I lived in the U.K. and in Ireland for many years, and the speedo-friendliness of both places declined even during the time I was there, which is quite sad…only old guys at the pool (and me!) usually wore them.

I have not been much to mainland Europe, but when I was in Switzerland, right on Lake Geneva in Geneva, I went out on a kind of promenade/dock into the lake where there were loads of sunbathers. There were topless women, and there were lots of hot guys around, but all of the young hot guys wore midcuts or “worse,” and the only guys wearing speedo-type suits were considerably older (50s or more). I should have gone to the local pool while there, because they had a “speedos only” rule for hygiene purposes–too many guys would come in wearing their board shorts and then just swim in them, which they didn’t like. Intriguing! I wish things like that were done in the U.S.!

I think the actual Mediterranean countries are much better, though–Italy, Spain, Greece, and France.

There’s a total anti-speedo commercial that has been on for the last few months here (a beer commercial), suggesting that guys who wear speedos (or as they call them in the commercial, “European man-thongs”…and the one the guy is wearing isn’t even a thong!) are both tasteless and not real men, nor are Europeans who like such things. Tragic…

Dr. Phil- I hate that commercial.

I wish we had a culture that celebrated the body more and didn’t care what you choose to wear to the pool or beach.

I lived in Spain, and neither Spanish young people use speedos. Sometimes I drive to France (I live just 20 minutes by car from France), and French people are more speedo users. More news this coming summer

Me

The U.S. hates the speedo style and I don’t know why. I have heard its the Puritin Attitude. I usually wear speedos style anyway. As an example last summer a friend and I went to a local beach wearing speedos. It was hot and crowded. We had to take a spot by an older couple. The woman punched her husband and said lets move theres a couple of “them” by us. Still give me my speedo style anytime. I’ve worked hard for my body and I am proud to show it.

Portuguese men are hot too. I personally hate seeing guys wearing their underwear under their boardshorts, it’s disgusting.

It looks like they are on the same ‘Team’. I hope so. Fashions change all the time. short hair/long hair, boardies/speedos. Time to switch back to speedos and show off those worked out bods.

Very much agreed, all…

I have a gay friend who said he’d rather go to a nude beach or event than a speedos-only beach or event, and that it would be embarrassing to have to wear speedos in public. Really? I’m totally the opposite, myself…

When I was populating my stubby plastic towns there were only a few varieties of the little guys but since then theres been a plastic population explosion even including licensed properties like Star Wars and Spider Man. When I was populating my stubby plastic towns there were only a few varieties of the little guys but since then theres been a plastic population explosion even including licensed properties like Star Wars and Spider Man.