Letters to the Editor
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Christ, what a tool
Oliver, you are a boring, vile dickhead. The human race is poorer for having you in it. Never write anything again.
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This topic...
...seems to be succeeding in bringing the Salon letters section down to the level of the (aptly named) Yahoo! message boards, except maybe a little more grammatical.
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Speedos
Oh give it a rest. It's about time that the US woke up to the fact that men have genitalia. Wow! What a concept!
I've always wondered if I'm the only one who appreciated Star Trek (the original) for letting Kirk's equipment show. A tradition carried on by Captain Picard, I might mention. Same goes for Kojak. Who loves ya, baby? And has the equipment to do something about it.
Bikinis for guys? More! More!
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Oh, brother
Is this the first time Salon has run an article with absolutely no redeeming qualities? I mean, not even one?
And dude, Speedos suck.
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Poor You...
Your bum was showing in the pool. Poor you.
Grow the fuck up.
Be a man.
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Queer Eye for the Beach Guy
OK, I truly don't have a dog in this hunt, but here it goes anyway.
Straight men, and you know who you are, need to take a moment to consider the fact that gay men spend all their time sexually objectifying each other and dressing apropriately for that lofty endeavor. We're all slavishly cultivating perfect pecs and abs (so much so that I haven't looked seriously at a dinner role in a month), then dressing up and showing off for/at each other. With that in mind, you should consider us experts and listen closely when we tell you this - if you have a reasonably in-shape body, then chances are it will look better decked out in a speedo or a squarecut swimsuit. Period.
If anyone here is seriously suggesting that men don't want to be seen as desirable when mostly unclothed at the beach, there again, you'd better take a page from the Gay Book of Coming Trends. Women today expect you to comform to a generally accepted standard of fitness (as typified by Mssrs. Wahlberg et al.), and fashion. The sexual revolution is over - they won.
As for the author, who are you kidding? It's taken you this long to discover the utility of a speedo in a lap lane? In actuality, it took you this long to put on a suit that had so much baggage attached (for you). It took you very little time to pen a justification to explain it away.
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They're comfortable
I have been wearing bikini style swimwear my entire adult life because they're very comfortable. I wear them daily swimming laps at the Y and I wear them to the lake or beach with my family. No one has a problem. I am sensitive to other people's hangups, and if I know someone present will be offended I respect that and wear something else. I just don't why people are skittish. The male body, like the female body, is a beautiful thing.
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Just as the mouth breathers jump on EVERY Broadsheet piece
And twist it into something about which they can write a mean-spirited letter about women, this piece is bait for those who love to bash both men and American culture. Some people like Speedos. Many of them are not American. They're not for me, personally, although I am sure I would look great in one and I would have to beat the women off with a stick.
Sure, there's probably something to the theory that men don't like the idea of standing next to another man whose bulge is bigger. But for the most part, the Speedo is just an ugly piece of clothing.
For every woman you will find who likes to see men in Speedos, you will find at least one who thinks they look ridiculous. Obviously, this is not just a male hang-up. If 99.9% of women loved the sight, the way that all heterosexual men like the sight of women in skimpy bathing suits, you can be assured that most men would wear a Speedo. But that isn't the case.
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Nothing wrong with a speedo
I really don't swim much any more, but I dive, and a speedo is simply far more comfortable under a wetsuit or a drysuit than other types of swimsuits.
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I will stick to the boxer type trunks with the built in support...for everybody's sake.
I shouldn’t wear a Speedo for the same reason Dolly Parton shouldn’t wear a string bikini top. It would take one high jump or dive on the volleyball court of your everyday public beach to land me on the National Sex Offender List for indecent exposure.
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not my thang, but not a world issue
John is right, not every hetero woman wants to see men in speedos at the beach. For me, it has to do with too much information I didn't specifically ask for at that time. It doesn't mean I and the rest of Americans are prudish. No reason to get all superior and screeching.
There's lots of bad style out there I don't want to see just because it's not to my taste (shoe polish hair dye is my pet peeve, just go grey, it looks better than that cheapo dye job).
We're also products of our ages. For me, there's nothing hotter than the classic 70s dude in Birdwell's Beach Britches.
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Flaunt it if you got it!
I go to the beach damn near every weekend in the summer. Every now and then you'll see a supposedly straight guy wearing a speedo. Although at the gay beach down the way, almost all of the men are in speedos or those tight shorts.
Personally, I think if you have a great body and sport a nice tan you should wear something small. I'd enjoy looking at you! I'd prefer the look of dark, tight, low-rise "boy shorts" over a speedo just because I think they accentuate a body better and in some ways you'd avoid the stigma of the Speedo.
Besides, isn't it kinda strange for a white man to have no tan above his knees? Can't be something good to look at naked...
I know its hypocritical to suggest that only fit men wear small swimsuits while currently women of all sizes wear bikinis on the beach, but if you're going to start a revolution, its better to start out with the most desirable candidates. Lifeguards seem like a logical choice. Great bodies and an image that men might want to emulate.
Although probably the easiest way to start a trend is to have Puffy (or Diddy...whatever) wear one!