May, the Month dedicated to Physical Fitness and Sports!

The 1920's and 30's saw droves of Union Suit and BVDs ads for men and boys in magazines and newspapers across America. They were the underwear of choice and about the only type available for the times. Of course, two piece long johns were worn too. But boxer shorts and briefs were not yet manufactured and sold. 

Then, like now, women typically bought underwear for the entire family. Men and boys simply wore what their wives and mom's chose for them. Kind of like now days.

However, manufacturer's of union suits and BVD* underwear, wanted a way to reach men. So, a competitive campaign of sorts commenced and gripped the nation like tight underwear. Union suits and BVD's had to reflect masculinity, comfort and durability. What better way to exemplify this than to create and run ads featuring men and boys sporting their superior underwear. And, the guys would need to be shown playing all manner of sports while wearing their athletic underwear! I have posted a number of these special ads over the years. Here are some more:

*BVD's stands for Bradley, Voorhees and Day, the names of the founders who manufactured the one piece, short sleeved, short legged athletic underwear. Other manufacturer's made and sold this style of underwear for both men and boys, but it was the BVD brand that everyone knew of and referred to.