As we began packing for our trip to France, my wife urged me to buy a Speedo bathing suit for the trip. The key feature is the skimpy, minimalist style, not the brand per se. And the explanation is not that my wife thinks I lood good in such attire; few 49 year olds should even say the word "Speedo."
The reason instead is that during our stay in Toulouse in 1997 we discovered that public swimming pools require men to wear Speedos rather than the "shorts" style more common in the U.S. The official explanation from the pool was that Speedos are more sanitary. The unofficial explanation from friends was that this policy discouraged "youth from the banlieues (suburbs)" from visiting the pool.
It turns out, as I should have predicted, that the hotel pools we are visiting on this trip have no policy about Speedos. I forgot to pack a non-Speedo suit, however, so my family had a good laugh at my expense. My daughter's best friend had a similar experience a few years ago, when her father was forced to "go Speedo." The exact quote was, "The sight of my Dad in a Speedo is something one does not easily forget."
How about a picture?
Posted by: Greg | July 17, 2006 at 09:27 AM
What? So you look like an upside down pear with a rubber band.
Posted by: Anonymous | July 17, 2006 at 01:19 PM
Minimal government = good
Minimal junk coverage = bad
Posted by: Josh | July 18, 2006 at 01:12 AM
So what is the libertarian view on speedos? Is it a communist plot or what?
Posted by: Alan Brown | July 19, 2006 at 05:59 AM
always found it interesting how we expect females to wear something miminal, but that we can't or looked down on when we do.
Posted by: Clifford | August 09, 2006 at 08:58 AM
Sigh....another example of the immaturity Americans seems to have slipped into after the 1980s. All this fuss over a type of swim apparel and the male body.
Believe me, nobody really cares about a man in a speedo, those who are making comments are hiding some insecurity or feigning disinterest!
Posted by: KL | May 14, 2007 at 01:21 AM
I'm a 48 year old male, and always wear speedos as bathing suits. When I go to the USA, they find that it looks gay. They perfer to wear swimming suits down to their ankles, while the females can look sexy in their bikinis. Why is it that guys can't wear speedos in the States? I think that most Amercicans are over weight and would look stupid in a speedo, so they wear very long and wide bathing suits to hide their blubber. An athletic slim man looks good in a speedo, and floats around in those over sized American swimming suits.
Posted by: John | May 10, 2008 at 06:04 PM
Came across your post by chance. I'm European and really don't get American hang-ups about Speedos. We don't even think twice about wearing Speedos. I bought boardshorts and simply don't find them comfortable for swimming in.
As for the 'ugly American' in your title, we love Americans...just don't send us the ones who feel it's OK to shout and be loud everywhere! Or the war-mongering type either.
Posted by: Damien | September 03, 2008 at 12:56 PM
American guys learned as boys that if you don't pretend to find the male body as ugly everyone will think you're gay - which was the worst thing a boy could deal with. A lot of American men cna handle ohter guys in speedos but are afraid to say so. I think that women who find speedos shocking tend to have problems with masculinity in general and probably think the men's movement is immature, which is an immature thought in itself. I admire the courage of man in the USA who wear them!
Posted by: Joe | March 22, 2009 at 01:15 PM
I agree with Joe, March 22, post. I think men's swimwear has gotten too long and baggy, add some color and men look like clowns with no shirts. How about going a little shorter and more fitted. Men in America are extremely homophobic. But what is so sad, is that the more homophobic they become, the more unattractive they try to look. Women are becoming manphobic. They are getting so unreasonable that they are not only shocked by a man in a speedo, but they are now shocked at seeing a man's thigh. This is a pathetic statement of Men (and women) in America.
Posted by: Michelle | August 10, 2009 at 09:25 AM
Wow that is soo funny! I hope you have not decided to make the speedo your first choice in swimwear now..
Posted by: mens swimwear | December 10, 2009 at 02:52 PM
I bought boardshorts and simply don't find them comfortable for swimming in.
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Posted by: NICKK8 | April 15, 2011 at 10:30 AM
a good alternative to a mankini ... hehe i dont think they are a good idea. the spedo is as far as i will go
Posted by: Logan Mcree | May 09, 2011 at 05:09 AM
I am a prowrestler on the indie circuit.I have a large, but firm build. When I lay out at the beach in a speedo I get looks and sometimes people move. When I am at a wrestling eventin my wrestling trunks, women cheer me and even hit on mesometimes.
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