While the stereotypical man might only need a shirt, a pair of jeans, and some shoes to be dressed, the reality is much more complex. Though men’s fashion choices will never really rival those dealt with by women, there are a lot more options out there for the average guy than you might think. And while some of those options are nothing more than personal preference, some clothing choices should be made with a focus on intended use instead of purely what you like. The realm of men’s underwear is one of those areas.

When it comes to picking the right underwear, you should consider more than whether there’s an entertaining pop culture reference or other joke on them. While considering the size, fit, material, and other design aspects are important, you can alternatively just decide which main style you want; boxer, brief, boxer brief, thong, jockstrap, and bikini.

Picking the Right Style 

When it comes to picking the right style of underwear for your nether regions, form and style are just as important as the look. Additionally, what you are doing should also be taken into account when deciding what to wear; what you wear on a daily basis might not work as well when you’re out exercising or doing something more strenuous.

While the breadth of underwear choice has definitely increased for men over time, the age old debate of “boxers versus briefs” is still the biggest question when it comes to picking underwear. So which is best? Well according to Everyday Health, Dr. Gregory D. Albert, MD, states that it’s really just a matter of personal preference. Boxers provide more airflow and breathing room while briefs provide more support, but can lower fertility.

If you can’t pick between either of those two styles, you can compromise and get either boxer briefs or boxer trunks, the hybrid offspring of boxers and briefs. While the difference between the boxer briefs and trunks may seem very minimal, trunks are basically low-rise variants of boxer briefs, Dappered discusses in some detail how trunks are a much sexier alternative that also has less chance of bunching up into a sort of “underwear diaper”.

While a number of additional styles like thongs and bikinis were mentioned in the intro, those are beginning to veer away from underwear designed for regular use. While it’s possible to wear underwear like thongs and bikinis during regular day-to-day life, it’s not usually recommended as those types of underwear are designed for sexiness and aesthetics instead of function. EBay’s guide for men’s underwear warns that wearing more revealing underwear with pants can cause discomfort due to sweating and riding up. Even so, picking a sexy top underwear brand like VK Nagrani Men’s Designer underwear can really help put a spring in your confidence and might just spice up that special night.

Your Body Type Matters

Buying underwear for the aesthetics alone is likely to end up with you being very uncomfortable in your pants. So it’s important that you take the time to find underwear that will fit your body type. If you’ve never taken the time to figure out what sort of body shape you have, perhaps now is a good time to begin.

Though all underwear types can technically fit all body types, The Underwear Expert emphasizes the fact that different underwear styles fit certain body types better than others. The main body types they discuss are apple-shaped, pear-shaped, slim, short, and tall. Each of these body types can run into issues with how underwear fits, how good its coverage is, and how large or small the underwear looks on the wearer. It’s best to take some time to figure out what sort of body shape you have and pick underwear accordingly.

Unusual Circumstances

What you wear during your workout and your day-to-day life won’t always cut it when you’re doing something more adventuresome than running to the gym. There are specialty underwear types that you may want to look into if you’re a more outdoorsy kind of guy.  Looking into thermal underwear styles can be beneficial if you intend on going anywhere particularly cold, whether camping, skiing, or just visiting the north. Additionally, since most thermal underwear is ankle length, they can be used as loungewear at home as well.

While not as common as regular underwear, undershirts also come in various styles and uses. Depending on your preferences, picking up some undershirt underwear can be a good idea.

There is one more style of underwear you can always fall back on if you can’t find any others that work for you. This fall back style is known as Going Commando and actually consists of not wearing any underwear. As odd as it may seem to those of you who have never tried it, Going Commando can be an incredibly comfortable style. However, as warned by Everyday Health, it’s best to proceed with caution when opting for the no underwear look as some clothing can be too revealing without underwear and sweating up a storm can lead to nasty chaffing.