I spent thirty-five years on the fit floor at Bloomingdale's, and while my corner of the store was the bra department, I had plenty of husbands wander over while their wives were being fitted. They had questions too. Mostly about underwear. Mostly the ones their doctors had already half-answered and they wanted a second opinion from someone in retail. So I gave them what I'll give you here: fit and fabric, plain and simple.
The old article that lived at this address treated going without underwear as a fashion stunt. That's not how I think about it. At our age, the question is comfort, breathability, and skin health. Nothing more dramatic than that.
When skipping the underwear actually makes sense
Doctors I've read in the last year or two are pretty consistent: for a healthy adult man, going without underwear now and then is fine. The skin down there benefits from air. Trapped moisture is what causes most of the irritation and the fungal trouble men come into the dermatologist's office complaining about. So a stretch of barefoot-under-the-trousers time is not a problem.
The two situations where it makes the most sense:
- Overnight. Loose pajamas or sleep shorts, no underwear. The area gets eight hours to dry out and cool down. If you've ever worn a snug brief to bed and woken up damp, you already know.
- Around the house in loose, soft trousers. Linen, a roomy chino, a soft sweatpant. The fabric is gentle, you're not sweating into it, and you're not putting on a show for anyone in the produce aisle.
That's the honest answer to "can I skip them?" Sometimes, yes. Especially at night.
When you do want them on
The same doctors are just as consistent about when underwear earns its keep:
- Exercise. Walking, the gym, pickleball, mowing the lawn on a hot afternoon. You want support and you want a barrier between sweat and the outer fabric. Skip the underwear and you'll chafe, and you'll ruin your shorts faster than you think.
- Anything snug or light-colored. Khakis, lighter trousers, jeans that fit close. Underwear is what keeps the outline of you out of the conversation. It also keeps perspiration off the waistband and the seat of the pants, which is what makes a pair of slacks last more than one season.
- After a shower or a swim, until you're fully dry. Wet skin and a closed waistband are how a rash starts. Dry off first, then dress.
- Contact sports or anything with a real risk of a knock. Most men past sixty aren't playing hockey, but if you're on the softball field with the grandkids, wear support.
Fabric is most of the battle
This is the part I can speak to with some authority, because it's the same conversation I had about bras for decades. The fiber matters more than the style.
Cotton is still the workhorse. It breathes, it absorbs moisture, it washes hot, and it doesn't hold on to odor the way synthetics do. For everyday wear, a good cotton or cotton-blend brief or boxer brief is hard to beat. If you have sensitive skin or you've had a reaction to fabric finishes before, organic cotton is worth the few extra dollars; it's processed without the harsher chemicals that sometimes bother men with eczema or contact dermatitis.
Modal and bamboo have gotten popular in the last few years. Both are soft, both are breathable, and bamboo in particular wicks moisture well. They're a nice choice if cotton feels too stiff or you run warm at night.
Pure synthetics (polyester, nylon, the slick athletic ones) are fine for a workout because they wick. They are not what I'd choose for all day, every day. They trap heat, they hold odor, and they're the most common culprit when a man comes in saying his usual underwear suddenly seems to be making him itch.
Style: pick by what your body is actually doing
The four common cuts and what each is good for:
- Boxers (loose). Coolest, most airflow, no support. Wonderful for sleep and around the house. Not great under fitted trousers or for any activity, because they bunch.
- Boxer briefs. The all-rounder. Coverage, support, no riding up, no bunching. If you only own one style, own this one. The leg length keeps the inside of the thighs from rubbing, which matters more as we get older and the skin gets thinner.
- Briefs. Underrated. Good support, sits cleanly under dress trousers, easiest to launder. Watch the elastic. If the waistband or the leg openings leave a deep red line at the end of the day, go up a size. A line means the band is too tight, not that you've gained weight.
- Trunks. Like boxer briefs with a shorter leg. Fine if your thighs don't rub. If they do, you'll know inside an hour.
The practical rules I'd give a husband at the counter
- Replace your underwear once a year. The elastic gives out long before the fabric looks worn, and a tired waistband is what makes a perfectly good pair feel uncomfortable.
- Wash on warm, not hot, and tumble dry low. High heat is what shortens the life of the elastic.
- If a pair is binding, leaving marks, or you find yourself adjusting all day, the size is wrong. Don't suffer through it. That's the same advice I gave women about bras for thirty-five years.
- Keep one drawer for everyday and one small stack for exercise or hot weather. Mixing them up is how you end up working out in cotton that ends the day soaking wet.
- If the skin down there itches, is red, or has a rash that doesn't clear up in a few days, that's a call to your doctor, not a call to a new brand of underwear. Especially past sixty.
So, to the original question. Can you go without? Yes, sometimes, and your skin will thank you for the break. Should you go without all day under fitted trousers in August? That's a different question, and the answer is no. Pick comfortable, breathable, well-fitting underwear for most of your waking hours, give the skin a break at night, and don't overthink the rest. The body at our age tells you what it likes pretty quickly if you'll listen.