Masculinity

[athongsnook]

This is an interesting article on masculinity and how underwear may intersect with it. https://underwearnewsbriefs.com/2024/07 ... k-outline/
As an Aussie there is definitely a link to the percieved masculinity and underwear. As a thong wearer it is hard to find them, the mainstream brands and stores do not sell them. How does your culture intersect with masculinity and underwear?

[David_NC]

Underwear News Briefs also recently released a podcast about masculinity and I have not had a chance to listen to it yet. In the USA, from my perspective, underwear is often associated with masculinity - think back to the early 2000's when Mark Wahlberg wore CK boxer briefs, holding his junk all the men stormed the stores to buy a pair because wearing them would make them look like him. Guess what it didn't. I kick myself for not buying the Prevail Sport undies because I didn't look like the guys in the magazine. It is strange to me, that I see images of well built, muscular Aussie men in the surf wearing swim briefs, several pulled up almost into a thong, for sport - but I hear from local Aussie men that thongs (underwear or swimwear) are almost like a no no. And a brand that several men idolize, Aussiebum, is made in Australia, but I wonder if the majority of their sales are outside the country? Sorry, long way to say, but yes I think even in mainstream America underwear is tied to masculinity. We probably have an easier time finding the skimpy styles we like than other countries and there are niches in USA that you can find and buy thongs and such in a brick and mortar store, but they are few and far between.

[athongsnook]

Thanks for the response. Yes I agree it is an odd dichotomy here in Australia. The life savers at the beaches in speedos are seen as heroes. The pull them up to thong like when using the surf boats as the skin grips better on the seats to get leverage and paddle. Yet with all this the general public attitude is against speedos. I get comments from time to time if I wear them, my response is. generally "life is too short to swim in board shorts" there is zero doubt that swimming feels better in speeds than shorts! So I pick and choose based on what the group is I will be with.

[Pennbikini]

This strikes me as a fairly complex topic. The article highlights several of the important factors; perceptions of others play such a huge factor as well. For me, I'm a pretty big guy, 6'1" with a big frame, so I think it surprises some folks when my underwear choice surfaces. It also relates to the same story I've mentioned in a couple of different places, when I started wearing bikinis in 9th grade in the late 80s and my dad freaked out. I am a straight white male and probably considered to be fairly well along on the masculine side of the spectrum (I drive a muscle car and a big pick up truck, for example! ).

I honestly don't know whether there is a "tension" there or not -- I guess I've just had my preferences for so long that the "social" pressure doesn't do much. Back when I was younger, going to bars a lot and having a more active nightlife it never seemed to surface as a conflict. I don't have regular appearances in locker rooms or communal living (like in a dorm) anymore, so I don't have much in the way of comparison, except for the handful of times that I've related in other spots on this board.

I think it varies by the person, and more to the point, I think it can vary quite widely. 30 years ago, when I was in college, I had a few roommates, all of whom also wore bikinis. These were also straight men -- white, African-American, etc. It's pretty clear, especially from a recent discussion thread here, that someone a few years younger than I am would have likely had a much different experience. At the same time, someone my age from a different culture (or maybe even from a different spot in the US) would have likely also had a much different experience.

Still, on reflection, it's not like the dorm was chock full of young men wearing bikini briefs. There were many of us --a higher percentage than high school, perhaps -- but still not the majority. My first roommate was a football player, and he wore skimpy string bikinis and bikini briefs. Others did not. When I moved off campus to an apartment, a friend happened to pop by when I was doing laundry and I literally was just there in my underwear, a T-shirt (probably Metallica! ) and white string bikini briefs. My friend was from a VERY rural area, and he kind of started stammering and talking nervously when he saw what I was wearing. As for my part, I wasn't exactly crazy about the unannounced visit, but there wasn't much else I could do. I guess I could have wrapped a towel around me or something, but I was surprised by the visit and probably hungover, so I didn't connect those dots.

My then-roommate and I always would have been in our undies and not thought much of it and he, like me, was a hard-drinking, cigarette (and some other stuff)-smoking , pick-up truck driving menace.

An ex-girlfriend of mine from high school had gone to college for a year, ran away to get married, moved out of the country, then moved back, got divorced, ended up visiting me in college and, already knowing me and my preferences, also discovered that my roommate had similar ones. She kept giggling and talking about how much she had missed "cute Pennsylvania boys." What can I say? Masculine? Probably -- but also a part of the times, the person, and the circumstances!

[ioanniskef]

i think that masculinity and thongs have a strong relationship but in a kind of reverse role the big majority of the people are consider.
we had this conversation again with Carlos a few days ago and our girls took part. as men we strongly believe that if we relate masculinity and braveness, then the conclusion is obvious and maybe there is no reason to analyze further. i only say that consider how brave you are wearing something against the norm, against the social stigma, against immaturity of many many men and women.
if we relate masculinity and overcoming insecurities about considering gay ( if you are straight) or considering a gay who wears a thong just to show to everyone his "availability", then again the conclusion is obvious. As another friend said in another post, a thong going between the cheeks is a issue for the image of the stereotypic straight man,but also for a gay man for another reasons. in others words...Carlos asked... does the strap symbolize my volition to have a dick in my ass? OF COURSE NOT! the same goes for gay men..thong IS NOT a message that a gay man is a slut ( sorry for this word).
if we relate masculinity and self confidence and strong self esteam then again the conclusion is obvious. of course we feel very powerfull confidence when wearing a thong, we feel sexy in them.this small piece of fabric boost our self appreciation, makes us feel good and ,for me, is a constantly proove of well being. i have a life and i live every second.
so i absolutely think that wearing a thong empower our masculinity. and i am not talking about the toxic masculinity of our days. i am clearly talking about the masculinity of being a man -regardless sexual orientation- and feeling secure about your image,choices, whatever.
the same i would have said for the women is there was a related word to use.

[swimmer78]

This is an interesting topic. Without a doubt I think a culture's conception of masculinity strongly affects men's choices in underwear and swimwear. Here where I am in the southeastern US the culture is very conservative. (Look at any political map and it's red red red) and there's an unspoken rule that "real men" (I hate that phrase) only wear rigidly defined styles of underwear. And that is usually either boxers or boxer briefs in very dark neutral colors. This based on what I see offered in stores. Yes, there's some briefs available but they're greatly outnumbered. Surprisingly I did find thongs in a department store here a couple years ago. Speedos are not even available in most stores, I know of one little swim shop in my area that sells them. When I go to the beach or casual pool I'm the only man wearing a speedo. Homophobia and toxic, insecure masculinity are prevalent forces in the culture here but are largely impotent if you are brave enough to go against the grain. No one has questioned my sexuality or masculinity for wearing a speedo. At least not to my face. Really only my wife knows about my thong underwear and it has not diminished her attraction to me or my manliness in her view. Why should it?

Ioanniskef, you said it best and I have the same opinion, that wearing thongs is a brave thing for a man to do against the stigma. When I wear my thongs I feel confident, sexy, and masculine in a positive way. The fabric between my cheeks feels good and I'm fine with that, my cock is supported and not purposely hidden away. A bulge is visible in my pants. It's like my own little rebellion against against the immature masculinity we see all the time.

[blkmlthng]

I have taken some time to think about this article and here are my thoughts. When it comes to masculinity, I think I would appear masculine to most in appearance and how I carry myself. I’m a heterosexual African American male in my early 40’s, husband and father, have a pretty good job and drive a sports car. I used to have a pretty muscular build, which has shifted to a dad bod, and dress in a typical masculine presenting way. I tend to enjoy things society may consider masculine such as sports but my choice in underwear perhaps wouldn’t be considered as masculine. I know for me I like the way men’s bikinis and thongs look on me and my body. As a man it is important for me to have a healthy self image of my body. I will put on a pair of my underwear and take a few moments to admire how I look in them and it helps boost my confidence and makes me feel good about myself. I admire how the pouch frames my genitals and my ass and focus on the things I like about myself as opposed to things I may want to change. I also like for my underwear to feel comfortable and have functionality. I stopped liking boxers because they virtually offered no support and seemed pointless and made me feel like I was always wearing a pair of shorts under my clothes. While I liked the support of boxer briefs they were too much material and because I have thick thighs trunk briefs were not comfortable for me. Men’s Bikini, String Bikinis, Thongs and G-Strings offered the functionality I crave with the minimal material I prefer and it’s the perfect underwear combination for me.
I think that for me personally no matter what bikini and thong underwear will always carry a level of excitement for me. I still get a thrill in wearing a great pair of bikini or thong underwear. It’s nothing like a great pair of fitting sexy underwear! It makes me feel good, confident and sexy which in turn makes me feel good about me as a husband, a friend, employee, etc. Having my wife enjoy me wearing such underwear and respecting me as an individual who may not wear the “normal” men’s underwear helps also.
If you look at the mainstream of what’s being sold by big box retailers you see boxers or boxer briefs as the only option for men’s underwear that’s on display. If there are bikinis and thongs available you may have to hunt for them or purchase online. Last year I found some US Polo Association string bikinis at Wal Mart but that was short lived as all I see now is boxers, boxer briefs and occasional colored briefs. Around 2011 I worked near an outlet mall. I would go there during my lunch break and would go to the Jockey outlet. During that time they still sold their men’s bikinis, string bikinis and thong underwear. This was one of the places I was able to get my bikinis and thongs still in store other than the brands sold at Wal Mart, Target and Kmart at the time . Nowadays when you go to the Jockey website it appears that the men’s bikinis and thongs are hidden as if it’s shameful they make these style of underwear for men. Although a recent catalogue from Jockey i received did advertise jockstrap and thong so I guess that’s some progress.
Due to societally pressures of appearing/being masculine, I carried a lot of feelings of guilt and shame every time I would wear my underwear choice and was in fear what others would think about me if they knew what underwear I was wearing that I couldn’t really enjoy wearing what I felt was comfortable. Now I don’t worry about that anymore and I’m just as masculine in a tiny pink thong or bikini as I would be in black boxer briefs.

[Delabole]

I hate the toxic masculinity which tells guys what they can do and wear. It's the girls I look at on the beach, but I love to wear minimal coverage swimsuits in great colours, and have given up caring what others think. If others like wearing ghastly boardies and dork shorts, that is up to them but don't try to impose them on me!

[Bikenswim]

I am a very hairy guy, with the hairiest back at the Beach. No matter what skimpy suit or flat-front or girly colorful thong I wear, I still look masculine and no one ever minds. I roam around confidently.

[Cachondo]

Growing up in the 90s and early 2000s as a Latino, I never thought of bikinis or thongs as unmanly or feminine. Quite the contrary actually. If you've ever watched Spanish-language telenovelas/soap operas, especially those from the 90s, skimpy briefs and bikinis were the underwear and swimwear of choice of macho leading men. You could pick up a gossip magazine at a supermarket for candid shots of these manly actors at the beach in their swimsuits or risque photoshoots. The last time I was in Mexico, seemed like you could enter any store that sold clothes and easily find men's bikinis on sale. When I was much younger, I never gave much thought to boxers. I thought of them more like underwear for older men or more or a silly type of underwear like cartoon characters who would get stripped down to wearing boxers with a heart print on them.

However, I do think nowadays there is more of a shift for younger men towards boxer briefs, at least in Mexico. It still seems like a lot of men wear briefs and bikini briefs, but they don't seem to have the same image that they did especially in the 90s/early 2000s.