SpeedoForum.org

Simon Doonan writes a peace for Slat telling American men to get over there fear of wearing speedos. The cool thing is in the video in the link the hosts agree with him maybe times are changing. Here is an article and video. Thought you guys would want to read it. I agree 110%. One of the points made by the guy in the video is that he doesn't think speedos are extreme as most people make them out to be, he says there are far more extreme swimsuits such as g-strings.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/2 ... 77653.html

Great video.

It's surprising how unusual it is to wear speedos in America! Judging by the awesome American guys who contribute to this forum, there's no shortage of speedo talent over there.

We must be pretty lucky in Australia where, although there are always light-hearted jokes about budgie smugglers, nobody would think a speedo is weird - especially in the bigger cities.

Anyway - hats off to my American and Canadian speedo buds on the forum. You're great global ambassadors for manly sexiness!

awesome video

Realizing that the article was written mostly in a humorous vein, but I do take exception to some of his key points. I don't think American's distaste for Speedos is primarily due to fear of hilighting their privates. They're wearing those hideously awful clown-like baggy shorts that go down halfway between the knees and the ankles because it's some sort of sick, fashion trend right now. Those don't hide the bulge any more than decent "swim shorts" that extend only down to mid-thigh would. Speedos are derided in America for two reasons mostly: they are not trendy or in style and not commonplace like they were some decades ago, and yes, they have a gay connotation. If guys don't want to sport a bulge, then fine, don't wear speedos, but what the fuck is going on with those clown pants that scrape the sand??

I think part of it is American culture's fascination and growing acceptance of "gangsta" fashion. The inner city rapsters and gangsters were the first to start wearing their pants halfway down their ass and showing off their underwear, and they were the first to wear "shorts" that are so long (hovering just above the ankles) that if the kids of the 1970s wore pants like that they were abusively teased relentlessly for wearing "highwater pants" and "where's the flood?" pants. Now the cool kids wear "shorts" that have enough cloth in them to make a cover for a small car, and if you're wearing "shorts" because it's a warm day outside then good fucking luck, the only part of your legs that's going to feel any breeze at all are your fucking ankles, and good luck there, too, because more often than not those ankles are covered in black socks. Fashion my ass. It's sloppy shit is what it is, pure and simple. And unfortunately, the NBA followed suit with those past-the-knee "shorts", and then boxers too, and now it's everyone. Thank god that ultimate fighting and MMA style fighting are becomming way more popular than traditional boxing, because all those athletes wear near-speedo sized suits and tight square cuts because it's simply more practical. Hopefully, the trend will finally trickle down to the idiot teen and twenty-somethings who follow those sports and idolize the competitors but still wear the gangsta and surf fashion swimwear from the 2000s and the 1990s and 80s.

Young men who are athletic, muscular, and they go to the beach wearing those huge baggy clown pants, what the fuck kind of tan are they getting with their feet and torsos getting brown and everything in between all untanned. Don't their girlfriends think they look so stupid like that when they see them naked? That's American Culture?? Unfortunately, more and more, that's world culture too among young men because they are following American fashion cues brought on by our media and cultural offerings. In foreign societies that have traditionally been the champions of speedos, all the young guys (or at least more and more and more of them) that have always been the type to proudly wear their speedos in and out of the water are increasingly opting for "american" style long and baggy swimwear as a fashion preference. And in my opinion, that sucks, it totally and completely sucks. This American speedo lover does not want our American piss poor speedo-unfriendly cultural attitude to infect the culture of traditionally speedo friendly foreign cultures.

No, the distaste for speedos is not just a fear of sexuality thing. It's a fashion thing. Too bad the gangsta and surf world have been the dictators of fashion taste for the past 2 or 3 decades.

Wow, now we know what ticks Diveguy off! Good post too, and agree with many of your points; what you call "clown pants", I call "man skirts" and dislike as equally as you. There is absolutely no practicality in wearing of these so called shorts that are almost the length of pants, and lack any flexibility and the purpose of shorts, especially in warm weather.

Where someone thought having the shorts go below the knee is good for the game in the NBA and NCAA is beyond me? I personally can not find jogging in a pair of shorts that go below the knee, or to the knees comfortable, nor easy, that playing basketball in them has to be a hindrance? But then, what do I know, I loath basketball (whole other subject, let's not get into it here). I must be too old, because I will never get how a guy thinks it is comfortable/sexy to walk down the sidewalk wearing ankle reaching shorts along side a women wearing barely butt covering, snug shorts? Not that I'm complaining, mind you.

Luckily, soccer and rugby have not fallen trap to the fashion of these skirts. Those running these games obviously realize the restrictions these skirts pose to the players; but then, these two are much more contact sports and that much more short provides that much more to grab.

Interestingly enough, this subject came up about a month ago in my front yard. We were having a warm day and I was out front working in the yard shirtless, donning only a pair of 90's soccer shorts that go down mid-thigh. A buddy drove up on his bike (motorcycle) and as we were talking, he commented on my short shorts. I replied it was better then wearing a skirt like another fashion controlled friend of ours. He would have had a bigger comparison if I had pulled the shorts off and he saw me working in the speedo I had underneath! I do that in the backyard.

Runners, the serious ones (unlike me), are starting to realize again how practical the shorter shorts are; I'm starting to see the short running shorts of the 80's/90's come back. I hope this starts to carry over to the other sports that have dominated the fashion to long shorts, not for the sex appeal, but for the practicality. The fashion for women has recently been that showing more is better. Maybe women have been just that much smarter knowing all along that long shorts are useless and constricting, and yes, un-sexy.

I doubt the speedo brief will become the next beach fashion trend, but one has to hope the multi-pocket, string hanging, cotton baggy male skirt will go away. I don't get what a guy thinks is good about wearing wet shorts that weighs about as much as he does at the beach, on a hot day? I guess it's so they will slip down their waist to show off their cotton boxer shorts with daffy duck on them......

ps: By the way, Budgy, you have a way with words and I will try to live up to being a good ambassador!

Great article and video. I sooo dislike board shorts in the pool.

Would love to see the programme present Ahmed Shihad-Eldin in his speedos.

I only have a few pairs of swimsuits with me and the one that covers me the most is a squarecut. I will refuse to wear the baggy pieces of crap every other one of my friends like to wear. I even go work out at the gym wearing spandex running shorts in the summer and under armor tights in the winter.

I used to wear speedos any time I was near water -- beach - pool -- ocean sailing -- river rafting etc. However in the last few years speedos have become the unofficial uniform of the gays. No matter what the event, gays show up in speedos. Pride has been the biggest offender since it is so heavily publicized in daily papers and on TV. Now when someone sees a guy in a speedo they pretty much assume he is gay. I don't care what people think and but that isn't the reason I quit wearing them in public. The real problem is the gays that see another guy in a speedo and assume the guy is gay and proceed to hit on them. One of my last experiences the guy got pissed when I said I wasn't gay. His response "Why the hell do you wear speedos if you don't want other guys hitting on you?" That pretty much sealed the deal on me in wearing less revealing suits. (Andrew Christian and Sauvage have nice non-speedo suits)

That's a good point tanned bum. It also illustrates the difference between speedo-friendly countries and those where speedos are not the norm. In Australia, I'm sure a number of people seeing a guy in speedos would wonder if he's gay or not. The difference is that here, the speedo-wearers don't worry what others think (particularly if it's just at a normal pool or beach). I kind of like that. Gay uniform or not - we're just enjoying it.

budgybloke wrote:That's a good point tanned bum. It also illustrates the difference between speedo-friendly countries and those where speedos are not the norm. In Australia, I'm sure a number of people seeing a guy in speedos would wonder if he's gay or not. The difference is that here, the speedo-wearers don't worry what others think (particularly if it's just at a normal pool or beach). I kind of like that. Gay uniform or not - we're just enjoying it.

That's a really good point, too, Budgybloke. I look at all those great YouTube videos of Italian men in speedos on the beaches of Italy and you can sometimes tell if they are straight or they are gay, and sometimes you can't tell, at least I can't, but the point is that it doesn't matter! In those places, all kinds of guys (young, old, all shapes and sizes, gay, straight, with their girlfriends or boyfriends or just their buddies, many with families with kids) are wearing speedos because it's a just a normal, natural, acceptable style of swimsuit, and because speedos are just plain AWESOME! Speedo Heaven!

I soooo wish we had that type of culture here in the states.

tanned bum wrote: One of my last experiences the guy got pissed when I said I wasn't gay. His response "Why the hell do you wear speedos if you don't want other guys hitting on you?"

I never got hit on by other guys during my speedo wearing heyday. Maybe because I never got to spend as much time out there in one as other guys, maybe because of my "keeps to himself" introverted demeanor, maybe because I never looked as impressive nearly naked as other guys do. I don't know how I would have reacted back then if hit on, but now, with age and complete comfort and security in my own self and sexuality, I would probably just tell the guy that I'm straight, not gay, I love the girls, but thanks for the attention and flattery. And if asked why I would wear a speedo if I wasn't gay or did not want to get hit on by other dudes, I would say, "because Speedos are friggen awesome swimsuits, a joy to wear, beat the shit out of wearing baggy trunks and long boardies, and why should only girls in bikinis and gay guys in speedos have all the fun of wearing skimpy swimsuits??"

I don't think everything can be blamed on the gays - even if the gays quit wearing small suits, my guess is the general public would still not wear them.

Swimming, water polo and life saving are not the most popular sports in north america, I think that has something to do with the lack of speedo wearing.

Basketball, football, baseball are the popular sports. Even soccer is probably more popular than swimming.

You won't get anywhere if you worry what other people think all the time.

Thanks again for posting the link to this article. I passed it on to friends and the like via Twitter and Facebook. Now, I'm just waiting to see if I get any responses from people! :3

I would add just that I wonder if the clown shorts are healthy at all.
(Not talking about possible drowning due to drag in the water - actually I never used clown shorts, so I don't know what is the experience swimming in them)

However, I just imagine they stay wet, wet and wet a long time after you're out of the water.
Wet and ocean wind.... I wonder how one is not freaking freezing in such conditions .....

As for the fashion crime - introduced by the gansta culture - I wont' say a word and I don't think the beach fashion is the biggest one.
Recently, I saw a guy in loose fit cotton boxers and jeans, which were hanging just a bit above the knees. Actually, if he had not wearing the loose fit boxers, the jeans would fallen down ...... you know what I mean.

And that is much more disgusting view than any long-long shorts (why we call them shorts at all) on the beach.
Yep - and I use the word disgusting and could add unappealing at all.



About the speedos ~ gay association.
I personally don't care if the whole world would think I am gay or if the whole world would see the outline of my package.

diveguy wrote:

budgybloke wrote:
I soooo wish we had that type of culture here in the states.

Not to beat an old issue to death, but I just had to quote diveguy; you are "soooo" right!