Why Americans do not men wear speedo ?

[zungaboy]

Why American men don't wear speedo ?
Hi to all the boys who wear speedo . I know this question has been done thousands of times: Why the U.S. men don’t wear speedos ? But I want to ask the question from another point of view. Those of us who like to research the history we know that man's actions are NEVER random and are always conditioned by historical issues. For example the swimsuit born in the Victorian era for the moralist queen.
From this point of view and we all know that until the year 1984 and 1985 the speedos were common in the U.S. and no man were ashamed. My question is for you What historical or market events occurring at that time to disappear the speedos ?
Perhaps there any moral , political or religious group began to gain more power for example? I 'm Latino and Latin America wear the speedo is very different from one country to another, the Hispanic countries closest to the imitated neoliberal system of USA have the same speedo-phobia, like imitation about buy clothes like American people.

[dorcas3]

I think many men do things such as water skiing,para sailing etc.-where they need more "fabric" protection for their upper legs etc. from wave burn. Many wear briefs under. There is more lazy swimming at beaches and pools where guys just go in and get wet then go back to their towel-then there is the situation where they just hang out and socialize. Looser pants are more comfortable in certain situations up to a point. I sail in shorts with pockets carrying small tools but I swim in "speedos". When I played basketball my shorts were satin and they were short to the point that you could see the straps of my jock when sitting on the court in front of the coach with the crowd looking on. I do wear compression shorts under other shorts at times for support. Just put on your speedos and go to the pool and swim. I don't think that most onlookers give a damned. I do not hesitate to stop and talk with people in or out of the pool. My favorite now are 100% nylon Caussies-red and somewhat transparent except the part that hides the junk. JVT

[zungaboy]

Years ago ( maybe 10 years) I read on a website that the “cargo shorts style” began to proliferate in Seattle in the 80's in USA because Seattle it is the headquarters of the Mormon church. The reason is that Mormons under his clothes hide as underwear called " garment " ( sacred clothing ) which covers the half of the thigh, to hide the garment. Mormons dress in summer "the cargo bermuda " and no shorts-shorts and they are never shirtless no tanktops for the same reason ( to hide the " garment " ) I read in the information that the power of Mormonism was so great that slowly the Mormon peopleof Seattle and the NO-Mormon people in Seattle started by imitation to wear shorts (and never more shorts -shorts )... slowly shirtlessting avoided this custom began to spread across the United States. Any of you know or know of similar stories? ? People often think it is shame that limits the acts of those historical changes but usually are given by groups that have enough real power to "change the course of history." Example of this is that before we had NO shame men using speedo , all used it , and suddenly begins shame to feel shy!

[Byron]

One religious group imposing their strictures on millions in the Land of the Free?
Sound like a load of sheep to me - are all automobiles soon to disappear as well, and be replaced by the horse and little black Amish carriage ?

[zungaboy]

Byron sounds like a joke but some things like this HAPPEN all the time in the land of the liberty like in all the world. But I must to say it don’t deal about the Mormons, it was just a small story like sample. But you and me are free to choice “what things IN THE MARKET we choice” if you don’t believe in that them the publicity was a spent of time and money for the industry for centuries. Take off the Speedos of the wallmart or any beach store was a election of the industry, maybe you think they took off the the speedos because it begin to be NO popular, but really is the opposite.

[LeanHunk]

Check this (http://www.sebringsil.com/speedowear.htm) out. I think it will more than answer your question.

[Byron]

The piece is as written by Sebbie - see his post#3 of thread "speedos and sexual orientation"

[sebbie]

In the 50s through the early 80s, men were comfortable wearing not only briefs, but non-brief shorts were shorter, and closer fitting. Take a look at what the typical high school or college basketball team wore from the 1950s through the 1970s. In the early 80s a few key profesional basketball players and NBA teams starter wearling longer shorts that came down to the knees. These were not only longer, but they contained a lot more cloth to look almost skirt-like (not very masculine-looking at all). These also were similar to what popular rappers of the period were usually wearing. Surfers also started wearing more clothing, that is board shorts, (the board in board shorts is a surfboard!) that in many ways looked very similar to what the pro basketball players were wearing. (Of course the pro surfers nowadays have all abandoned board shorts when surfing in favor of wet suits, but that is another story)


Meanwhile you have a whole series of other things going on...for example gay pride parades in which guys wear tiny briefs that look very different from what the (presumably straight) basketball players and surfers are wearing, and soon brief-style swimwear was being associated with determining sexual orientation however silly that might be.

Teen males used to be quite comfortable wandering around boys' high school locker rooms naked or nearly so, say wearing only a strap. But now parents are increasingly concerned about sexual abuse, and teens are very much warned about the issues. That means staying as fully clothed as possible, even if that means not even taking a shower after PE. A lot of this has gotten pretty crazy in terms of concerns, but that is how it is nowadays. A teen male wearing only a strap or a brief bathing suit might be seen as something an "invitation" for sexual abuse or perhaps a cause for teasing and bullying relating to being gay, so the shorts keep getting fuller and fuller, and the teen males spend more and more effort making certain that the clothing choice conforms with being similar to what "all the other guys are wearing." The only place where a teen guy can be comfortable in a brief swimsuit is with other guys on the school swim team who are "required" by the coach to wear the same style.

If lot of this seemingly makes no sense at all, I guess I am not surprised.

Sebbie

[Torchwatch]

In 1985 Grundy Television in Australia launched Neighbors in Australia and sold it worldwide. These were the days of Kylie Minogue and Jason Donovan, they were young and they were active. They went to the beach and the pool and swam. At first they swam in speedos, then gradually in squarecuts and later in longer and longer shorts.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jason+donovan+neighbors&qpvt=jason+donovan+neighbors&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=B9FC5F9CE29F811E45B1B9FC5F9CE29F811E45B1

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jason+donovan+neighbors&qpvt=jason+donovan+neighbors&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=1C38A5956252D943C0261C38A5956252D943C026

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=jason+donovan+neighbors&qpvt=jason+donovan+neighbors&FORM=VDRE#view=detail&mid=6BBCB5ED38D7E3C3EE636BBCB5ED38D7E3C3EE63

The actors were required to appear to be doing an activity and then have "normal" conversations to one another while wearing the appropriate clothes. The show was a success with girls and young women, the show started leading fashion and the male actors seemed to always be trying to wear longer and longer swimwear (to hide their bodies on set) and fashion followed.

The Neighbors boys were seen in loose boxer shorts instead of briefs and a generation of boys in America and Britain followed suit.

[zungaboy]

Thanks friends for their stories in a way confirms that the media have a lot to do with how the "fear" is transmitted to wear speedos. I remember the TV series named "Miami Vice" which rarely sees a speedo in the series but impossible, but who has gone to Miami beach knows at least 10 years ago the speedos were very frequent. For me it was very rare to see the beginnings of the TV serie "Baywatch" that lifeguard wear shorts and NO speedo, I am sure that in many Latin American countries began using the lifeguard shorts imitating the TV series as they had historically always used speedo by regulation.

[Byron]

You hit on the lie which we all seem to accept like a lot of mindless sheep.

Whenever there is protest about something "outrageous" the media always responds with "don't blame us - we give the public what they demand".

So, where is this "demand" exactly ? - are we all out on the streets everywhere telling
interviewers with clipboards that a lot more porn is required on our tv screens
and we want to know far more in our newspapers about who slept with who last night ? (when the paparazzi were well focussed on someone creeping out of the door of an apartment in the early hours of the morning - or even the President of France disguising himself in a motor bike helmet) ( which really didn't fit very well).

The media leads, not follows - their influence is far too strong - but it is all down to viewing and readership figures at the end of the day.

[zungaboy]

I am researching; I came here not to put labels to people. Neither I came here to look "guilty" I ask questions waiting for answers and share my little knowledge with anyone who wants to hear them. I do not want to hurt the love for the country of each person. And I thank all who have responded to me with more passion in their answers or objective responses, all is ok for me and I thank you a lot.

[Byron]

Suitable for Mormons? http://25.media.tumblr.com/769183f52aed29f08f696372fb8f1bd6/tumblr_myjnddCmsv1t0kq6oo1_1280.jpg

[zungaboy]

A real gentleman taking a shower?????? http://cdn03.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/james-franco-vogue-hommes-international-03182011-02-435x580.jpg

[Byron]

.....one should preserve one's dignity at all times.:rolleyes:
Mind you, a lot of dinner suits need drying out also after the Splash tv program these days ( they come from 10m in the mid-program cabaret)

[LeanHunk]

The media certainly gets the ball swinging, so to speak, but in order for it make any impact, the public has to keep buying into it.

Just ask Miley Cyrus (http://youtu.be/My2FRPA3Gf8) at 1:15 :D

[knikon]

I think also the fear of the male and the male body has led to the anti speedo sentiment. The popularization of radical feminism led to the demonization of male sexuality as a growing trend as well as the pull away from displaying the male body. While I am all for liberating women and helping them advance towards having an equal shot in this world, radical feminism has had a misandristic tone to their doctrine.Additionally the bikini and thong were being cemented into culture as a specifically womens garment and males who wore somewhat similar garments were pressured into thinking they were wearing man panties and womens garment knockoffs. Between not wanting to feel like gay or a crossdresser men have not only covered up more but have learned to dislike their own bodies.

[Byron]

Good post - we see too many examples of nonsense publicity being generated
in the cause of some pretty silly female activists (vide the Liberal Party of Great Britain currently tearing itself apart on demands to expel its former chief executive in respect of alleged sexual hand-groping events).

[Byron]

Thank you for educating me with a vid. on a singer called Miley Cyrus.
I had glimpsed a girl sitting on a big ball and chain in recent news reports about undesirable viewing and demands for strict official age controls on the availability of such adult promotional videos - so much of this stuff being at present freely seen by very young children.
This is a pseudo-intellectual analysis of the lyrics, from September 2013, for anyone seeking the hidden meanings in this composition but for me, as sex sells everything, I simply fell asleep in reading it.
http://beforeitsnews.com/alternative/2013/09/miley-cyruss-wrecking-ball-deeper-meaning-2769922.html

[California Dolphin]

Off the subject of speedos, but regarding that Miley Sirus song "Wrecking Ball", I used to know of a guy who ran a building demolition business.

People think being demolition contractor would be a fun business and all you do is knock down or blow up buildings.

However it's really a shitty business that generates tons of solid waste that has to be recycled or dumped. Being a demo contractor is really somewhat above a garbage collector.

[LeanHunk]

People like to blame the media for controlling society's attitudes and actions, but this blame isn't entirely justified. Although the media's influence is strong, they still depend on people to buy into their ideas. The reason why Miley Cyrus and other female celebrities are able to get away with such antics is because the U.S. is still a male-dominant society in many respects.

And as Byron put it, they want sex.

But at the same time we have a double standard. At least here in the U.S. Women are able to get away with wearing revealing clothing without being called lesbians, but guys can't without others calling them 'gay'. Sounds like a misconception where people assume only men, gay or straight, want to look at the object of their attraction in skimpy clothes. At least, that's what the media thinks we want to hear.

It seems like speedos and briefs are a guilty pleasure in the U.S. I remember in high school a few years back girls would scream with delight when the swim team wore their speedos on stage during our Club/Team Exhibition week, far from the lap pool. The media hasn't quelled those girls' admiration of guys in speedos, at least.

And I won't even mention all the brief style swim/underwear American retailers continue to sell despite what the media says.

[zungaboy]

A lot of people have double-standard about the speedo, some women look very rude when they see guys in the speedo at the beach (like a sample) but also the same woman can look very happy if she can have the control of the situation with other girls (like looking male swimmers in speedo)
About the speedo-phobia we must to analyze not only the "the swimsuit" also we must to keep in mind that "the swimsuit is touching" (male genitalia) ... I think Mr. Freud could talk a lot about it. (why a guy in speedo is ok in a minute and why now the same person hate the speedo guy in other minute)
Is known for many people that many anti-speedo guys when they trip as tourist to other countries they use the speedos were no relatives, friends or coworkers can see.
Are they afraid that because they don’t want that other people know they wear speedos (only know)? or Are they afraid because relatives, friends, business pals could see their bulge? (Only near people)
Maybe a lot of guys are ok about “show the bulge” but maybe a lot think that they could be “censored” (like disgusting) for wear speedos.

[Byron]

There is little in what you say that has not been said a thousand times already.
The adult male who is content with wearing his speedo today will often be quite sanguine because of memories of regularly doing so as a kid - it being an accepted and unremarkable garment and the norm to wear in his era for the beach and pool - and for any other recreational activity in hot weather for that matter.

The who, what, why, where, and when of a change to disgust and/or shame now seemingly surrounding it all *has never been definitively resolved to my knowledge - though I guess the search for an answer will forever be filling forums such as this (though even Sigmund might remain baffled).


*good point was made earlier that sales continue - new brands continually pop up and the world list on wiki amazed me in its length - so maybe a lot gets seen nowhere beyond the bedroom mirror?

[LeanHunk]

Let's face it: Sebbie has already addressed practically every facet of this question.

[knikon]

Pretty much...

Blaming the media is a sloppy argument because while it is true that they perpetuate certain ideas as social norms, they do it because it works and sells. It is like with the teenage girl body issue that feminists are attacking. If you show a look that is real and easy to acquire why would anybody buy the product? You want them to chase after the impossible because that means the customer will continuously keep coming back to get more in the hopes she may someday become "that".

[Byron]

If only your validation of the media applied solely to silly teenagers - unfortunately the adults fall for it all too.

[knikon]

Very true Byron, very true

[thisweirdthing1985]

nice thread. what really amazes me , as someone wrote above, is why when you go to the beach you never seen guys in speedos, or very short swim suits, but this kind of swimming garments are still being sold in internet, and not only a few. not all the buyers are swimmers. so I have to think, that maybe there are lot of men like me who buy it but have never the chance/ the courage to wear them?
so another question would be: why many americans buy speedos, but you'll never see wearing them?! :confused:

[Torchwatch]

Guys are buying speedos, thongs and jockstraps in UK and America at the moment but you never see them wear them in public because they get put in bottom drawers and taken out only for dressing up.
Sports wear is actually better made and more imaginative than the stuff you can buy in sex shops.

For those of us that wear speedos in the pool and bikinis on the beach, taking them into the bedroom to play is no big deal, but for guys that only wear brief stuff in the bedroom actually wearing them in public might seem rather daring, perhaps indecent. What for a team swimmer is just training kit is for someone else their ultimate fantasy and they daren't wear it in public.

[SwimTeamSpeedo]

TW is on point, again. My swimsuit is mostly for my sport of choice. Yes, in the right setting it has a sexual context, but I know where that is. Btw, this American talk... the only place I got scolded for wearing a brief swimsuit was on a three month trip to Australia. In very clear terms I was told that only certain beaches allowed guys in Speedos. Interesting. I kept mine on.

[zungaboy]

Marketing and the media have an interesting way of working.
When they do their trap and we do “NOT fall into” we think how ridiculous was the trap and we looking down upon those that do fall into the trap.
But when we fall into the trap we don’t know and we think that we took free decisions. A bottle of Dasany to drink, or a coke (or Pepsi) we think it was a decision voluntarily and that is the trap ..

[Byron]

(see Red Bull posts in Off Topic Forum)

Btw you probably mean Dasani and as my grandmother used to live where it was bottled I can say that the tap water for the residents of the town is of excellent quality (in fact all in the UK exceeds the European Union's minimum purity standards).
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0304-04.htm

[Byron]

A plug for Pro Swimwear* as their website indicates thirteen brands available and which has acted as a sort of speedo wikipedia for me:
http://www.proswimwear.co.uk (and I rather like the black Arena City - and maybe a good sign also that plenty of jammers are there to be moved in the January sale)

*rather appropriately from Bridgwater as that's precisely what's been flooding them since Christmas in Somerset with too much rain