By Tomas Mournian

As long as people have been wearing undergarments, they've been sexualizing them. From knickers to chastity belts, we inevitably end up sexualizing the things that are intended to hide or suppress our sexuality. In the name of modesty, underwear acts as a final barrier between our bodies and the outside world. If the human body is a temple, underwear is the antechamber.

In the days before Internet porn, the underwear pages in catalogs from Sears Roebuck and International Male set off countless gay fantasies. The current crop of gay coming-of-age novels - including one for kids - continually make reference to these influential catalog pages that were furtively stashed under beds or in shoeboxes. When it comes to gay men and underwear fetish, we start 'em young.

If you live in a big city like Los Angeles or New York, there are plenty of ways to explore an underwear fetish. Dancers at nightclubs typically ply their trade in undies and there are even after-hours underwear parties. In West Hollywood, for example, Factory Nightclub holds Underworld, L.A.'s premier place for underwear lovers to share and compare as they dance the night away. In smaller towns, however, the Internet can be your best tool for tracking down the hottest new designs.

In the past, we've been warned about unrealistic media representations of physical beauty, and a generation of men with body dysmorphic disorder tends to lend some credence to the idea. Today, though, there's a new trend towards recognizing uniqueness. In response, underwear designers have been creating playful new designs that reflect this free spirit. If there's ever been a Golden Age for underwear and male beauty, this is it.

Some of today's most popular underwear brands include Ginch Gonch, Andrew Christian, 2xist, Aussie Bum, and perennial favorites Calvin Klein and DKNY. In the last five years, the men's underwear market has truly exploded with new lines from Dolce & Gabbana, Rips, C-In2, Papi, Go Software, Ed Hardy, Clever by Steven Even, Triple X, and Kyle. According to Market Research, the yearly underwear market is now worth 4.6 billion dollars. So forget real estate investments, because the future belongs to jockstraps.

When it comes to underwear marketing, celebrities can sometimes help to propel new brands or designs into the stratosphere. When Emporio Armani enlisted the famously metrosexual soccer icon David Beckham for a provocative underwear ad campaign, the steamy photos were clearly playing to both men and women - and it definitely paid off. Greg Morago notes that, "The ad for Emporio Armani Underwear has caused a sensation in Europe, where it reportedly accounted for a 150% sales increase on men's briefs at Selfridges in London." Last season Suzy Menkes, fashion's grande dame, said of the Armani ad, "It marks the moment that underwear has come out of the drawers to become the male equivalent of the women's handbag." In other words, it is now an indispensable and defining fashion statement.

Besides celebrity, demographics can also play a part in a brand's success. Realizing that the Latino community was the fastest growing demographic in America, designer Andrew Christian began catering to it with his designs. Andrew has also worked hard to cultivate a number of celebrity tie-ins, appearing on the Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency as well as donating products to a number of other television productions. "He's been very good at cultivating the community, giving away underwear to go-go boys," explains Zilberman, owner of JustOneLA in Los Angeles. "So Latinos love his underwear.”

Two of Andrew Christian's most successful design innovations are a built-in cock ring and his "flashback" feature - which gives even the flattest ass an instant "booty bump." It's like the wonder-bra of underwear. These two unique features have contributed to making Andrew's designs favorites among go-go boys such as local L.A. legend, El Brando.

In El Brando's world, a good underwear choice can turn a fifty-dollar night of dancing tips into a two hundred dollar night. "Underwear's very important. There are guys who wear cheap underwear, and you can tell."

At the retail level, underwear is a proven performer. Nir Zilberman, owner of JustOneLA, says, "When I opened my store, we had a lot of high end fashion. Then I pulled the clothes and became an underwear and swimwear store - and my business increased by almost 250%." Nir's boutique now carries thirty-two different underwear lines and also does a brisk online business.

Zilberman partially credits our faltering economy with the current underwear boom, explaining that, "People can't afford six hundred dollar jeans today. But if someone wants to feel good, they can still buy a pair of $40 underwear." When choosing which underwear to carry, Zilberman puts new candidates through a rigorous testing process. “First, I wash every pair to make sure they don't fall apart. Next, I inspect the sewing. Finally, I check the fit. Gay guys are concerned with fashion and a good fit."

In addition to JustOneLa, you can also find a great selection at Woody’s Underwear Drawer.

Adam Male offers a huge selection of signature underwear designs. Featuring everything from leather and fishnet to Lycra and cotton, they've got something for just about every taste. Rather than focusing on pure style or brand prestige, Adam Male's underwear line focuses on utility with offerings like a Crotchless Booty Pant and a Two-Ring Ball Sack Jock with built-in cock rings. If you're feeling like a superhero, try the Superman Underwear and T-shirt Set.

This beautifully designed and photographed fetish emporium offers an amazing product gallery that features mouth-watering studs such as Arpad Miklos and Trent Fosters. Besides offering an enormous collection of the best fetish items from around the world, they also feature original designs that you can't find anywhere else. Don't miss their free, fifteen-minute instructional video with some hunks showing suggested uses for their products. From gags and hoods to chastity belts and resuscitators, Male Stockroom will have what you're looking for.

If you want to find the best underwear deals on EBay without sorting through thousands of ads, Underwear Galore has your ass covered (literally). This site compiles all of the latest underwear auctions and sales so that you can quickly find what you want. In their Popular section you'll find brands like Nautica, Tech and Calvin Klein. In the Fashion and Style sections, you can compare prices on the latest designs from Ginch Gonch, Hanro, Unico Mondo, and more.

Browsing Fort Troff is like wandering around the Folsom Street Fair - but without the hangovers or the stretch marks. This first-rate fetish store is the perfect place to stock up on all those little basics that you run out of frequently (poppers, play sheets, fisting lube, ball gags) when entertaining. Kidding aside, this is one of the Net’s most thoughtfully stocked fetish shops — and it’s built for connoisseurs by active members of the fetish community.