[sebbie]

Thoughts on Compression shorts

Nowadays, compression shorts come in all sorts of varieties. Going back 30 years, to the early 90s, compression shorts were basically treated as an undergarment, found in a blister pack next to a collection of athletic supporters in odd places like a wall in drug stores, in addition to places such as Walmart. I got my first two pairs of compression shorts at Walmart off of one of those racks of athletic-related gear. I did not buy them for any particular purpose other than I thought that they might be fun to wear, given my fondness for swim briefs and other gear that fit snug in the groin. Why not, I thought?

The first two pair I bought were branded Bollinger, one in white and the other in black. On my first (attempt) to get into them I immediately fell for the idea. These fit and looked great, even though in those early days the fabric typically had less stretch and was a thicker weight than what is considered normal today. This was also before the Jammers took over competitive swimming, and something that fit as snug in the thighs was all new to guys. Other guys must have come to the same conclusion I had come to, as we soon seen compression shorts popping out below the then-still short shorts in basketball at the college and professional level and this meant that they would soon be commonplace in high school athletics as well.

Early on, compression shorts were worn solely as an undergarment, and there was a time when guys did not engage in exercise or athletic sport wearing only the compression shorts. The whole thought was that they were fine to wear but in public settings such as at a gym, the guy needed to pull on a looser-fitting pair of shorts over, otherwise he would look like he were exercising only in his undergarments.

This male fear of being seen clad only in compression shorts gradually dissipated over time, probably with the start of seeing pro basketball players being interviewed on TV clad only in their compression gear. Oh, and lets not forget the bicycle riders who long thought that a version of a compression short was perfectly fine for outdoor bike riding, even if the biker was not pursuing riding as a competitive sport.

So, today there is a huge variety of items that would be regarded as a compression short, plus a large number of items sold as underwear for the “athletic-minded” who choose them because they like the fit and feel as an undergarment. Things have gotten really complicated because guys still disagree on exactly which shorts qualify as being appropriate to wear as an outer garment versus as a pair of thigh length underwear. It really comes down to a discussion of color, weight of the fabric, pouch and seams.
With respect to color, most guys probably believe that a white compression short is more nearly an undergarment-only short than the identical one in black which can be worn as either. White is the traditional color of underwear but a white compression fabric is probably more transparent than the same fabric in black. The same is generally try for all the lighter colors.

Heavier-duty fabrics are generally thought to be more appropriate for outer garment compression shorts than the lightweight, more underwear-like fabrics, and fabrics that have little if any sheen tend to be more underwear-like than fabrics with lots of sheen. These criteria are subject to debate, however. Something that looks like (or maybe IS) a swimming jammer is obviously an outer garment and if it is made for swimming the fabric is likely heavy duty as well. And of course the shorts designed for bikers are also going to be made of fabric that is strong enough to withstand what they are used for. Jammers and Biker shorts are definitely outer garments, but what about compression shorts that look like these but are not sold for that purpose?

The subject of pouches is a most interesting topic. Compression shorts come in all sorts of variations with respect to having or not having a pouch. Some pouches are simply a piece of looser-fitting fabric. Other pouches are made to more obviously contain a guys penis and testicles. Some guys might say whether or not a pair of shorts has an obvious pouch determines if it ios an undergarment or an outer garment, and the ones with obvious pouches need to be covered with another looser fitting pair of shorts. But a flat pouch or no obvious pouch at all is fine,

Finally there is the complicated topic of seams. Early on compression shorts with zig zag seams ts were just a single solid color such as white or black. But many modern compression shorts now have assorted sewn seams, and these seams may be the same color as the main fabric, or in a contrasting color. For example, a compression short that outlines the pouch and various other places on the thighs and buttocks might use stitching that is the same color as the fabric or in a contrasting color. If the compression short is black and the stitching is also black, that might be a perfectly fine compression short to be worn as an outer garment as the stitches and outlined nad area simply “disappears” into the overall fabric color.

But, what about if the stitching is done as a bright contrasting color? I have a black pair with bright red stitching. By virtue of the stitching color change is this somehow suitable as an undergarment only garment, or is it OK to wear this the same way I would wear the same garment with solid black not contrast stitching?

Today I have on a black pair of compression shorts that has stitching in a dark charcoal gray that provides a bit of a contrast to the black fabric, and I am wearing this as an outer garment. But is this any more of an outer garment than if I had picked the black one with the red stitching instead? Does the color of the stitching somehow determine if the gear is an outer garment or underwear of sorts?

I do not think guys have this all sorted out yet. I have a number of jammers as well and I never think twice about whether or not I should treat them as an outer garment by pulling on a pair of loose-fitting shorts over the jammers. Heck I do routine chores in my yard wearing the jammers. But I do that wearing regular compression gear as well, and quite frankly I do not worry (much at least) as to whether the neighbors think I am wandering around my yard in my underwear or not!