I regret the day...
Wow Cumrag,
You really hit the nail on the head there. I have many much older friends who tell me that back in the day the YMCA not only encouraged nudity in the swimming pools... they required it. They had signs saying, "No Clothing Allowed".
I would say that from about the 90's on that the younger guys got more and more and more modest with being nude in front of other guys. Even at the beach all the swimwear for men went from form fitting polyester to nylon with with mesh inside, to the boardies that cover everything from the waist to the knee. God forbid you see even a little bit of the lower thigh.
I had forgotten that the draft eliminated a requirement by nearly all young U.S. males to shower with very large groups of other men. It forced men at an early age to accept and be proud of their nude body as it was. A guy who had body issues was forced to adjust and become more confident being nude. A guy with a 1 1/2 inch softie had to trot right in there and stand next to the guy who had 6 inches or more soft.
While some of the more extreme modesty by some guys is a fear of gay guys seeing their goods...I fear there is also just a lack of "body confidence" as you say. And I don't think that is a healthy thing either. It negatively impacts the overall self esteem.
Dear Tampa24,
When I grew up, guys actually had a package and a butt. I guess due to genetic manipulation of our food supply, these no longer exist just like T-Rex. I can't tell you how fortunate I feel to actually know the organic contours of a male body.
Kids growing up today with their over-sized and disgustingly baggy shorts or pants have really missed the boat, the visually and sexually appealing boat. When I was in school, girls were all aflutter (and i might add more than a few guys as well) over guy's beautifully rounded butts and secretly over their impressive packages hanging either to the left or right. Boy bulges, whether natural or assisted with unused socks, were all the rage back then. Straight guys especially can't imagine the extent of what they have been robbed of by conforming to America's male equivalent of a "
burqa". I am sure however, the Taliban would gladly approve.
I remember in the golden/olden days when basketball stars actually had something more than stumps for legs appearing below the hems of their shorts. Imagine that! And that applies equally to old grampa-styled boxers. What could be more sexually appealing than that!
Surely, sexuality is not DEAD, is it? Regardless of one's sizable package, form fitting underwear actually do work and work very well accommodating even those "
sizable packages" while
adding a now rare visual treat for your significant other. Essentially, you get two for the price of one. That should be seen as a "sweet deal". I consider "form fitting underwear" to be "underwear with perks". Perks and an occasionally noticeable stiffy for your added visual enjoyment. And avoiding whiplash while walking, running, or riding a horse.
Why all the denial? Afraid to step up to the plate with all bulges proudly displayed? Enjoy what you have got while you have still have it and to the maximum extent possible! WORDS TO LIVE BY. I think this fashion has robbed all of us unnecessarily while wasting tons and tons of needless fabric, and for what? Sheer stupidity are the only words that come to mind.
Thank you for letting me get this fashion burden off my chest!