Issue number 2, volume 1, of the journal Critical Studies in Men’s Fashion, might be loosely described as “The Underpants Issue”. See for example the paper ‘What lies beneath? Thoughts on men’s underpants’ by Dr Prudence Black, BA SACAE Hons Macquarie MA UTS PhD Sydney, ARC DECRA Fellow, and colleagues.
“This article consists of a number of thoughts about and meditations on men’s underpants. Beginning with a ‘day in the life’ of a standard pair of underpants, it moves on to explore some of the specific characteristics that accompany the wearing of this particular garment. There follows a consideration of the role played by underpants in the creation of male characters for screen and television. A brief look at Homer Simpson’s Y-fronts is followed by the examination of a crucial moment in the history of Australian undergarments, […]”
Or perhaps, instead, (or as well as) :’Revealing myself: A phenomenological approach to my underwear choices through the years‘ by Professor Jose Blanco F.
“In this article I apply a phenomenological approach to discuss my personal lived experience and creative authorship in selecting my underwear, thus, explaining the meanings created by my interaction with my underwear and how this clothing object has been shaped by my cultural context, socio-economic factors and my relation to my own body and sexuality. Underwear can be directly linked to questions of identity and a person’s location within a social context. Since identity can be read as imbedded in social relations and situations, it can be assumed that underwear is a dynamic tool in the construction of multiple identities. […]”
To peruse the journal’s entire table of contents go here.