The reason Speedos are stigmatised

[swimtimx]

Originally Posted by Bede735

So a place where bikinis are prevalent e.g. a beach, is a place to pose in. And that's where the problem lies. If a man wears a pair of briefs at the beach he is posing, and that's just not the done thing. Far better to wear a pair of long shorts so as not to flaunt yourself.

So girls can pose at a beach and guys can't? Why not?

--Tim

[Torchwatch]

Posing requires affectation, placing the body to best advantage for the spectator. A man can wear speedos, bikini briefs and even swim thongs without posing. One should act indifferently to any viewers, get on with what you are doing and ignore the looks of those around you. Sunbathe or run on the beach, swim in the sea going out past those that paddle in the shallows but do it for yourself.
Modesty is not in what you wear but in how you wear it. The muscly but fat guy in his board shorts that always seems to be in the way making other's step aside as he walks by kicking sand about is posing, showing how tough he is. The group of younger guys in speedos kicking a ball about are doing it for their own pleasure, of course people are watching but they don't care!

[Dooley67]

Hey Torchwatch, I agree with you completely. You summed the whole issue up beautifully.

D67

[SwimTeamSpeedo]

I agree with Torchwatch that one should do what they want and wear what they like. I may be the minority, but I really don't buy all the stigma stuff. A Speedo is a perfectly acceptable swim suit. The guy in boardies might not choose to weat a speedo, so whay. I likewise will pass on the boardies. I respecy his right to choose, and find people are fine with my choice.

[Dooley67]

I think that you're right about the stigma thing, STS. Maybe our perceptions are what they are because here in Maine people don't bother each other and don't make a big deal out of things like what kind of swimsuit one is wearing.

But, beyond Maine, I've worn speedos of various sizes in many places in the US, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Europe and have never felt in any way that I should be wearing something else because of any stigma associated with speedos.

[Bede735]

Speedo wearers are a bit like Goths. A type of dress/lifestyle different from the norm. With Goths some people ridicule them or are aggressive to them, but in general are fine with it. Just like Speedos.

[Byron]

Do Hell's Angels fit in there too?

[California Dolphin]

Originally Posted by Bede735

Speedo wearers are a bit like Goths. A type of dress/lifestyle different from the norm. With Goths some people ridicule them or are aggressive to them, but in general are fine with it. Just like Speedos.

The "Norm" for dress is not a law of physics - it's what ever people decide to go along with or they are too chicken to oppose. That's what's wrong with society today.

Most people are just a bunch of sheep and rather not get involved in anything that requires opposition to the so called "norm".

[Byron]

This guy norm seems to have a lot of influence in the dos and don'ts of what we humans have come to wear on various occasions in our evolving societies. I think he must surely have had a hand in developing the speedo out of one of those magnificent male codpieces from the couturiers of the past.