Women’s underwear is usually of thinner, and often slinkier, fabrics. In general the bottoms are less well made than men’s bottoms, and usually have thin elastic around the legs. They can be extremely decorative, with lace and embroidery as common features. They can also be quite skimpy, with high cut leg-holes and/or low waists, with thongs paring them down to the minimum possible coverage. The crotch area is narrow and usually has a cotton lining to help regulate moisture and absorb any discharge. Bras of course are very complicated in construction and can be extremely expensive,so they are in a class unto themselves.
Men’s briefs tend to be of thicker fabrics, and are cut to accommodate men’s unique equipment. They usually have some kind of opening in the front to allow men to pee without having to pull their pants down. Some bottoms actually have shaped pouch-like panels to cradle men’s, er, stuff. Leg bands are usually strips of fabric rather than elastic, which makes them *way* more comfortable; some women wear men’s briefs just for that feature. Of course they come in loose boxer style, as well as stretchy boxer briefs that cover the top of the thigh; such styles are rare in women’s wear. (Women’s briefs that are cut like men’s wear are called “boy cut”)
Although there are silky briefs for men, they’re not as common as for women, and sexy peek-a-boo underwear —skimpy, with see through panels, thongs, extremely low cut in the front, sculpted junk-hugging, etc— are associated in the eyes of many with the gay community. This is because men have been shown to be more responsive to such visual stimuli than women, so in both sexes, those who wish to attract men are more likely to wear them.
Lace seems to be the most commonly accepted “signal” of female underwear, and you won’t generally find it in men’s undies at all, though you will see mesh.
Hope that answers whatever the purpose of this question was :-)
https://www.quora.com/Why-do-men-and-women-wear-different-shapes-of-underwear
