Learn the history of underwear

Do you know what year underwear began to be worn? And that the first ones worn were made of porcupine skin and linen? In fact, when Tutankhamun's tomb was opened in 1922, one of these garments made of linen was found—one of the earliest known underpants. These and other facts show us that underpants are almost as old as humankind, and that the tendency to cover up private parts has always been part of history. There's no denying that the history of underpants and the evolution of this garment has been exceptional, leading up to today's designs.

The first known underpants

How do we know what materials the first underpants were made from? Well, in 1991, a pair of mountaineers in the Alps found the corpse of a Neolithic shepherd from about 5,000 years ago. When they unearthed him from the ice, they discovered he was wearing underpants made of goatskin . Being buried in the ice allowed the body and the clothes he wore to be preserved, surviving in very good condition. We can't know if Ötzi the Iceman's or Tutankhamun's were the first underwear worn in human history, but they are the earliest we know of. In Ancient Egypt, appearance, both external and internal, was of utmost importance, so the idea that linen, a noble and pure fabric, was chosen for making underwear is not at all far-fetched. We can also talk about the Romans, who in the time of the gladiators already used a type of diaper they called subligaculum. Gladiators didn't just use them; workers wore them to protect their genitals. These were made of linen or wool and reached down to the stomach, where they were held in place with a type of leather belt. Centuries passed and boxer shorts evolved , but it wasn't until World War II that they underwent a radical change. Material shortages meant the typical knee-length boxer shorts became shorter to save fabric. This resource-saving approach gave rise to the designs that would give rise to today's briefs. Also from this period on, the main fabrics used changed. From linen and wool, cotton became the dominant material, which began to coexist with new materials such as latex and lycra. historia del calzoncillo

The role of women's lingerie in the history of underwear

With the French Revolution at the end of the 18th century, women's lingerie underwent a radical change , as health problems associated with the use of contemporary undergarments began to be recognized. It was shown that bras and corsets caused fainting, miscarriages, infertility, rib damage, and reduced lung capacity. Almost a century and a half later, in the 1970s, women's liberation took hold, and much more comfortable women's underwear began to be made with soft, body-hugging materials. As time passed, women's lingerie also became more sensual. How did these changes in women's underwear fashion influence the history of underwear? There's no doubt that advances in women's underwear design unleashed the inventiveness and creativity of men's underwear designers. They sought more comfortable, yet sexy, garments that matched what women could offer. On the other hand, health also began to be taken into account when designing this type of underwear . Just as women were recognized for problems associated with wearing uncomfortable underwear, men also experienced health problems caused by ill-fitting underwear styles. Unhealthy shapes or fabrics were changed to prioritize comfort. In short, the history of underwear has no specific date of origin, but it is believed to date back more than 5,000 years, as clearly demonstrated by the Iceman and the mummy of Tutankhamun. From leather, it evolved to fabrics like linen, then to cotton in the 19th century, and began to innovate with synthetic fabrics in the 20th century.