 There are variations on the brief with different cuts, some offering a wider leg and others a narrower leg, names including midi, full, sport, active, mini, bikini.Some briefs have the cut all the way to only the waistband on the side, called a tanga brief.In the 1960s, fashion underwear was introduced in the United States, and, after a period of decline, became more prominent in the 1970s as the belief that wearing fashionable underwear was feminine declined.