05.23.06 Underwear for the Not Underage

It’s just plain weird to see a grown man in Underoos, the “underwear that’s fun to wear” favored by kids of the ‘70s and ‘80s. But it shouldn’t be surprising that Fruit of the Loom recently re-introduced Underoos in adult sizes, or that there’s been a run on “little boy underwear” among the fashion-conscious. After all, what we wear beneath our outer-wear is perhaps a truer expression of what really matters to us than what we present to the world. And more and more, what really matters to men is less about bunchy boxers than skivvies printed with fire trucks and superheroes.

Canadian underwear maker Ginch Gonch is doing a booming business in briefs printed with bright primary colors, high contrast piping and prints of everything from popsicles to frankfurters. The company has a perky, homoerotic ad campaign and a motto that cuts right to the quick: “live like a kid.” Others in the underwear biz, including Go Softwear, Unico and Fresh Pair have picked up on the trend, selling $50-a-pop briefs with cartoon prints and kid-style details. “This may not be something people are talking about – but they’re absolutely buying it,” an apparel expert told the website Brand Channel.

In related kiddie fashion news, retailers are now selling foot-attached pajamas in adult sizes – I bought a pair at Target a few years ago, and have since run across an online retailer that is entirely devoted to cashmere and flannel footies. I’d hoped that donning toddler sleepwear would instantly transport me back to a state of stuffed animal-like coziness, but the truth is they left me itchy and claustrophobic. For me anyway, footies are for kids.

I’m sorry, but I must say it, “Eww!” I can’t think of anything that would be more of a turnoff than a grown man in underoos- and I’m a grown woman who watches Sesame Street. That picture! Ugh!  I want men to be kids at heart,sure, but adults under their clothes, please! lol But I love the blog!  I’m telling everyone I know about it.