The Bottom Drawer Forums

I remember back in the early 1990s and before then, there was no stigma if a man wore low-rise, bikini, string bikini, thongs and speedos... but for the past 15 years or so, wearing bikinis, speedos, thongs, etc., has become something thought of as gay, sissy, perverse, etc. Now, if a man wears a speedo/bikini/thong to the beach people just assume that he is a homosexual.

I remember back in high school in the 1980s that men could wear what they wanted to and there was no persecution.

I guess what I am asking is what happened to cause the shift in social acceptance. When did our attitudes change?

JustSomeDude71 wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 9:29 am I remember back in the early 1990s and before then, there was no stigma for men to wear low-rise, bikini, string bikini, thongs and speedos... but for the past 15 years or so, wearing bikinis, speedos, thongs, etc., has become something thought of as gay, sissy, perverse, etc. if you see a man wearing a speedo/bikini/thong to the beach people just assume that he is a homosexual.

I remember back in high school in the 1980s that men could wear what they wanted to and there was no persecution.

I guess what I am asking is what happened to cause the shift in social acceptance. When did our attitudes change?

Hard to give a definitive answer to your question,but I can think of a few reasons why things changed.1/ The media machine,be it newspapers,magazines or whatever,have generally been very negative and scathing towards men in skimpy swimwear,and very few celebrities,who would normally have a positive influence on their followers,have the confidence to raise their head above the parapet and be seen in a speedo. 2/ Lots of women,when asked about their thoughts about men wearing revealing swimwear/underwear,will generally give it a thumbs down even if they secretly like what they see. And many men,whether they like it or not,rely on their wives and girlfriends to buy their underwear,most of which will be of the boring boxers and boxer briefs style 3/ The dreaded and outdated stereotype that what style of underwear/swimwear you choose to wear defines your sexuality. A single man on a beach in a thong will more than likely have aspersions cast against him. But a married guy wearing a thong while accompanied by his wife and x amount of children will be viewed differently. These are just a few thoughts that I've had on the subject,but there are many more possible reasons.

I agree with T's thoughts; the media drives peoples perceptions first and foremost. Advertisers show actors and athletes in boxers and boxer briefs, so men wanting to be like them buy what they see them wearing. Think back (or Google) vintage Jockey ads, you would see their boxers and such, but you also saw the likes of Jim Palmer in their Elance bikini; you never see ads like that any more. I remember shopping early/mid 90s at JCPenney and seeing the Jockey Elance Bikini and string bikini in the mens underwear department; today almost no big box store sells "skimpy" underwear in the store - instead if they do sell even the slightest style they are online only. Women's clothing continued to get smaller and smaller, but men's got longer and baggier. Look at basketball shorts from the 90 compared to today - now they are almost past the players knees. And like you said, skimpier underwear is associated with the man's sexuality - but a mans choice in underwear has nothing to do with his sexuality.

JustSomeDude71 wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 9:29 am I remember back in the early 1990s and before then, there was no stigma for men to wear low-rise, bikini, string bikini, thongs and speedos... but for the past 15 years or so, wearing bikinis, speedos, thongs, etc., has become something thought of as gay, sissy, perverse, etc. if you see a man wearing a speedo/bikini/thong to the beach people just assume that he is a homosexual.

I remember back in high school in the 1980s that men could wear what they wanted to and there was no persecution.

I guess what I am asking is what happened to cause the shift in social acceptance. When did our attitudes change?

Found a beach clip that perfectly describes what you mentioned: https://vimeo.com/221808246

Check out around 28 mins ; )

stringbikinidude wrote: Tue Jul 14, 2020 5:10 am

JustSomeDude71 wrote: Sun Jul 12, 2020 9:29 am I remember back in the early 1990s and before then, there was no stigma for men to wear low-rise, bikini, string bikini, thongs and speedos... but for the past 15 years or so, wearing bikinis, speedos, thongs, etc., has become something thought of as gay, sissy, perverse, etc. if you see a man wearing a speedo/bikini/thong to the beach people just assume that he is a homosexual.

I remember back in high school in the 1980s that men could wear what they wanted to and there was no persecution.

I guess what I am asking is what happened to cause the shift in social acceptance. When did our attitudes change?

Found a beach clip that perfectly describes what you mentioned: https://vimeo.com/221808246

Check out around 28 mins ; )

Managed to watch some of the footage from the beach video you mentioned. Hard to believe it was filmed almost 30 years ago. Within the first minute the camera zooms in on a muscular guy in a very skimpy blue speedo who not surprisingly has quite a lot of eyes on him as he walks about. Good to see a number of younger guys wearing swim briefs,and I wonder if they continued to wear them into their 40's and 50's,or whether they ended up like the other sheep in boring board shorts?

I quite think the opposite. Back then a man in a thong was considered "gay" (no offence to anyone). Today, with the LGBTQIA2S+ movement, things have progressed to a new level of acceptance. FYI, I go for a walk along the main beaches in my city and see women (and men) in thongs all the time. Thirty years ago it was unheard of and would probably warrant a warning from the police. Guys in a thong may be perceived as gay but as already indicated by another member... what you wear does NOT signify your sexuality. I am straight and have worn thongs at the nude beach, but I have never worn them at the main beaches (where I see them now).

I think there is more tolerance now than before. I just sold some new thongs on CL recently and the male buyer showed up in a yellow biking pant with a black thong underneath - it was VERY visible. I don't judge, nor discriminate. Wear what you like, but it should be in good taste - acceptable to all genders and ages.

I've thought about this a bit too after going through a lot of the messages on these forums. I largely ignored the boxer "revolution" having tried one pair one time for less than a minute. It was kind of funny because all through the 90s, I just wore my bikinis through college, and some jobs, some grad school. One girl I dated in the early 2000s I had also dated when in college ten years prior and when she got my jeans off and saw my bikinis (still, after those intervening years) her reaction was one of relief. She said something like, "I'm SO glad you still wear your skimpy little briefs." I have not deviated from that, and I'm guessing there are enough out there like me who continue to make it worthwhile for even the major companies like Jockey and Hanes to continue to make and market bikinis and thongs.

Personally I blame it on two things:

• The rise in popularity in Hip Hop, skater, and basketball cultures which all emphasized men's fashion to be bigger and baggier to appear more "masculine" in contrast to women's fashion. This extended to the underwear where boxers were seen as the epitome of masculinity.

• The HIV scare and rise in homophobia where any piece of men's fashion that wasn't baggy and bulky was seen as "feminine" and only gay men would wear.

It's kind of hard to see that this fashion has lasted this long. Boxers may not be as popular as they once were, but long bulky shorts are still seen as the only acceptable fashion for men.

I just began to wear more briefs and bikinis over boxers and boxer briefs that I had worn over the last 20 years. This is just strictly a comfort thing for me. I also stopped wearing baggier jeans a few years back.