Speedo (suit style)

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A speedo, which takes its name from the swimsuit brand Speedo, may refer to any briefs-style male swimsuit such as those used in competitive swimming, regardless of the actual manufacturer (see genericized trademark). Such garments are otherwise also referred to as competition briefs, swim briefs, dick togs, budgie smugglers, dick stickers, bathers, posing briefs, or racing briefs. Speedos were invented by the Australian company, Speedo.

Like the underwear briefs, speedos feature a "V-shape" front and a solid back providing form-fitting coverage. They are usually worn below the lower waist, but some can be wear at the waist ressembling the briefs worn by some professional wrestlers. They are secured by a drawstring and thin banding at the upper thighs. Most speedos are made of a nylon and lycra/spandex composite. Suits commonly have an elastic front lining made of similar fabric and are secured around the waist with a cord draw string.

Contents 1 Use 2 Styles 2.1 Racing suits 2.2 Drag suits 2.3 Triathlon swimming briefs 2.4 Square leg suits 2.5 Men's bikinis 3 Fashion 3.1 World 3.2 North America 4 Manufacturers 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Use

Speedos are used by professional and recreational athletes in many watersports. They are preferred in competitive swimming for the reduction of the water's drag on the swimmer, although knee-length jammers are also common for male swimmers. Speedos are typically worn by competitive divers and in water polo. Some participants in sports that require a wetsuit such as waterskiing, Scuba diving, surfing and wakeboarding prefer to wear speedos as an undergarment to the wetsuit, as opposed to shorts, for purposes of comfort.

[edit] Styles

Briefs used for competitive and recreational swimming are manufactured in standard sizes and in waist measurements. They are available in a wide variety of solid colors and patterned designs.

[edit] Racing suits

The most common racing suit styles are 1.5in to 3in panelled briefs (as measured by the length of the suit's side panel). The racing suit's main function is to reduce the drag of an athlete in water, thus improving his time. For this reason racing suits are made of materials that hug the body, minimize friction and minimize water retention. Lycra (Spandex) suits generally produce less drag, but are also more vulnerable to prolonged exposure to chlorine than nylon. Therefore, nylon suits are preferred for training and practice, where the increased durability is required for the long periods of usage and the extra resistance brings a training benefit. Lycra suits (and composite hi-tech swimwear fabrics) are preferred for actual racing. In water polo and sometimes in diving, suits may have panels greater than 3 inches.

Water polo players generally wear racing suits, despite the trends in swimming to move to jammers or square cuts. Some players wear specialized suits, usually of a tighter fit, made of tougher or more slippery fabric that is intended to thwart pulling and grabbing during rough play.

[edit] Drag suits

Some swimmers use a specialized training suit to artificially increase drag during practice. Drag suits are briefs with an outer layer of looser fabric - often mesh or nylon - to increase resistance against the water and build up the swimmer's endurance. They come in a variety of styles, though most resemble a looser fitting square-cut suit.

[edit] Triathlon swimming briefs

A special variety of briefs made for the triathlon features the racing suit's design for the swimming portion of the race but also incorporates light padding in the crotch of the garment for the bicycle portion of the race. This is a lighter version of the chamois in cycling shorts, to allow running in to be performed more efficiently and the shorts to dry faster after the swim.

[edit] Square leg suits

The square cut or square leg style suit is sometimes used as a slightly more conservative style than the racing brief for water polo and diving, or for recreational wear. They typically sit low on the waist and high on the thigh, but provide more coverage for the upper leg than briefs. The square-cut style was popular as a recreational swimsuit for men during the 1950s.^[1]

Suits of this type are named for the coverage that they provide to the upper thighs due to a square seam opening for the leg. Square leg suits range in appearance from those similar to the racing brief with a slightly straighter front and wider side panelling (eliminating the arc appearance on the leg) to those resembling jammers or some underwear designs (such as boxer briefs) by providing an inch or more of fabric coverage over the upper section of the leg.

Another type of the square leg suit nicknamed the "funky short" for its colorful floral patterns was popular in Australia in the 1970s and made a fashion comeback in 2004 for recreational swimming and beach wear. In 2006, square cut suits resembling its 1950s predecessor made a comeback in the United States and Europe. Several fashion designers including Versace and Dolce & Gabanna introduced designer retro-style square leg suits to their catalogs, and Speedo followed suit with a more moderately priced version.^[1]

[edit] Men's bikinis

Suits less than 1.5 inches wide at the hips, sometimes called bikinis, are less common for sporting purposes and, unlike the racing style, are not designed specifically for drag reduction. Bikinis are sometimes worn for recreational uses including fashion preferences and sun tanning to minimize suit coverage. This style is also popular in the sport of bodybuilding where it is known as the posing brief.

[edit] Fashion

Swimwear designs in the 20th century, especially among women, moved progressively toward comfort and became more revealing with the introduction of styles such as the bikini. Speedos may be the equivalent swimwear development for men, but the fashion has caught on at greatly different paces depending on the region of the world.

Austin Silver, a fashion consultant at AskMen.com, points to the athletic advantages, comfort, range of motion, and obtaining a better tan as the main reasons stated by people who wear the style. ^[2] Others recommend their hydrodynamics for swimming, much like competitive swimmers. The speedo style also dries quickly for wear out of the water.^[3]

Due to its apparent utilitarian value for both swimming and sunbathing, the bikini-type competitive swimsuits colloquially known as "budgie smugglers" became popular among non-professional swimmers and beach-goers in many parts of the world. Men of all ages wear speedos at beaches and pools in many locations outside the United States.

In the United States, however, the opposite trend has developed since the 1980s. While women's swimwear remains scanty, men's swimwear has evolved into boardshorts that are baggy and long enough to reach the knees, or below.

[edit] World

The fashionability of speedos varies greatly in different parts of the world. The style is commonly worn by men of all ages, either at beaches or pools, in regions such as Asia, Australia, South America and mainland Europe. In China and Japan, men exclusively wear speedos as swimwear.

In Europe, says Silver, "Speedos are the bathing suit of choice for men, young and old." Fashion expert Chris Ronvy concurs, noting their comparative popularity in Europe over the United States, where he "recommend(s) wearing swimming trunks instead of a Speedo any day."^[4]

According to fashion experts whether or not the style is fashionable is often a product of culture and geography. In Australia, speedos are regurarily seen on men, although less widespread than in Europe. A recent store sales estimate indicated that speedos were the preferred swimsuit for men in Australia (where they are often referred to as "budgie smugglers" or "banana hammocks" or the Grape Cape), beating out boardshorts (known as "boardies") by 60% to 40%.^[5] The style is historically less popular in nearby New Zealand where a recent poll showed three quarters of men preferring shorts to speedos ^[6], but fashion there has been trending toward speedos in recent years.^[7] Speedos have also been gaining popularity amongst sportsmen in Australia and New Zealand as underwear during competition, especially in rugby. Reasons for wearing them include increased support and comfort.

In some South American countries such as Brazil, speedos are the norm and the standard racing brief style can be relatively conservative.

In some countries, speedo-style briefs are often compulsory in public or resort swimming pools, as in the common French language sign "slip de bain obligatoire, shorts interdits" ("swimming briefs required, no shorts allowed"). This is considered a matter of hygiene and public health, as shorts which have been worn as streetwear prior to entering the pool may be dirty and hence pollute the water. In this instance, the management of the public pool/resort is assuming that the briefs have not been worn as general streetwear, as it they would generally not be considered appropriate attire in many public places, such as shopping malls. This can perhaps further explain why the speedo has limited appeal in some countries, such as New Zealand, as discussed above.

The similarity of speedos to underwear inherently discourages the use of speedos to some beach and pool patrons. As one television segment in New Zealand (and a similar one in Australia) states "Togs. Togs. Togs. Undies. If you can't see the beach, you are in underpants. Shopping malls. Elevators. Supermarkets. If we all treated the budgie smuggler with a little respect, we will get through summer safely."

Surf lifeguards in various countries are often required to wear speedos for competition and/or patrol duties. This is particularly true in New Zealand and Australia, who are typically the world leaders in Surf Life Saving Competitions. This has led to the development of the phrase "It's all right, I'm a lifeguard". This was originally used as a response by the lifeguard when a concerned member of the public was enquiring as to why the subject person was in fact wearing speedos. This phrase has now been extended for use in a variety of situations thus allowing lifeguards to explain their sometimes-eccentric behaviour in any situation.

[edit] North America

In contrast to Europe, more modest styles such as boardshorts are the most common swimsuit style for men in the United States and English-speaking Canada where the speedo is seen as too revealing, aesthetically unfashionable on some people or associated with homosexuality. Speedos are more frequent in Quebec but not nearly as popular as in Europe, Australia or other regions.

One of the most common American fashion complaints is that speedos are worn by "the wrong people." ^[8] A lot of the fashion preference in this region appears to be the result of the negative stereotypical image of an overweight, elderly, and/or excessively hairy European walking on the beach in a speedo-styled suit. Several fashion surveys of North American women have rated speedos unfavorably due to this negative image.^{[citation needed]} Silver observes "it's all about the environment" and predicts that the negative stereotype of the "fat, hairy, old guy who struts his stuff" would go by the wayside among Americans if the design became fashionable in their culture.^[8] For example, the negative "elderly European" image is not as much of problem in New Zealand and Australia, where the style is more popular among younger generations.^[7] Recent data showing most Speedos in Australia and New Zealand are bought by men aged between 20 and 30.

In 2006, several swimwear designers added square-legged speedos to their United States catalogs reflecting their increasing popularity. This trend is considered a reaction to the board short's recent popularity as a piece of everyday clothing, moving away from its swimwear origins. Also contributing is the metrosexual trend, which has raised body and clothing consciousness among young urban professionals.

Despite this trend, the speedo remains taboo for many Americans, at least in public.^[9] A swimwear retailer recently interviewed on fashion trends by the Contra Costa Times remarked "I don't think a lot of guys would admit that they buy them, but they do." The Times' article indicates that location may determine where Americans wear speedos. "There's also public versus private swimwear, as in sunbathing at home or on vacation."^{[citation needed]} But in public places themselves, opinions about the speedo also tend to diverge from one location to another. For example, the speedo is generally more accepted or unnoticed in recreational indoor pools where people indisputably go out for swimming, as opposed to outdoor pools or beaches where relaxing outside the water is often the preferred activity.

Even in North America, fashion opinions about the speedo are often more favorable when the person is in shape and in specific circumstances - typically when worn by athletes and physically fit persons. Many celebrities and pop culture icons who do the speedo style such as Prince William and football star David Beckham have received media attention for their fashion choice.^[10]

As in the rest of world, speedos are typically used by competitive swimmers and divers in North America.

[edit] Manufacturers

In addition to the style's namesake company Speedo, competitive briefs-style swimwear are produced by companies including Nike, truWest, Tyr, Dolce & Gabbana, Dolfin, Arena, Kiefer and Adidas. Many of these companies have expanded their merchandise to reflect recent trends in water sports. These include the growing popularity of the jammer style and the development of full body suits for competitive swimming. On the fashion end, several designer companies including Nautica have begun lines of speedo-style suits in the United States. Most designer brands of male swimwear in Europe, Asia and Australia produce lines of speedo-style suits.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Why (most) men (in the U.S.) don't (won't) wear Speedos

v • d • e Competitive swimwear Female suits: Racerback • Kneeskin • Bodyskin Male suits: Competition briefs • Jammers • Legskin • Kneeskin • Bodyskin Accessories: Goggles • Swim cap Training gear: Training fins • Pull buoy • Hand Paddles • Fistgloves • Swimming board • Swimming machine • Water wings