Underwear

Men's boxer shorts

Underwear are clothes worn under other clothes, often next to the skin. They keep outer clothes from being made dirty by sweat. They also shape the body and provide support for parts of it, and in cold weather help the wearer to keep warm. Underwear can be used to protect the wearer's modesty. Special types of underwear have religious importance. Some items of clothing are made to be worn as underwear, while others such as T-shirts and certain types of shorts can be used both as underwear and as outer clothing. If made of suitable fabric, some types of underwear can serve as nightwear or swimsuits. In countries where the weather is cold, long underwear can be worn to keep warm.

Different words

There are a number of different words for underwear: 'underclothes', 'underclothing' and 'undergarments' are more formal words.

Female

In casual situations, underwear may be called 'undies'. In Australia, one may hear underwear being called 'Reg Grundys' or 'Reginalds' (rhyming slang for 'undies'), while in the UK the word 'smalls' is sometimes used.

Male

An undershirt is old word for a piece of underwear covering the torso, which has fallen out of usage in the UK, but is still commonly used in North America. Vests is by far the most common term in UK.

Function

Underwear is worn for many reasons. They keep outer clothes from being made dirty by sweat. Men's briefs provide support for both men and women. Some people wear corsets to make their torsos a certain shape. For more support and protection when playing sports, people often put on underwear that fits more tightly for extra support. Men may wear jockstraps and trunks (which are a type of boxer shorts). Women may wear sports bras and pelvic protectors. Sports bras lessens the chance of damage to the ligaments of the chest during vigorous exercises such as jogging.

In countries where the weather is cold, underwear is one more layer of clothing that helps the wearer to keep warm. Underwear can be used to keep the wearer modest – for instance, some women wear camisoles and slips (petticoats) under clothes when needed. A camisole is an item of clothing without sleeves that covers the top part of a woman's body, while a slip or petticoat is a kind of skirt that is worn underneath an outer skirt.