Superheros and Underwear
Why do Superheroes wear their underwear on the outside of their costumes? Does underwear worn as outerwear give them some extra evil-fighting abilities that the rest of us normal civilians aren’t aware of? Let’s delve a little deeper, backtrack to our childhoods, and discuss some of our favorite superheroes to discover what secrets lay in the skivvies.
Superman – He sports red undies over his lycra one-piece to fight bad guys, defend the innocent, and save Lois Lane from whatever trouble her reporting duties get her into. If you follow his adventures, you’re aware that his alter ego, Clark Kent, sometimes needs to change into his super hero garb in seconds in order to save someone in time. So here is my theory. One day, in his early and inexperienced superhero years, he changed too quickly and didn’t realize he’d put his underwear on the outside of his spandex suit. He flew all over the place saving people and stopping villains, so of course his picture was on the front page of the Daily Planet and on-lookers everywhere saw him. In order to maintain his tough superhero reputation and not be made fun of, he had to make it seem like he wore his bright red undies on the outside intentionally. He got tons of press from it, women loved it, and he got to show off his favorite pair. On that fateful day, a legendary outfit was born.
Wonder Woman – Wonder Woman is possibly the most iconic superheroine in comics. At the time of her creation, she was the epitome of everything women themselves wanted to be, as well as what people wanted a woman to be. She was strong while still embodying all of the traits of a beautiful, virtuous woman. With her superhuman strength, Lasso of Truth, and bullet-deflecting bracelets, it’s no small wonder where her name came from. But how did her outfit come about? In her earlier years, she wore the same bustier, but with a full, flowing skirt as opposed to the bodysuit we see her in now. My take on it is this – skirts get in the way! It’s difficult to climb stairs in a skirt, much less roundhouse kick bad guys. Not to mention that she looks great in that bodysuit, even now when she’s pushing 60. No matter what the reason for her getup, one thing is for sure: She can definitely play with the big boys.
Batman – Batman is my favorite superhero of all. Why? Because he’s super all on his own – no weird alien DNA or toxic accident bestowing him with superhuman powers. He’s a guy who is in shape, smart, innovative, and comes up with his own toys to defeat the creeps in Gotham City. And, ahem, can we say “wealthy” and “Christian Bale”? He’s a girl’s dream come true and a villain’s worst nightmare. So for someone with such great taste in suits, why does Bruce Wayne lose his sense of style and do the underwear as outerwear thing? As a self-made hero, I think he had to take his cue from someone else, and the greatest role model he had was Superman. He probably also wanted to show off his best assets – and not of the financial kind, if you know what I mean. If an intelligent, successful, buff businessman can’t pull off a titanium suit topped off with some underwear, I don’t know who can.
Spiderman – This is one superhero that truly fights evil by not wearing his underwear on the outside of his skin-tight suit. The number one reason I think he doesn’t commit this fashion felony? Mary Jane is not a fan of that look. She’s all about jocks and upside-down kisses, not jockstraps and inside-out ensembles. Spiderman’s suit already shows off enough to keep Mary Jane intrigued, and allows him to swing from skyscraper to skyscraper with ease – there’s no need for the added bulk and drag created by underwear.
