ABSTRACT
Male lingerie is a new product category for men that appeared around the turn of the century. It refers to stylish male underwear that explicitly borrows the codes of women’s lingerie. The simple semantic shift from using the term “underwear” to the popularization of the term “men’s lingerie” and its appropriation by media and advertising discourse seem to be an interesting indicator of the evolution of male consumption associated with the body and intimacy. The brand HOM became the market leader because of its innovation in product design. It was the first company to use the word “lingerie” for men, creating a new range of products that competitors soon started to emulate. A new product category, men’s fine underwear, was born.
