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"An owl hooted somewhere as he stripped off, and he thought with a pang of Hedwig. He was shivering now, his teeth chattering horribly, and yet he continued to strip off until at last he stood there in his underwear, barefooted in the snow."
Harry Potter stripping to his underwear[src]

Underwear are clothes worn under other clothes, often next to the skin, in order to keep outer garments from being soiled by bodily secretions and discharges, shape the body, and provide support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth.[1]

Types of underwear[]

Briefs

Mundungus Fletcher (under the guise of Harry Potter) wearing a pair of brown briefs

Male[]

Briefs[]

Briefs, also known as Y-fronts, have an elasticised waistband at or near the wearer’s waist, and leg sections that end at or near the groin. Briefs are tighter, and hold the wearer’s genitals in a relatively fixed position. Mundungus Fletcher wore briefs in the 1990s.[2] Pairs of briefs were amongst the items that the cheapest of Fred and George Weasleys' trick wands might turn into when waved.[3]

If the scattered clothes all over his rented room at the Leaky Cauldron are any indication, briefs were also Silas Crump's undergarment of choice.[4]

Boxers[]

Boxers have an elasticised waistband that is at or near the wearer’s waist, while the leg sections are fairly loose and extend to the mid-thigh. The waistbands of boxer shorts are usually wider than those of briefs. Ronald Weasley wore boxers in the late 1990s,[2] as did Reginald Cattermole.[5] Vincent Crabbe also used boxers, in 1993.[6] In the 15th century, London tailor Snickerton was known to wear undergarments closely resembling modern-day boxers.[7]


Boxer briefs[]

Boxersharry

Harry Potter wearing a pair of black boxer briefs

These are similar in style to boxer shorts, but are generally shorter and form-fitting like briefs; a hybrid between the two main types of male underwear. Harry Potter wore black boxer briefs in the 1990s,[8] and George Weasley wore grey ones.[2]

Fireproof underwear[]

Main article: Fireproof underwear

Fireproof underwear are undergarments worn under other pieces of clothing, that offer additional protection from fire. These undergarments are normally used by Dragonologists.[9]

Lucky underwear[]

Some underwear are given special meaning and are sometimes worn at sporting events or the likes in order to attract luck to either a certain person or team. Sometimes a certain colour underwear is considered enough to make them lucky - such as yellow.[citation needed]

Unspecified[]

In the 1970s, Severus Snape wore an unspecified kind of "grey underpants".[10]

Female[]

Brassiere[]

A brassiere, commonly referred to as a bra, is a woman’s undergarment. Bras are typically form-fitting and the primary purpose of a bra is to enhance the wearer’s comfort by supporting her breasts.

Fleur Delacour wore a white lace bra in the 1990s.[2]

Harryfleur

Fleur Delacour (under the guise of Harry Potter) wearing a white lace brassiere

Knickers[]

Knickers are a woman's undergarment. They are a pair of short underpants that women and girls wear.

During the riot at the Quidditch World Cup in which the Death Eaters attacked Muggles, Draco Malfoy taunted Hermione Granger by rudely asking her if she wants to show off her knickers in mid-air and calling her a Muggle, just to make the insult worse.[11]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

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