London, Nov 11 Men buy their underwear for only 17 years of their lives, reveals a study by a British department store.

The survey of Debenham shoppers suggested that throughout their childhood and teenage years, boys rely on their mothers to pick out their underwear.

And it is only after a brief period of independence between the ages of 19 and 36 that men chose their own boxers or briefs.

They then settle down and hand over the responsibilities to their girlfriends or wives and thereafter they are strangers to underwear departments.

"It is odd that even the most macho men delegate the duty of buying new underpants - the garment closest to their masculinity - to women as soon as they can," the Telegraph quoted Rob Faucherand at Debenhams as saying.

"I'm sure Freudian analysis of this trait would give us all a clearer insight into human relationships," he added.

Britain's biggest pants retailer, Marks and Spencer, has for some time been aware this trend and ensures its male underwear section is targeted at its female shoppers.

Manufacturers like Armani have also appealed to female sensitivities by publishing erotic photographs of David Beckham modelling its men's underwear range.

"We've noticed that the David Beckham-style hipster pants are bought predominantly by women, not men," said a spokesman for M and S. (ANI)