CARNAL NATION

According to research by British retailer Debenhams, men only buy their own underwear for an average of 17 years throughout their lives. Reuters reports that unlike women who begin purchasing their own undergarments at the age of 13, males depend on their mothers to do so until they reach the age of 19.

From 19 to 23, men purchase underwear (up to 31 pairs per year) based on their understanding that they need to do so to attract and entice potential partners. The number of pairs they buy declines gradually between the ages of 23 and 33 as men enter stable relationships and their partners take over this shopping task. The Debenhams study found a brief increase in underwear purchases among men aged 38 to 40 when some men find themselves seeking new partners once again after relationship break ups.

“Our research shows that you can tell when a man is looking for a partner by the number of new underpants they buy for themselves," explains Debenhams Head of Men's Accessories Buyer, Rob Faucherand. “If he buys more than 31 pairs every year then he's either still trying desperately to impress the woman in his life -- or else she's not The One." By contrast, Faucherand suggests that men who allow their partners to purchase their underwear feel stable in their relationships.

Since women are the ones making underwear purchases for their male partners, Debenhams will be developing marketing campaigns that appeal to women. "This is the one issue that feminism has never addressed," Faucherand said. "It's not who wears the pants in each household -- it's who has to buy them that counts."