As a child I used to be embarrassed at the sight of overly cute children on television especially in American drama like original Star Trek. In Britain the overly posh drama school children playing working class kids made me cringe. They did not represent me, they created an adults view of childhood that excluded me and everyone I knew. We felt embarrassed and alienated by the portrayal of young people on the media.
Men wear speedos for many reasons; at one extreme are those whose speedos are simply sportswear for training and racing and who deny that they have any sensual or sexual reactions from their swimwear. At the other extreme are those that wear speedos, bikinis and thongs in public gay pride marches, cavorting their almost naked bodies in a sexual manner trying to tempt viewers with their sensuality.
Homophobes are turned on by the reckless gay abandon at the pride parade but they repress their excitement turning it into disgust and hatred. Seeing men cavorting in thongs they start calling all brief swimwear including racing speedos as being gay. The swimmer who has no sexual attachment to his speedos will feel embarrassed at being publicly represented by those at the bacchanalia. Rather than being lumped together with all those almost naked dancers he will deny them and suggest that publicly cavorting in speedos is wrong.
I think the swimmer is mistaken, some people will find the sight of him in his speedos to be sexy even if he doesn't himself. the homophobes will be excited and disgusted by him whether he is str8 or gay. The swimmer should do his swim training and racing in his speedos but he should try to be tolerant of the Pride Paraders having their day of fun.
For myself I'll wear 2" classic racing speedos when I train in a public pool, when I get to a quiet beach I'll wear a 1" bikini or even a thong depending on how far I can get from the madding crowd. I don't want to be forced into wearing board shorts or a burqa when I'm 100 yard from the next person.
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