You may be among those who previously thought there are no differences between boxers and boxer briefs. You may even think that men used to wear only briefs and that the selection for undergarment designs are more suited for women than men. But times have changed, and men, too, are given the option to choose among several undergarment styles.

You can find an assortment of boxer briefs on the market today, from those with Spiderman prints to more conservative, clean-looking white ones. So why exactly do boxer briefs differ from any other underwear?

From the name boxer briefs, we can infer that this is a fusion of the boxer-type and brief-type underwear. Boxer briefs somehow resemble the cycling shorts worn by athletes or professional players. They cover more area, from the waist down up to the thighs, and feature the snug-fit characteristic of briefs. You can normally see this kind of underwear on mixed-martial artists and wrestlers.

This is the alternative for those individuals who dont like the looseness of boxers but want more skin covered. This is not a new type of underwear, however, since its use has been traced back to as early as 1910. They are descended from the uniforms worn by horseback riders.

Most teenage Americans are showing preference for boxer shorts for their flexibility to be used during athletics as well as in everyday activities. The largely predominant R&B and Hip-hop culture may have an influence on them also, as Hip-hop and R&B artists are known to endorse the freer lifestyles that boxer shorts may connote.

Boxer briefs are also available in their knitted versions. They can also be worn as sleepwear. Since the point in selling underwear has shifted from comfort and durability to sexiness, boxer briefs are not as popular as g-strings. They are, however, the preferred and prescribed undergarments by religious institutions with strict standards, such as the Mormons who follow a strict doctrine that considers underwear as having religious significance.

Normal store prices for boxer briefs range from about $10 $19.