Happy National Underwear Day

jpg_BFM0151 Yes, you heard me correctly, today is National Underwear Day!  National Underwear Day (August 5, 2008) even has a web site:  NationalUnderwearday.com.

From nationalunderwearday.com:

Underwear is no longer considered "unmentionable." With National Underwear Day, we focus the public's awareness on underwear for just one day in the spirit of grand celebration. Our 6th annual event has the makings of the best event to date with the most underwear brands for the runway shows…

I did a little research and here is some background history on underwear.  Of course the obvious is that underwear (undergarments) are clothes worn under your clothes.  According to Wikipedia, they keep outer garments from being soiled by perspiration, shape the body and provide support for parts of it, and in cold climates help the wearer to keep warm. Undergarments can be used to preserve the wearer's modesty, as well as for erotic effect.

The first and simplest form of underwear was the loincloth.  In warmer climates the loincloth was probably the only clothing worn.

Men are said to have worn loincloths in ancient Greece and Rome, though it is unclear whether Greek women wore undergarments. There is some speculation that only slaves wore loincloths and that citizens did not wear undergarments beneath their clothing.

The fabric used for loincloths may have been wool, linen or a linsey-woolsey blend.  I see why Greek women didn't wear them.  Can you imagine wearing wool panties?

I have to admit that I never thought reading about underwear could be so interesting but the history of underwear is quite fascinating.  In fact, I highly recommend you go to Wikipedia and read the history of underwear. 

So today for National Underwear Day…wear you best undies!