right|thumb|A model wearing boxer briefs.
Boxer briefs (sometimes spelled boxer-briefs or called tight boxers, trunks, also known as A-Fronts) are a hybrid type of men's undergarment which are long in the leg, similar to boxer shorts, but tight-fitting like briefs. They emerged as a style in the 1990s and are commonly worn for sports and as every-day underwear.
Etymology
The term derives from the elasticated shorts worn by participants in the sport of boxing.
Boxer briefs are also called "trunks" in the United Kingdom and Australia - not to be confused with the term referring specifically to the shorter variant of the garment.
History
Boxer briefs were once commonly thought to have been pioneered by designer John Varvatos during his 1990–1995 stint at Calvin Klein as head of menswear design. However, the style was available much earlier, as designed by Giorgio Armani and as worn by Richard Gere in the 1980 film American Gigolo. Made famous by a series of 1992 print ads featuring Mark "Marky Mark" Wahlberg, they have been called "one of the greatest apparel revolutions of the century".
Possible effect on male fertility
Some studies have suggested that tight underpants like boxer briefs and high temperature are not optimally conductive for sperm production. The testicles are outside the body for cooling because they operate for sperm production at a slightly lower temperature than the rest of the body, and boxer shorts allow the testicles to operate within the required temperature range. The compression of the genitals in boxer briefs, briefs, thongs, etc. may cause the temperature to rise and sperm production to fall. There is a similar theory regarding testicular cancer risk. Other sources dispute this theory. A study in the October 1998 Journal of Urology, for example, concluded that underwear type is unlikely to have a significant effect on male fertility.
Image gallery
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Image:boxer 002.jpg|Several pairs of boxer briefs compared with loose boxer shorts.
Image:Boxerbriefs-black-Floque-20080508.jpg|A man wearing a pair of short-leg boxer briefs.
Image:Tier one protection MOD 45154146.jpg|A man wearing long-leg boxer briefs.
Image:Rear_boxers.JPG|Rear stitching on these boxer briefs avoids a central seam and outlines the buttocks.
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