1. My brother was 5 years older than me, when he grew out of clothes they were cleaned and put in the top cupboard until they fit me. Since I followed him through the same schools I rarely had new clothes and just wore what was passed on to me. When I was about 15 I started school team and club running, I bought new running shorts, that were short, shiny and split up the sides. The standard Y front briefs that everyone wore then showed under the shorts so I bought my own bikini briefs, as brief as possible and the same colour as the shorts.
By the time I had finished with clothes passed on to me they were worn out so my younger brother who went to different schools was bought new clothes.
2. I had nylon swim briefs when I was at primary school, when I moved to secondary school I was given square cuts to swim in and hated them, I felt imprisoned in them, I disliked the thicker fabric, the fake fly front and pointless button at the top. When I left school I bought my own 3" black nylon Speedos and felt free swimming in them again.
3. We had an enclosed garden, my mother actually wanted us to wear our swim briefs to run around in the garden and play with water on hot summer days. We filled an old wooden chest and paddled in it.
4. Since both my parents played tennis and squash they regarded sportswear as normal and so we tended to wear shorts a lot. My mother thought my favourite pair of red Umbro running shorts too short though, when I was 18. We were pushing the envelope in those days, competing for the most extreme running shorts.
5. The PE teachers made us go commando under out PE and rugby shorts and to have showers after PE. Nudity in the changing rooms was normal and rarely noted. In the first year we had showers, in the 2nd year we would wet our hair whilst naked.
The school running squad used to hang out in the gym changing room during breaks, we often ran around the park at lunch time and were constantly getting changed in front of each other.
I bought my first jockstrap to go under my red Umbro running shorts, so it too had to be red. I bought it in another town away from home and was really embarrassed asking for it. I really liked how it felt and got a black jockstrap to go with my black shorts next time I was in that town.
When I ran out of my brother's passed down clothes and had to start choosing and buying my own I had great difficulty finding anything I liked except for running shorts and speedos which I love for their exciting fabrics and colours. In day clothes I knew I looked shabby and unfashionable in running or swimming kit I knew I looked good and could turn heads.
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