THIS YEAR JOCKEY CELEBRATES 140 YEARS SINCE IT PUBLISHED ITS FIRST MALE UNDERWEAR ADVERT, AND A LOT HAS CHANGED.
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but, 140 years ago those perceptions were very different to today. There might well be some universal attributes that every woman looks for in a man, often epitomised by the most popular male models of the day, but that perception of the modern, attractive, man has changed significantly over the years.
Pioneering underwear brand, Jockey – the company that invented the Y-front® – has taken a look back at the last 140 years to see how ‘attractiveness’ standards (and our modesty) have changed. Brace yourself.
Founded in 1876, Jockey’s initial underwear ads featured product only, as it was considered embarrassing to picture a man wearing underwear in illustrated ads. Imagine that.
Cooper’s (as Jockey was known at the time) pioneering spirit however, sought to push the boundaries and brought the very first illustrated ads to national weekly magazines. Denoting the modern man in form fitting neck to ankle underwear, he was athletic yet modest. This 1912 image titled ‘Man on the Bag’ was the first step to moving men’s underwear into the mainstream.
These illustrations essentially gave advertisers the chance to feature the ‘ideal man’ of the time. Surprisingly, the modern man of 1912 is quite similar to today’s underwear model look. Although slightly more mature looking than we are used to now; short, cropped hair, an athletic build and an interest in sport and fitness make up the key looks for the iconic ‘Man on the Bag’.
As underwear styles changed during the First World War and daily bathing became more common, there was less need for the one piece underwear suit of 1912 – in came its shorter cousin. The war had taught the country some harsh lessons. The everyman had saved the nation and that was represented in the adverts of the day. Every man was the ideal man as they had all gone to extreme level to protect the well being of the nation.
Willing to consider a less chiselled interpretation of handsome, the 1940s and 50s saw the rise of quirky film stars such as Mickey Rooney in classics such asQuicksand showing our acceptance of a les-than-perfect leading man.
The 1970s marked a huge leap forward for men’s underwear. For the first time, colour and variety was introduced to menswear as a whole and underwear fashion followed suit.
Celebrating everything that made a man manly, the 1970s embraced the masculine form with ads filled with hairy men with less muscle tone than we’ve become accustomed to in 2016. The modern man of 1970s had a focus more on style than body type. Mostly with longer hair and a new colourful flare for fashion, the attraction of the 1970s man came from an inner confidence, with aesthetics taking a back seat.
Depicted in the iconic image from the hit 1963 film, From Russia With Love featuring none other than Sean Connery as the ultimate ladies’ man, James Bond, we see quite a different definition of the ideal man than we’re used to in 2016.
Often with little body hair and with athleticism at the forefront, the 2016 man is active and interested in style, music, travel and adventure.
Constantly looking forward and leading innovation in underwear and loungewear design, Jockey’s 2016 modern man imagery shows passion and sets trends, as it has done for the last 140 years.
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