Speedo Swimwear

Speedo, one of the most controversial yet popular types of men’s swimwear, was introduced by swimwear company Speedo in Bondi Beach, Australia. Speedo produces swimwear for both recreational and professional swimmers. Men’s speedos resemble conventional men’s underwear and are thought to be too scant and lewd for public wear. Most people think men’s Speedos are appropriated only for athletes and professional swimmers. Although speedos have gained popularity over time most men still hesitate about wear their speedos at beaches and other public places. This is because of the overrated controversy speedos have been associated with right from the beginning. The fact that we accept various women’s bikinis (such as thong bikinis, Brazilian bikinis, micorkinis, string bikinis, monokinis and sheer and wet bikinis etc) that leave very little or nothing to imagination as being acceptable for public wear but find too tight men’s swimwear i.e. speedos rude and offensive is a paradox in itself. Men wearing swimsuits at public places such as public swimming pools and beaches etc have to face crude remarks from both men and women who are uncomfortable with someone wearing a speedo publicly.

Taking its name from the creation of the world’s largest swimwear company, men’s speedo includes almost all types of brief men’s swimwear. Like conventional underwear, speedos are worn under the lower waist and are held in place by a drawstring or band at the upper thighs. Speedos are generally manufactured from lycra, spandex and lycra ensuring a skin tight fit. This skin tight fit is one of the best and worst features of speedos at the same time since men who prefer wearing speedos over other types of swimsuits generally go for skin tight fitting and comfortable wear as the reason for their preference. On the other hand, critics of speedos are of the view that this skin tight fit is too rude and lewd to be worn publicly.

This is a never ending argument and despite severe criticism sales of speedos has shown substantial growth in almost all parts of the world. This controversy raises the question as to why both as individuals and as a society are comfortable with women flaunting their sexuality roaming around practically nude but can not accept men wearing only a firm fitting garment. We can get a fair idea about the ever increasing popularity of speedos from the fact that a number of the world’s largest swimsuit retailers (and designers) have incorporated them into their collections. These among others include Nike, Adidas, Calvin Klien, Dolce & Gabbana and Tyr Swimwear. Gaining popularity and acceptability as a type of men’s swimwear, various companies have now introduced speedos for women.

The acceptability and popularity of speedos varies from region to region. Speedo style swimsuits are the most popular type of men’s swimwear in Japan and China. Other regions where men can be seen sporting speedos include Asia, Europe, South America and Australia. Moreover, athletes and professional swimmers from all parts of the world wear speedos as professional attire. Australians have embraced speedos more quickly than American’s. This is evident from the fact that a recent survey pronounced speedos as the preferred style of swimwear over board shorts by 60 percent to 40 percent. Here you should keep in mind that board shorts were Australians’ favorite style of men’s swimwear before the introduction of speedos and are still immensely popular through out the country. Athletes have also reported wearing speedos as underwear over the professional gear. For example various rugby and football players from New Zealand and Brazil have admitted to wearing them as underwear beneath their uniforms. Speedos may also be your young boy’s favorite type of swimwear since almost all of his favorite characters including Superman, Spiderman and Batman wear speedos over the costumes.