Speedomania! The Swimsuit Gay Men Love

Speedos are GAY GAY GAY

As the decades rolled on, Speedo-type swimwear continued to grow in popularity even among the casual swimmer — not for aesthetic reasons, but for practical ones: in addition to providing more “support,” Speedos dry quickly, provide for a better tan line, and allow for a better range of motion underwater.

For most of the world, Speedos still remain the swimsuit of choice for most men today. In Australia where they’re particularly popular, they’re called sluggos, banana hammocks, or budgie smugglers. And you’d make a fool out of yourself wearing baggy trunks on a beach in Brazil.

As with the metric system, the rest of the world is wearing Speedos because it’s just the most logical suit choice.

But the United States? Well, not so logical. The 1970s saw the start of a major Speedo backlash. Why? The growing sexualization of men’s bodies, and of the Speedo in particular. While the media certainly played up the rise of male sex symbols, in particular athletes like Joe Namath and the Speedo-clad Mark Spitz, it didn’t take long for the public to realize that it wasn’t just heterosexual women who were appreciating their bodies.

From left to right: Mark Spitz, Jim Palmer, Joe Namath

This was too much for Puritanical, homophobic American men. It was one thing for straight men to sexualize bikinis, “camel toes,” and the female form; but what was good for the goose was certainly not good for the uptight gander.

“Canada faces the same small-mindedness,” says Tewksbury. “In high school, my picture was in the paper with my Speedo on, and I never heard the end of it! Europe is completely different. They just don't have the same hang-ups with nudity or sexuality that we have in North America.”

In any event, Speedos were suddenly “gay.” And it wasn’t just heterosexual men making the association; straight women began to think of Speedos as gay too, sometimes complaining that they were “too much information.” Interestingly, this has never been a problem for the gay and bisexual suit enthusiast.

Straight North American men gravitated en masse to trunks and board shorts — the baggier the better, to the point where they’ve now reached ridiculous proportions. The suits make no sense as actual swimwear, but they do accomplish the desired function, which was to completely hide all evidence of “the junk” from public view, even when wet. (Fortunately for the world, Mario Lopez wears white trunks, which become semi-transparent when wet.)

Mario Lopez

“You can’t bring sexy back in a Speedo,” Justin Timberlake said recently, despite the fact that he wore one (for comic effect) in The Love Guru.

Justin Timberlake in a scene from The Love Guru (2008)

Next Page! Greg Louganis holds a grudge! And Ricky Martin's Speedo verses Arnold's!