"Speedo" being a four letter word , is it self-conciousness or homophobia?

[WaltHitman]

Nothing frightens me or makes me self conscious about speedos except what that person is gonna say if I reach out and snatch a handfull - So far, I've been able to control my symptoms. But I can't be around speedos long. "the hotties..the hotties...the hotties.." it's a terrible condition!

[xboxfan34]

It's pure homophobia. I know exactly what you are saying, they were socially acceptable even on straight men up to the 90s. Men knew what they were doing when they were wearing them. The body image thing for men started way before that.

In other countries like Italy, they are totally acceptable on the beach, and at all ages. And also its ok to touch another man without being gay.

I also think its more the woman then the men who have caused this backlash. I was watching a show a while back on the best beaches in America and the one thing that got my attention was some bimbo in a bikini saying that speedos don't leave anything to the imagination. I guess she didn't look in the mirror. Then she went on to say all the hot guys wear board shorts.

Even in Hawaii, where you see a lot more variety of bathing suites I caught the same reaction, sitting at a table overlooking the beach. A guy who looked really hot, just like that picture came out of the water to rinse off in the out door shower. The women next to us said," that's disgusting." Truth is, her husband was much more disgusting.

Part of it I also think came from the Rap music community. There are songs about "fags" in them but also the way they dress. The whole baggy shorts thing made it way into mainstream fashion. Shorts used to be like the word "short" now they are almost like pants that are cut at the ankle. Basically anything that showed off your legs or any part of the male body below the waste was gay.

But I go back to women in America, because they have a double standard. They will argue that it is sexist if you call out an older or heavy set woman for wearing a skimpy bikini. They even make special bikinis for heavy women. But a guy in a speedo, even a real worked out one "ewww, gross, disgusting".

That needs to change. They need to be called out on that. if its so disgusting, then you have hang ups about nature and the male anatomy and maybe you should try being with other women.

I like seeing these "im not homophobic" , homophobes when they go to places in Europe. Nude statutes everywhere mostly of the male form. They like to say, oh, its ok there but not here. But when I point out its art and not porn, so why not here, they start making up excuses. "but the children" which I guess they don't have in Europe?

It's gotten so bad that even art schools have been affected. I used to work in a big chain art college. The one that's being sued by the government for billions of dollars, yes that one. Anyhoooo, As you may not know, life drawing with nude models is a foundation class almost every student is required to take. This has been this way for decades in all art schools. Its very professional, the models dont run around the halls naked and half the time they are not that pretty to look. So like most art colleges they display some work in the outside halls in a display case. Well, one day, some preachy religious women who was teaching there complained that it was pornographic. But instead of the school telling her to take her head out of her ass, they just took it down and stopped displaying life drawing permanently. Sign of a bad art school when they wont stand up art and worried more about offending one person. But still, all you need here is one person going "eeewww" and everyone goes along with it.

We need to educate our girlfriends. Trust me, if women thought speedos were hot, the guys would get over their hangups real quick.

It's a double standard if the only way a guy can be in a speedo is if he is a Abercrombie and Fitch model. By that standard, woman should ware long dresses to the beach like they did in the 1920's unless they are a Victory Secrets model. And I am sorry, a one pieces still shows everything. Leave something to the imagination! Come on ladies, its time to get over the hangups. The male body is beautiful to look at, all parts of it. Great artists knew that. Besides, Board Shorts Boring.

It's times like this when I dislike being an American. I'm sorry but even though I love America and always will, the shit that people do who want to wear different swimsuits just pisses me off. I've unfortunatly seen the American anti-speedo prejudice firsthand. I said in my inital post that out of the fifty times I've been to the beach, I've only seen a man in a speedo mabye four or five times. And you're not bullshitting, people DID make comments. There was this guy in a speedo, kind of old, but not too fat or ugly. And there were these douchebags that just gossiped like schoolgirls about him. And I wish all they said was "ew, gross or disgusting." They oughtright called him names like "Homo" and "Faggot" And I was about to go up to these people and say, "You know what? If this guy wants to wear a bannana hammock, LET HIM!" But I didn't becuase I didn't want them to say stupid shit like "What are you, his little fuck buddy?"

But as bad as things are, I try to keep optimistic and remind myself that things could be worse. Sometimes I feel like we might be taking just little baby steps further. A public pool in New Jersey outright made wearing a speedo a misdemeanor, but in 2009 the ban was lifted.

[Parker]

Fully believing that people should be allowed to wear what they want, I think we ought to be aware who is looking. i.e. children