Loose Clothing & Men's Modesty

[TitanicJake]

I really don't get it. I went to a few stores to get shorts and they are all on my hips. Shorts now seem to come in size 42 waist. I have a small waist and I got frustrated at them mall. I only go like twice a year. I hit Ambercombie, Gap & Banana Republic.
The trend with baggy clothing in America is getting crazy. I wear clothing that is snug to my upperbody and a bit loose on the lower body. I've worked hard on my body and like to wear things that compliment me.
It just seems to me that clothing for men is promoting modesty more and more. Men are uptight about their bodies as it is and it seems that the trend for young people is to hide their bodies. I am a teacher and I see this in school. I am also a coach and the locker rooms are silent until I break the ice with the boys.
I just see a trend in our country. Cover up your body, wear loose clothing, and never show a bulge.
I am comfortable with my body. I've got white boardshorts for the beach and I don't wear anything underneath. I wear a speedotype suit at the gym during lap time.
Does anyone else notice how baggy all of the men's clothing is? I truly believe it leads to the modesty in the locker rooms and at the beach.
Jake

 

[that_other_guy]

I haven't encountered that @ all where I am ... and thanx to all the emo people, more stores have tighter jeans ... they are good for something

 

[SlickWilly]

maybe it's because America keeps getting fatter...

but yea, I can't wait for the baggy raggamuffin ghetto look to be over. I think it's time for the 70s to make a re-appearance... lean, tight bodies & skintight clothes!

 

[HorseHungHouseHusband]

You might wish to try other stores, instead of the ones that cater to mass trends. Mass trend stores will only sell what the public wants - baggy clothing.

 

[D_Bob_Crotchitch]

Now come on guys, we just had a thread about free balling and how good it feels to let it all swing and hang free. Maybe that is why kids like baggy stuff today. I like baggy because I hate being on display and don't like being squashed. If I'm interested in letting you see the outline, I'll find a way.

 

[systemshock3]

This is a subject that I have quite vehement about for some time. There seems to be a double standard with men and women in this country. Women are encouraged to wear tighter clothes, or less clothes. Men? Baggy, baggy, and more baggy.

This only really seemed to start in the last 6-8 years or so. Its effecting everyday clothing, underwear, EVERYTHING...but only in America.

Partially, I blame the fundamentalist right for making EVERYONE feel ashamed about their bodies. But, I also blame two pop-culture trends

1) Hip-Hop music. While I rather enjoy many of the artists work, their images, sadly enough, have become a driver of what is considered a desirable, successful male in American Culture for young men. Well, guess what THEY wear? Baggy, ill-fitted clothing. Blech.

2) The Fashion industry. There WAS a time, in the early-to mid 1990's, that there were plenty of images in the fashion industry that men, gay or straight, aspired to be. Antonio Sabato Jr, Tyson Beckford, Marky-Mark, Dan Cortese, that Eric Guy from MTV. The wore skimpy underwear, and fitted clothing, but they looked HEALTHY, MASCULINE, not overly muscular, but athletic. Women and men CLEARLY wanted to fuck them, and because of this, your average, everyday guy could see himself working out and eating right to look like them, and wanting to wear the nice clothes that they wore.

Contrast this with mens fashion in the last 6-8 years. I blame two major fashion labels for what I am about to say: Prada and Gucci. They are the first brands that spring to mind when I think of WHO THE FUCK started putting these skinny, androgenous, emaciated looking twigs of men on runways and fashion spreads?! IF they ARE shirtless, they looks like crack-heads, and if they are clothed, they look so weak and feminine in their suits or what-not that even I, as a gay man who has some interest in fashion say "I can NEVER be that thin, nor would I want to be...ewww...".

In this, as with many other things, the europeans seem to be ahead of us. Yes, they have the same fashion influences as we do..but there is also, at least in places like London and Berlin and Paris, a bit more emphasis on fit and detail in how one dresses. You see this in certain parts of the US as well. NYC, of course, but I have also noticed it on my travels to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale as well as L.A.

For myself, I increasingly feel a need to combine my own innate exhibitionism with a bit of 'fashion fuck-you' in my clothing decisions. I get comments at work about my body. I wear fitted dress shirts and slacks, nothing baggy. On casual fridays, I wear my low-rise jeans with a fitted T-shirt. Do I get looks? Yes. But that is the point, is it not? I and many other men work our asses off to get decent bodies.

I will NOT be told, however subliminally, by anyone that I should feel a shamed of my body, or that I happen to have a penis, or a pronounced ass.

I realy wish I could just yell at some guys, and let them know that they have NOTHING to be ashamed of, and that they should be proud of what they have. Even straight men, I have found, how wear fitted clothing and have decent bodies get a great deal of attention from women.

Straight men should remember one of the things that straight women lament: Something to the effect of: "Damn, all these guys guys look so good, they can dress, nice ass, nice chest, nice arms...too bad he's gay'. Some of my straight friends that I have dressed have gotten more attention when out in public just by dressing to accentuate whatever they have. They arent all gym-bunnies, either.

So, in summary, This, like many things, is a complex problem with many parts. It is but I think that a large component in fixing this problem is PRIDE: Giving men PRIDE in their bodies, and letting them know that they will be rewarded for displaying them.

 

[ledroit]

I really don't get it. Cover up your body, wear loose clothing, and never show a bulge.

My solution is to find very thin fabrics. They feel great freeballing, and if the pants are baggy, they don't hide my dick or ass. I don't think modesty has anything to do with body parts you can or can't see. It has to do with how much intelligence you use to present yourself. I like modesty about brains money virtue success family or power. I do not think you should be modest about your height color muscles dick ass legs chest or face. Bodies are a great joy we all share in common. One of the things I love about urban life is walking on the street, eating out, going places where I will see plenty of bodies, personalities, styles, faces and imaginations on display. I love anybody who knows how to dress and present themselves with imagination, style, fun, a little edge, personality and some sexiness. It reminds me how many different ways we have of enjoying each other and communicating with our bodies. I like seeing men's sexuality just as much as women's when I am out and about. The baggy clothes are a way of pretending you are doing nothing when you dress. But the people who can pull it off know exactly what they are doing. I saw a kid on the subway the other day in DC wearing fairly thin CK ribbed underwear, but his pants were all the way down under his ass in back, so in fact he was mooning everybody behind him when he walked. It was funny as hell, though he could barely keep his pants up by holding them in front. Fantastic ass too, and you could tell how much he wanted to show it off. It still makes me happy to remember what it looked like.

 

[Fire Stick]

I have indeed noticed how baggy men's clothes have become over recent years. I am 5'10", 150 lbs, 40" chest and 29" waist -- in the old days I would wear a medium size shirt or a small size shirt, if I wanted a tighter fit. Now most small shirts are not tight at all, although they may be too short. And pants or shorts -- Geez! -- it seems like anymore that they all are made for someone with an ass the size of Argentina. My dissatisfaction is not about not being able to find pants tight enough to show-off my package, it's about it being so hard to find pants that won't make me set sail in a strong breeze.

 

[jeff black]

Hate to BREAK IT to you... but the average american is overweight. These clothes you speak of.. may be huge on you, but they are perfectly tight to others. With people being so big, obviously they want more room. Business can't catter to EVERYONE, so they have a few smaller sizes and then aim for the larger demographic.

I agree with what has been said here. Shop in other places, that dont' carry name brands, or potentially places that specialze in bathing suits.

 

[that_other_guy]

maybe I'm in a time warp ... I haven't expirenced any of this ... & I am by no means overweight ...

 

[SpeedoGuy]

Women are encouraged to wear tighter clothes, or less clothes. Men? Baggy, baggy, and more baggy.

Yup, I sometimes sense that double standard too. If a guy wears tight or minimal clothing, he's a pervert or a pedophile or some such animal. If a gal wears tight clothes, well, guys grin and other women get jealous.

Personally, I usually wear loose fitting clothing because I feel more comfortable that way. I don't like the feel of clingy attire. But I don't wear such baggy clothing that I'm tripping over the crotch of my pants or have my shirts slipping off my shoulders (or my hat slipping down over my forehead and covering my eyes).

 

[mindstar]

Hate to BREAK IT to you... but the average american is overweight. These clothes you speak of.. may be huge on you, but they are perfectly tight to others. With people being so big, obviously they want more room. Business can't catter to EVERYONE, so they have a few smaller sizes and then aim for the larger demographic.

I agree with what has been said here. Shop in other places, that dont' carry name brands, or potentially places that specialze in bathing suits.

or try to find places that carry european labels

the europeans still tend to do slim fit without the skinny leg emo jean craze that seems to be happening... and can someone explain to me why on earth people wear their jeans halfway down their arse? There's one trend I don't understand - which looks even stupider with skinny leg jeans.

 

[slayer04]

in jersey however the ghetto look is fading for a more preppy look...stores like hollister and american eagle design very low cut jeans for guys that make our asses look good....for which i am thankful cuz my ass is huge...im not fat i play soccer lol...loose around the legs for mobility and honestly guys you may all like the bulge look but that is kind of tight for me personally i like room to breath in the groin area. i also ABHOR the whole emmaciated look....who finds that attractive.....girls don't for the guys...guys dont for the girls....all the gay guys don't for their guys....so who designs the look? its a mystery lol

 

[Wilde316]

Isn't there a happy middle ground, I like relaxed fit jeans, maybe because I like to be able to move, tight fitting dont provide enough airflow, but wearing my belt below my ass is dumb its a dumb style and its not even slightly attractive. As for shirts, wear what you want but if you're showing a gut, maybe its too small, unless thats the style you want.

 

[Simon9]

Hallelujah to everybody who hates that oversized, dragging-off-the-ass look that I still see so much of here in NJ. It's one of the stupidest fashions around since the backwards baseball cap thing seems to have died.

I used to wear my pants snugger but some months ago I sat down in front of a mirror that was very low and (besides seeing the weight I've gained over the years magnificently displayed) I was shocked at how obvious the crotch bulge was (I'm 7-8" soft). Now I saw what others saw when seated. And now I know why several of my coworkers stared pointedly at my crotch some days. I try to minimize that now.

 

[kurios]

Whether this 'baggy look' leads to modesty in the locker room or is just one of the behavioural reflections associated with a more prudish approach to nudity is hard to tell.
Teen and ealry 20's guys seem to spend more time adjusting already long shorts down to make sure their knees are covered than women do.
The number of these guys that either dont shower at the gym, do so with their shorts on, or do a ritualistic dance trying to get their shorts back on under a towel certainly seems to far outweigh those at ease with lockeroom nudity.
Cubicles around everything just seems to foster more secretiveness.
Hide almost anything that makes a male a male.
This change or swing seems to have come about with the generation hitting early teens about 6 to 8 years ago and as they have matured this uneasiness has followed them and those coming along. The 'baggy look' has kept them cocooned.

 

[Oncamale28]

Well i have 2 say that loose is comfortable, kinda like being naked but still clothed. I also read the other day that the trend is soon to reverse (the designers must come up with changing styles to sell new wardrobes, after all). Sooooooo maybe short and tight will be comming back???

 

[B_dxjnorto]

This change or swing seems to have come about with the generation hitting early teens about 6 to 8 years ago and as they have matured this uneasiness has followed them and those coming along. The 'baggy look' has kept them cocooned.

I think it's a side effect of our sue happy society re: sexual harassment. Schools can't afford the litigation. So no more group showers. It's kind of like the U.S. is the most privately licentious but publicly prudish society on earth.

Should that be publickly?

 

[handcuffsfan4]

i like the skinny look. but i am pretty thin and i have a nice ass if i do say so myself. but pants today are huge even if i get the right size they are all huge. girl jeans actualy fit me cuse i was born with an ass and more muscular legs. but shirts are crazy. im not going to go and buy girl shirts cuse that is going over the line, but guys smalls are huge on me. but finding a small is even harder than finding a small that fits. im sorry that im naturaly thinner than others but im not a balloon and wearing baggy shirts with tight jeans looks odd. it takes the whole reason of trying to show off my ass cuse it covers it.

i tried wearing bagger clothing but it just feels like im swimming in fabric. plus being thin in huge clothes makes you look even smaller than you are.

the guys in highschool are very modest though and its not only because of the media but also because bodies dont change all at once. but peopels bodies are very disproportianate in adolesence so guys try to hide this with clothing so that girls dont notice. but a girl wont notice you if you arnt showing anything off so i decided to get looks even if they dont like you, looks are always a good thing.

 

[SlickWilly]

while we're on the subject... someone needs to teach girls how to dress as well. Everywhere I go, I see these mid-teen to mid-20s girls (who are typically about 20 to 40 pounds overweight) wearing skintight hiphugger jeans that do NOTHING to flatter their figure & have rolls of flab spilling out everwhere. They seem to finish it off with a short, tight top that lets their belly hang out for all to see. This is attractive?