National Underwear Day

National Underwear Day is an informal holiday held annually during the first or second week in August and is sponsored by the underwear company Fresh Pair. http://www.syl.com/articles/nationalunderweardayaholidayyouwontforget.html The celebration usually involves contests, discounts and a fashion show in New York City. The models that invade Times Square not only show of their attire but take surveys to determine what type of underwear people prefer and at least one year collected signatures for a petition calling for National Underwear Day to be named an official holiday. The display tends to provide folks with a surprise that to some is a pleasant experience. http://www.freshpair.com/underwear-day-history.html

Underwear has been around since the first time humans wore loincloths and that usage has continued into modern times. Up until very recently undergarments have been considered unmentionables but in 1982 Calvin Klein placed a giant billboard showing a well defined man wearing a pair of white briefs and nothing else in Times Square. http://www.freshpair.com/underwear-day-history.html Advertising for underwear has continued to become more and more public and often controversial. http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/resources/educational/handouts/ethics/calvin_klein_case_study.cfm In the mid 1980s Madonna pushed the envelope by wearing certain pieces of lingerie as outerwear for her performances and various urban culture celebrities have worn their outer clothing low thereby exposing the upper portion of their underwear. http://www.freshpair.com/underwear-day-history.html

Freshpair President Michael Kleinmann espouses the belief that underwear should be the most important thing you wear all day rather than just something that you put on first in the morning and take of last at night. Following this idea the company started National underwear Day on August 5, 2003 and sent its models out into the streets of New York wearing only underwear and collecting signatures for a petition to make National Underwear Day an official holiday. In the past National Underwear Day has been on various dates within the first 2 weeks of August but in 2008 and 2009 it was held on August 5 as it was on the first presentation of that day. http://www.freshpair.com/underwear-day-history.html

• Holiday

• New York City

• 1982

• Calvin Klein

• Times Square

• Madonna

• Lingerie

• President