Undergarments are also called underwear and lingerie. These garments are worn under the clothes, next to the skin. The reasons for wearing undergarments can vary like warmth, comfort, and sanitation. One wears underwear also for erotic display. Many people may not be aware of the fact that an undergarment also has religious implications. For example, Mormons must wear special underwear each and every day.

Men's underwear

Men's underwear are of two types. The first type is boxer shorts, which are short in length and have a loose fit. The second type are called briefs, which have a tight fit and are smaller in size. The British often call briefs as Y-fronts.

Women's lingerie

Women's undergarments are usually called lingerie. This term is derived from the French language. In the medieval period women used to wear tight fitting clothing known as a chemise and they used to often pair it with braies-like leg wrappings.

Modern day undergarments

It was in the 1980's that undergarments qualified as a fashion accessory. The prime factors, comfort and durability, associated with underwear since their origin, was soon forgotten, especially where advertising of lingerie was concerned. Sex was the USP (Unique Selling Proposition) for undergarments. Undergarments began to be heavily eroticised, especially in the western culture. It was to be the final barrier before nudity.

Types of underwear

These days, people have a large number of underwear options to choose from. They are as follows:

Boxers-which can be woven, knitted, athletic or pouch type.

Briefs-which can be traditional diagonal flap, pouch or low cut type.

Bikini-High cut, low cut or string bikini

G-strings-Thongs and athletic

In addition to these, there are other types of men's underwear available. They include long underwear, union suits, etc. Some underpants also have a fly. These typically do not permit disconnection at the waist. Flexibility permits them to be taken on and off. Generally the fly of underpants avoids revealing the skin just by an overlap of cloth devoid of buttons, etc. Such flies may be criteria for boxer shorts but is not appropriate for outerwear.

Now days, undergarments, like edible underwear, are specially manufactured for sexual purposes. These types of undergarments are worn just to arouse the partner when involved in a sexual act.

Not wearing an undergarment:

In colloquial American, freeballing is a referral to men not wearing underpants and freebuffing for females not wearing lingerie. Many people don't consider underwear to be an indispensable part of sanitation. There are certain clothes that don't require any extra clothing underneath like cycling shorts or kilts.