Why do older men wear Speedos?

[Dooley67]

Several months earlier in this discussion I said that older men wear speedos because we can. But I've come to think that there is more to it. As many of us get older we are more confident and less concerned about what others think. Because I'm pretty lean now, I feel confident in my appearance in 2" brief suits. At my Y, the guys who wear briefs are like me, in their 60's and feel perfectly comfortable. Hardly any younger guys in briefs, maybe because they feel self conscious and what others might think of how they look. There are some perks that come with "older" age.

D67

[Bede735]

My Bogner briefs are 1.7" (4.5cm) sides and quite low rise. Wore them at the pool yesterday and was the only one to wear briefs. I went for a shower after the swim and had to hang around for a couple of minutes as there were guys occupying them, but I didn't at all feel self-conscious.

As I say, I don't know what the big deal is as I'm not breaking any rules, never had any complaints...

[dorcas3]

I always wear speedos swimming laps and sunning on my back deck at home. I do not wear them sailing or working around on the docks of my marina. Speedos are not practical for me because of the lack of pockets for tools etc. By late summer I have 3 tan lines. Speedo, deck shorts and biking tights. I do not think that speedos are necesarily appropriate for lounging around at gatherings as to me they are not comfortable and it's not because I can't take negative remarks or glances. In my view they are for swimming and private circumstances with small groups of friends who might find them comfortable when in and out of the pool. Caussies are great because they dry very quickly and are feather weight.

[Dooley67]

Originally Posted by Bede735

My Bogner briefs are 1.7" (4.5cm) sides and quite low rise. Wore them at the pool yesterday and was the only one to wear briefs. I went for a shower after the swim and had to hang around for a couple of minutes as there were guys occupying them, but I didn't at all feel self-conscious.

As I say, I don't know what the big deal is as I'm not breaking any rules, never had any complaints...

Bede,

Yesterday when I went to the Y to do my laps, there were only 2 lanes available and for a time I was the only one doing laps. The rest of the pool was being used for kids learning to dive with their parents sitting in the stands watching. I was wearing my green Sporti brief that is very low cut with a 2" or a bit smaller side seam. It didn't bother me a bit that I was the only one in briefs, and it didn't appear that it bothered anyone else either. So, I agree, what's the big deal?

D67

[PSDave]

Originally Posted by zungaboy

I think are several reasons.
1) The speedo begin to disappear at middle of 80’s, this mean the guys who was born before 80’s they growth using smaller swimwear.

2) After the year 1940 with the WWII (second world war) the clothes begging to be smaller and magazines like “LIFE” show a lot of marines completely naked in the war. A lot of people begging to understand a guy naked or shirtless at home or at the streets like a “real men” who don´t feel fear about be a man… at 1985 (maybe) the clothes begging to be longer and baggy… this mean the people who was born and growth between 1940 and 1979 they have less fear about be more naked than the younger people who growth with baggy shorts (no shorts-shorts or speedos) and growth using tank tops in a hit day (no taking of the shirt)


3) The men we have different “sexual steps or ages” (“Young Male” 12-25 years old; “Young Adult” 25-30; “Mature Adult” 30-55 years old, and “Elderly” 55-99+)
To educate to the young people the occidental society like to teach in the brain of the youg men “guilt feelings” (for example: if you like to masturbate them Jesus will cry and also God is looking to you, if you like to show your body it is sin, etc). At the “mature adult age” the “guilt feelings” beginning to disappear. It is a good news because the older people really feel more free than the younger people. also with loose the “guilt feeling” some guys with the years begging to have “sexual perversions”. Because they fail to repress themselves

RE 1: If speedos disappeared in the 80's does that mean that guys born before the 80"s are still wearing the same suits?
From personal experience, I never knew that the speedos disappeared. I have worn them strait thru the alleged years they disappeared and never had trouble finding them to buy.
RE 2: Talking about WW2 and pictures of the guys taking showers during the war seems to have no relivence to swimwear. During the war they didn't pack swimwear to go to battle. If swimming was going to happen it was in their less than stylish OD green boxers. The suits worn after the war were much like those horrible Sungas in Brazil. The big difference is that they had to deal with what they had the technology for. Ironically many of the suits were made of wool and most had a belt. As nylon and lycra was invented and refined for clothing the new technology went into the swimwear.
RE 3: From what I witnessed of the advent of the board short suits was nothing to do with the Bible or Mom -- it was the new thing. Surfing was the hottest craze and surfers wore the mid theigh length suits for a couple reasons. Surfers were famous for loading their boards up and heading to the beach with no towel or other clothes than the suit. It was practical for their purpose. Secondly, when the surfer craze hit, the boards were very long and very heavy. When waxed and ready to use the surface was very rough for traction and tore up the fragile nylon speedos while carrying them or paddling out to the waves.
At that time California ruled. Since the surfing craze was so popular there and it was so heavily publicized in the media, the surfer style caught on quick. (The Beach Boys were on top and even with the Beatlemania they still garnered #1 records - always singing about surfing and CA beaches)
Besides the fashion fad, many guys gave up the speedos when they got unannounced erections they couldn't control. Since walking around with an exposed erection was not cool or socially acceptable then, guys wore what would cover up the problem.
The super baggy below the knee suits first came along by a company named Jams (like short for pajamas) They were meant to be beach leisure wear - not swimwear. Since they were promoted and beach shorts or leisure wear guy just assumed that meant swimwear. Discount stores pumped out low cost copies to add to the popularity. (Jams were pricey for what they were) It also seemed to follow the fad that was popular with Hispanics wearing their shorts below their knees and knee sox as every day wear.
This is all based on personal experience from someone that lived through it. The activities of the day and the ever changing fashion market were more to blame for the shift in styles than any psychological or social pressures (other than you are not cool as a teen unless you dress like every other teen and don't think independently) It happens, styles change wether we like it or not. Actually if not for these changes we would still be wearing suits with tank tops, high button shoes and celluloid collars. Be thankful that we are now in a period where even with the fashion industry trying to influence us, we can still be independent and wear what we like. It takes a bit of nerve to break out from the norm, but I'd rather be an individual thinking for myself and not a slave to what the masses have decided is "in"

[PSDave]

Originally Posted by zungaboy

I think are several reasons.
1) The speedo begin to disappear at middle of 80’s, this mean the guys who was born before 80’s they growth using smaller swimwear.

2) After the year 1940 with the WWII (second world war) the clothes begging to be smaller and magazines like “LIFE” show a lot of marines completely naked in the war. A lot of people begging to understand a guy naked or shirtless at home or at the streets like a “real men” who don´t feel fear about be a man… at 1985 (maybe) the clothes begging to be longer and baggy… this mean the people who was born and growth between 1940 and 1979 they have less fear about be more naked than the younger people who growth with baggy shorts (no shorts-shorts or speedos) and growth using tank tops in a hit day (no taking of the shirt)


3) The men we have different “sexual steps or ages” (“Young Male” 12-25 years old; “Young Adult” 25-30; “Mature Adult” 30-55 years old, and “Elderly” 55-99+)
To educate to the young people the occidental society like to teach in the brain of the youg men “guilt feelings” (for example: if you like to masturbate them Jesus will cry and also God is looking to you, if you like to show your body it is sin, etc). At the “mature adult age” the “guilt feelings” beginning to disappear. It is a good news because the older people really feel more free than the younger people. also with loose the “guilt feeling” some guys with the years begging to have “sexual perversions”. Because they fail to repress themselves

RE 1: If speedos disappeared in the 80's does that mean that guys born before the 80"s are still wearing the same suits?
From personal experience, I never knew that the speedos disappeared. I have worn them strait thru the alleged years they disappeared and never had trouble finding them to buy.
RE 2: Talking about WW2 and pictures of the guys taking showers during the war seems to have no relivence to swimwear. During the war they didn't pack swimwear to go to battle. If swimming was going to happen it was in their less than stylish OD green boxers. The suits worn after the war were much like those horrible Sungas in Brazil. The big difference is that they had to deal with what they had the technology for. Ironically many of the suits were made of wool and most had a belt. As nylon and lycra was invented and refined for clothing the new technology went into the swimwear.
RE 3: From what I witnessed of the advent of the board short suits was nothing to do with the Bible or Mom -- it was the new thing. Surfing was the hottest craze and surfers wore the mid theigh length suits for a couple reasons. Surfers were famous for loading their boards up and heading to the beach with no towel or other clothes than the suit. It was practical for their purpose. Secondly, when the surfer craze hit, the boards were very long and very heavy. When waxed and ready to use the surface was very rough for traction and tore up the fragile nylon speedos while carrying them or paddling out to the waves.
At that time California ruled. Since the surfing craze was so popular there and it was so heavily publicized in the media, the surfer style caught on quick. (The Beach Boys were on top and even with the Beatlemania they still garnered #1 records - always singing about surfing and CA beaches)
Besides the fashion fad, many guys gave up the speedos when they got unannounced erections they couldn't control. Since walking around with an exposed erection was not cool or socially acceptable then, guys wore what would cover up the problem.
The super baggy below the knee suits first came along by a company named Jams (like short for pajamas) They were meant to be beach leisure wear - not swimwear. Since they were promoted and beach shorts or leisure wear guy just assumed that meant swimwear. Discount stores pumped out low cost copies to add to the popularity. (Jams were pricey for what they were) It also seemed to follow the fad that was popular with Hispanics wearing their shorts below their knees and knee sox as every day wear.
This is all based on personal experience from someone that lived through it. The activities of the day and the ever changing fashion market were more to blame for the shift in styles than any psychological or social pressures (other than you are not cool as a teen unless you dress like every other teen and don't think independently) It happens, styles change wether we like it or not. Actually if not for these changes we would still be wearing suits with tank tops, high button shoes and celluloid collars. Be thankful that we are now in a period where even with the fashion industry trying to influence us, we can still be independent and wear what we like. It takes a bit of nerve to break out from the norm, but I'd rather be an individual thinking for myself and not a slave to what the masses have decided is "in"

[Dooley67]

Today I was at the Y doing my laps and of the 6 lanes, 5 were taken up by lap swimmers, 3 men and 2 women. All three men, including me, were wearing brief suits, and all three of us are in our mid to late 60's! This seemed to me to be a confirmation of what I wrote a few days ago about increased self confidence with advancing age. I have seen only 1 or 2 younger guys in briefs in the time that I've been swimming at the Y.

D67

[JamesSwim]

Originally Posted by SwimTeamSpeedo

I wear them because i like them and it is what I grew up wearing. I also do not get hung up on what others think and do not freak out about most guys liking board shorts.

This is an interesting thread with many viewpoints. I agree with SwimTeamSpeedo. If you grew up in an era when briefs were popular, you keep wearing them. Just like how people continue to listen to music (or radio stations) that you grew up with.

So I guess that if you were a teenager in the 1970's or 1980's, you may be wearing briefs today.

The real question (to be answered many years from now) is whether the younger generation that grew up wearing board-shorts will switch to briefs when they get to be older.

[Bede735]

It's a similar thing with football (soccer) shorts. They used to be very long, but from the 1960s up to the 90s they were very short, but now they're very long again. It just seems to be the prevailing fashion, but fashion always changes. So people will change if they think it's in fashion.

[Dooley67]

The other day my wife was talking on the phone with our daughter who lives in another state. She said that she had bought her sons new Jammers as one of their Chanukah gifts because they had outgrown their older ones. They swim on a local team in their community where the boys wear Jammers. My daughter asked my wife what I wear to swim and she replied that I wear speedos. My daughter said they they're so revealing to which my wife replied, "that's what Dad says are most comfortable." It's ironic because when my kids were growing up, they saw me in briefs at the beach all the time but maybe with me as a grandfather, my daughter feels differently about me in speedos now. I think that people's perceptions are governed a lot by context - as a girl growing up seeing her father in a speedo was okay; as a parent with sons wearing Jammers, a father in a speedo might be a bit unnerving. No offense was meant and none was taken.

D67