The only sensible functional garment for serious swimming, whether in a pool, a pond or the ocean, is a brief designed to package the package as economically as possible. The intent is to reduce water resistance. Anyone who is a serious swimmer would never swim in anything more, and competitive swimmers, of course, will engage in the new sophisticated suits developed by - surprise - Speedo.

That said, there is now doubt that the speedo leaves little to the imagination, and thus excites the Puritain purient interest in this country, which I view as being that odd combination of homophobia/homoerotica that emerges with oppresive views of sexuality. The frank presentation of the male body encased in nothing more complicated than fabric designed to contain and mildly conceal the genitals and butt seems to be more than we cloistered Americans can possibly handle.

At the age of 57, and still in a reasonably fit state, I wear Speedos while lap swimming. For occassions that represent a social event that happens to casually involve water, I will concede to American convention, and wear something less functional......If someone is apalled by physicality of a serious lap swimmer, then they should just restrict themselves to watching football, where the clothing is desgined to be completely covering whilst exaggerating the male anatomy to the point of caricature (tight butt, broad shoulders, defined groin, etc.....). That, presumably, is less "threatening"..........and certainly not at all "sexual"......

The only sensible garment for functional swimming is a minimal brief; swimming in board shorts or anything more than a "speedo" is silly and counterproductive. That doing so incites that purient quality of american culture that is terrified of the male body is a casual understatement...... and wearing Speedos seems to incite that duality of homophobia and homoerotica that Americans, rather uniquely, choose to live with. Perhaps if someone is offended by speedos, they should take to watching football where the rampant exaggeration of the smale form (tight butt, narrow hips, accentuated groin and broad shoulders) is SAFE because, after all, it is all covered....and the implicit sexual energy is acceptable because it is expressed in violence.