Y’all can keep your swampy briefs. With the best boxers for men, it's time to give roomier, airier skivvies the respect they deserve.
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Hear us out: the best boxers for men are, in fact, the best underwear, period. Allow us to explain. For years, we at GQ have been major proponents of the boxer brief movement. Our best men's underwear brands list makes a strong case for why: a hybrid of boxer shorts and briefs, they give your boys down under the support they need, fit close to the body to prevent any dreaded bunching, and look pretty darn good in the bedroom. (In 2016, one GQ writer went as far to make an impassioned argument for why boxer shorts were the devil.) Today, I'm here to not simply correct the record, but to stand up proudly and declare myself a die-hard boxer shorts guy.
Here's the bottom line: boxers are more comfortable. It's as simple as that. That much-lauded extra “support” I referenced earlier? In my opinion, it's nothing more than a marketing ploy used by ‘Big Underwear’ to trick you into thinking less fabric —and more constriction — is a good thing. Do you really want to smother your crown jewels? Do they really need to be swaddled like a baby kangaroo in its mother's pouch? Don't they deserve a little extra room to breathe?
The Best Boxer Shorts Shopping Guide
- The Best Boxer Shorts Overall: Polo Ralph Lauren classic fit woven boxers (3-pack), £55
- The Best Affordable Boxer Shorts: Uniqlo woven broadcloth boxer shorts, £8
- The Best Boxer Shorts Cool Enough To Wear as Regular Shorts: Anonymous Ism tie-dyed cotton boxer shorts, £28
- The Best Upgrade Boxer Shorts: Sunspel cotton boxer shorts, £40
- The Best Hybrid Boxer Shorts: Calvin Klein cotton classics multipack knit boxer shorts, £26
- The Best Soft, Sumptuous Boxer Shorts: CDLP boxer shorts (3-pack), £88
Ah, you're saying now. But they do breathe! My boxer briefs are made from breathable, quick-drying advanced fibres and poly-blended materials! Moisture-wicking and anti-microbial qualities are good if you're hitting the gym hard, sure. But when you're just walking around during the day or hanging out at home, you know what might feel a little better than all those tech-y performance fabrics? Some honest-to-goodness airflow. A little breeze, perhaps. Anything to ward off the swampiness that often sets in when you're wearing skintight, chafing-prone briefs.
Science agrees with me, too. According to a 2018 study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and published in the journal Human Reproduction, researchers found that men who wore boxers showed a 25 per cent higher sperm concentration and a 17 per cent higher total sperm count than those who reported wearing briefs. Researchers from that study also found that boxer-wearing dudes had sperm that was more motile, meaning that their sperm was better able to move through the female reproductive system and thus more likely to fertilize an egg. So if you’re aiming for fatherhood, boxers are gonna give you the best chance at success.
I’ll give you this: the biggest strike against boxer shorts is their penchant for bunching up in your pants and ruining the silhouette of your whole fit. But the thing is, in 2023, you really, truly should not be wearing pants anywhere close to as tight as you did in 2016. We've been living in the Age of Big Pants for years now. Isn't it time your underwear got a little bigger, too?
So yes, by all means, keep a few pairs of boxer briefs in your underwear drawer for the gym and nights you plan on someone else seeing you in your skivvies — they do hug the body in all the right ways. But for the rest of the time? Set your privates free. Let them lounge and hang loose and experience the world as God intended. Embrace the boxer short.
The best boxer shorts overall
Ralph Lauren's boxer shorts are just as good as his button-ups — after all, the fabrics used for both are basically the same. On top of that, we love that the front of the waistband lies flat while still allowing for plenty of elastic to conform to your size.
The best affordable boxer shorts
Though these aren't the cheapest boxers on this list, they're the most affordable pair you can get that still uses a 100 per cent cotton fabric. Details include an elastic waist, button fly, and side slits for improved range of motion.
The best boxer shorts cool enough to wear as regular shorts
If you ever find yourself locked out of your apartment wearing nothing but these, there's a good chance that your neighbours wouldn't notice anything strange about your outfit (minus the fact that you don't have a shirt or, uh, shoes on). These boxers are one of those rare occurrences where you might even consider wearing them out as actual shorts, though we'd recommend wearing another pair of underwear beneath — y'know, just to be safe.
The best upgrade boxer shorts
Sometimes something so quotidian as an undergarment gets elevated to the point where you'd say, “Why aren't they all like this?” Sunspel's been in the underwear biz for generations, so it's safe to say they've gotten pretty good at it. Their high-quality boxers use 100 per cent fine long staple cotton which has a silky smooth finish and the rear panel is cut in a way that rids itself of the annoying centre seam while also forming itself gracefully around your butt.
The best hybrid boxer shorts
Most boxer shorts use woven fabric, but there are a select few that take the knitted fabric route. In this case, Calvin Klein's jersey cotton boxer shorts take all the best parts of its best-selling boxer briefs and moulds it into the boxer shorts frame. That means you still get the stretchy softness of boxer briefs combined with the airy freedom of boxer shirts.
The best soft, sumptuous boxer shorts
CDLP's boxers use the same silken tencel lyocell fabric that made its boxer briefs a best-seller, which is great news for any boxer shorts apologist. Not only does the fabric feel great, it also breathes really well and can wick moisture like Dikembe Mutumbo blocks basketballs.
Plus nine more boxers we love
carefully designed
James Perse Luxe Lotus boxer shorts
James Perse's Luxe Lotus fabric has earned the brand leagues of devotees, who line their drawers with nothing but the brand's tees. The fabric feels closer to satin but comes with the four-way stretch and contouring characteristics of jersey. Unobtrusive flatlock stitching and carefully-designed panels make this one of the most comfy pairs of boxer shorts out there.
