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It has been a bit of a round-about journey for men’s swimwear, from the 9 pound Jantzen suit of the early 1900s to the less modest Speedos and back to the dependable, high coverage boardshort. Frank swims back in time…The swimsuit begins its history in ancient Greece and Rome. In these ancient civilizations, public bathing was a common and popular tradition, although on the whole men bathed in the nude. By the fall of the Roman Empire, public bathing and the accompanying swimwear worn by women fell out of style for several hundred years. During the Middle Ages in Europe, men and women rarely bathed, in fact public bathing was viewed as immoral... read full article

#1

The history of swimwear

Thanks for this article - I certainly enjoyed the photos being one of your female readers! Can you do the History of Underwear next time?

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#2

The history of swimwear

Bring back the jumpsuits!

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#3

The history of swimwear

Swimwear with insulation around temperature sensitive organs would be a great evolution.
Us blokes would be happy that the goods on show resembled a snake rather than a baby sparrow the snake had just swallowed.

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#4

The history of swimwear

It cracks me up that until the 1920s most swimwear was made of knitted wool...I guess they were wondering why so many swimmers were sinking to the bottom of the ocean never to be seen again, and just put it down to bad swimming technique ;)...I suppose in the 1920s it was also common to make sure you were dressed in straw before cooking a bbq? ;)...and I'm guessing it was fashionable for childrens pajamas to be made of methylated spirits?...;)

One more thing...I think the article is dead right that swimsuits now seem to be on a backwards trajectory...just look at the latest swimsuit fashion coming out of eastern Europe...
14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#5

The history of swimwear

tog togs togs.... undies!

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#6

The history of swimwear

Yeah Guys nothing beats the good Old Budgie Smuggler !!!
Also depends on the size of the Budgie though ha,ha

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#7

The history of swimwear

And at school I though history was sooo boring.

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#8

The history of swimwear

Togs togs togs togs UNDIES!!! Love that ad...oh please boys don't do the whole speedo thing...you know what us girls are actually doing....we are looking, we can't help it! it's actually bl**dy hilarious...you may as well be doing the whole borat thing! Boardshorts all the way please.....

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#9

The history of swimwear

Board shorts are so comfy compared to the others, and it also means venturing away from the beach area is acceptable..

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post
#10

The history of swimwear

This summer I've seen the trend start to head away from long board shorts to swim shorts or trunks cut at or above the knee. And also away from flashy logo's and designs with guys starting to keep things more simple. Why try make such a big statement with your togs? Its not like its the shorts that the girls are staring at...

14th March '11, 1:47am Reply to this post

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