cal-Q-L8 wrote on 13. Sep 2010 at 17:03:
I'm sure the USA has some nice boys undies. However from my online experience over the years and from watching many many American movies, tightywhities or boxers seem to be the style of choice. I'm reminded of a very recent episode of Sons of Tuscon, where the middle boy had an underwear scene, they were the old fashioned white Y-fronts. If I recall correctly the same style was worn by the Malcolm in the Middle boys at least in the first season. I'd like to be proven wrong but I've seen very little evidence to the contrary. Perhaps it's the preferred style of TV and movie wardrobe departments in the US. Anyway it's not meant to be insulting or to be taken seriously. Watch an episode of the ABC series called The Chaser, plenty of clips on YouTube. We Aussies poke fun at EVERYTHING and everyone, including ourselves.
Yeah, this thread kinda went off track but since we're on the subject I will give you the real deal on the subject. Cal seems to be the closest.
No, parents don't buy tighty whities or what some people refer to as BVD's because they are cheap. I as most other kids my age growing up wore them as they were essentially "The Standard" at the time and they kept your junk in place. That standard went across all economic barriers. At least from my experience from the 50's, 60's, and so on.
Around the late 60's to early 70's most kids started switching to boxers, one, because that's what Men wore and it essentially made youngsters feel more manly or grown up, and two the fact that boxers didn't show your "bulge" as much or wasn't as revealing as tighty whities. That was more of an increasing sense of modesty among young boys in America at the time.
Around the same time young boys in American Middle Schools and High Schools became more rebellious about participating in mandatory physical education class as it was mandatory to "strip" for gym and shower in front of other boys and adult coaches. Boys no longer liked the idea of being forced to get naked in front of other boys and adults. I can't say exactly why it became such and issue all of a sudden. Perhaps boys became increasingly homophobic or because around that time "size" became more of an issue. Maybe some boys just couldn't control getting an erection when around other naked boys. I know I had a problem with it on more than one occasion and caught a lot of shit over it. So boys started rebelling over it and risked being suspended. Unfortunately, they parents backed them up on it and as far as I know being forced to strip in PE or shower and is no longer mandatory and hasn't been since the 80's as far as I know.
After that boys that wore tighty whities were perceived as as "Gay." I think most people know how "homophobic" American society is and especially among young boys. The same goes for wear colored BVD's or the type of bikini style underwear in the pictures above. Most likely if a boy got caught wearing those underwear above he would get beat up or pants-ed or both. That's just how it is in this county.
Some people may not agree with me on this explanation or history but I can assure you that it is fact as I lived it. That is both from my own experiences in my life and my observations of what was happening with my younger friends in there lives. Much of what happens in America style or tradition wise with youngsters starts in Southern California where I live and grew up for most of my life.
In a way you can relate it to the discussion in this thread about how Hollywood might muck up this movie (The opening scene wear the boy was wearing only his underwear) or the comments made about Kodi's other movie 'The Road" were in the bathing or swimming scene the man was skinny dipping and Kodi had to wear shorts and a shirt. "No skin."
Yeah, Kodi being Australian might not have a problem with doing an underwear scene or even a naked scene but Hollywood probably will because if they make the film Let Me In like the original or The Road as some scenes maybe should have been made for authenticity they might not get shown in American theaters. Just a fact of American Juris"prud"ence.