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 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=...9CE29F811E45B1

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...956252D943C026

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=...ED38D7E3C3EE63

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.