the name of the topic so that it tells members what it is about.

I cant answer for anyone but myself and as a kid growing up in the 60s white briefs were the only option and they definitely did not hide my genitals once I hit puberty which was kind of embarrassing in the pediatricians office and later in college before gowns became popluar. I did see some guys a little older that had joined the military were wearing boxers at the gym and I bought a few pairs at around 16 or 17, but did not like the way everything was flopping around particularly in the summer time with shorts on so went back to briefs and I don't recall when colored briefs came out but switched to those and then boxer briefs later when they came out I found worked just as well with less restriction.

I don't like boxers because my balls and penis flop down the leg without any support. I prefer regular briefs that give me good support.

I wear both briefs as well as boxers - depends on the mood, the temperature that particular day, etc. Briefs are definitely the best for support. I'm not a fan of boxerbriefs but I know a lot of men are - if I'm putting on boxers that morning I want classic boxer shorts.

Now that it's 2026, I don't believe there's any connotation to sexuality or sexual preference connected to a guy's underwear. Anyway, not in any of the cosmopolitan cities in the USA. In rural areas there may still be prejudices regarding men's underwear styles - I wouldn't be surprised, but really it's very old-fashioned to think that way.

BTW, standard white briefs ("tighty whities") are in the process of making a major comeback. Admittedly this may be because I live in Los Angeles, but standard - even retro - white briefs are considered by a lot of males in various professions as very cool & fun.

@thisismark proof, perhaps, in tightywhities.org the creator of which prefers full size briefs, and, unlike pics of guys in them showing to their packages, rather neutral. He's a country singer, I think.

My father and grandfather always wore boxers and I really think wearing them did the opposite.

When I was young I wore white briefs, even in high school. At one point I bought briefs in a darker color (not as transparent) but I got ribbed changing for PE because most of the guys still wore the white briefs and teased my about my 'sexy' underwear. In college (late 1980s) there was a trend to wear boxers. I bought some because most of the guys walking to and from the showers wore boxers. I lived in a co-ed dorm that alternated male/female rooms so anyone walking to the bathroom was on display.

I could never wear boxer because I felt they were too loose. The fabric provided no support and while walking I would inevitably pop into one of the legs and the rubbing would cause a semi. Later I switched to boxer briefs and have stuck with them - they provide the support I want but do not really hide the bulge.