The Economic Indicator of Men's Underwear

man wearing a black bodysuit with jeans standing in front of an city apartment window

Your underwear drawer just became an economic indicator.


We are living in strange times. Stocks are soaring, and core inflation is steady, yet
groceries and housing costs feel pricier than ever. Wages haven’t kept up, making
everyday life feel more expensive.


Alan Greenspan, former Federal Reserve Chair, once joked that you can gauge the
health of the economy by looking at men’s underwear sales. Why? Because underwear
sales tend to remain flat in normal periods, but when times are tough, guys tend to hold
off replacing their undies. When confidence returns, guys stock up again. He termed it
the Men’s Underwear Index.

Body Aware has weathered over 40 years of economic cycles, notably the 2008 crash as well as Covid and post-Covid. This spring we noticed a dip in demand, but now sales are slowly rebounding. Hopefully a subtle signal that people are feeling a little more secure, a little more ready to invest in some nice underwear. So maybe the Men’s Underwear Index
should become a serious economic indicator!


Still, this business isn’t easy. We’re deeply grateful to every customer who continue to
support us.


We are sad to see Andrew Christian, one of the most iconic underwear brands,
announced he will close at the end of the year. He cites market changes and the current
political climate for the closure. Although, I suspect the new tariffs along with the excessive
level of censorship in social media that shuts down men’s underwear accounts
and prohibits advertising as having something to do with his decision.


Rest assured that Body Aware is still designing, innovating, and listening to our
customers! We’re not going anywhere!

Warmly,

David

Body Aware CEO

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1 comment

Great blog David. I never really thought about it in that aspect. I buy when I need new ones, or see a style I really like on Body Aware or XDress.

Scott

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