[sebbie]

Finding Garments for “Recreational” Use

For manufacturers of various garments worn by males, I have often wondered what role if any does the possible use of the garment by the purchaser for engaging in male “self abuse” a consideration for the manufacturer seeking sales. Obviously there are a number of different garments that might be used for such a purpose, starting with the swim brief. But the list also includes other items, often sports and recreation related, that might somehow qualify, including all sorts of styles of male “swimwear”, athletic supporters of various types, compression gear such as snug-fitting stretch shorts and running tights and other items as well. Indeed the design of men’s underwear in has an underlying “would this be fun to jerk off in?” component. What guy can claim that he has never ejaculated while alone into a pair of new underwear? The whole idea of “staining” a new pair of underwear is exciting for a lot of guys—maybe more so than most would care to admit. And a lot of guys learn a lot about their own bodies and what feels good by repeatedly doing just that, so this is a useful “educational experience” of sorts.

To think that the manufacturers and purveyors of these items simply go about their business selling these various items simply for the advertised purpose—i.e, if you are going to be a competitive swimmer you need to buy one of our swim briefs, or if you are going to participate in certain sports you need to be cupped with a strap—advertising focused on recreational wear in sports as opposed to what might be ultimately more interesting “recreational” wear in front of a mirror in the bathroom would seem to ignore an important part of the market, and in the end the sellers do not care how the item is used but only that they make the sale. So what if the swim brief is never used for swimming! The sale to the guy interested in jerking off in it is just as good a sale as the sale to the competitive swimmer! Same for the strap manufacturers, the compression gear makers and others. There is no reason to not sell to these other buyers.

I keep watching with interest the advertising approach that Speedo has used over the years, particularly with respect to their swim briefs. Speedo continues to focus their advertising on people who they believe are interested in buying their products because they are serious competitive swimmers. Now Speedo also has expanded what they sell to people simply interested in leisure wear—even loose-fitting, long-legged shorts of various sorts, but the advertising I see is almost never to guys interested in these activities as opposed to guys who are serious competitive swimmers who might be open to buying a pair of board shorts that have a Speedo logo on it. After all, anything Speedo is for a serious swimmer.

But another twist to all of this has been added In an effort to appear “woke”, Speedo has started marketing briefs, tees and other items to an openly-gay crowd, typically by introducing a rainbow of some design, obvious or subtle, into the design. Apparently, someone at Speedo decided that there was a market for a Speedo swim brief or tee that allows the competitive male swimmer to advertise that he is openly gay with every stroke in the pool or for that matter just wearing one of these rainbow tees while hanging out at a meet by the pool. How curious! If I were a gay swimmer, openly gay or not, I would find the whole idea of advertising that at the swim meet by my choice of swim brief or tee, to be, well, pretty stupid. What’s the point in doing this, anyway?

I have noticed that Speedo seems to have not had great success selling items with a gay pride theme regardless of how obvious the design and these items have been showing up deeply discounted as if we clearly overestimated the enthusiasm of gay male swimmers in advertising their sexuality while at a swim meet. Maybe this was not such a good idea after all.

Still, Speedo has not gotten into any overt efforts to advertise certain swim briefs as being “recreationally” useful as opposed to being recreationally useful, if you get what I am saying. Apparently an open advertisement as to your sexual interests is fine for Speedo, but that other stuff guys might secretly be using our garments for is too much. Being gay is fine, but any admission of enjoying masturbation just pushes the envelope “too far.”

Still, if you go on line, in particular to international sellers such as aliexpress.com. You will discover that some international vendors are more open about the whole idea of admitting that what they are selling might be good for “recreational” use as opposed to recreational use. They also advertise specifically that certain items might appeal to gay guys (What? Straight guys by being straight never masturbate?). In contrast, Speedo takes the view that if they describe an item using the word “pride” then everyone will quickly figure out who the intended buyer—someone openly gay who wants the world to know—should be, even if the rainbow is either tiny or somehow otherwise not that obvious. Seems curious.

My bottom line is that there is absolutely nothing “wrong” with a guy enjoying his own body alone regardless of whether he believes he is straight or gay, and particular clothing items can add to that enjoyment, so be it. WE are still a way away from having most clothing vendors in the US admit that an item they are selling could be used for that purpose, but some of the rest of the world might be less apprehensive about this particularly as we see swimwear coming out of Japan and China. I’m not sure if the Europeans are as straight-laced on these topics as Americans seem to be.