Body Positive

I can’t tell a lie, I like to wear a good swim brief. I like the snug, shapely fit, and the feel of the fabric against my skin. I like both the look and the feel, and often think I project more confidence when I wear them. And yet when I go to the beach I wear the baggy swim shorts that everyone in the States expects me to wear. Why is that?!

There is lots of criticism about how women’s bodies are portrayed in the media and how this promotes negative feedback loops, shame, and issues with identity and body image. I think it is essential that we all recognize this and work for change. I also think, however, this is much more universal than we typically acknowledge in our culture, and body shaming is something many men experience as well. I don’t wear my swim briefs to the beach because I feel ashamed, and I am afraid that I will feel awkward and as though I am doing something wrong, that my body isn’t good enough for this kind of look. Unfortunately, I think women are taught that they need to look a certain way, and I think men are taught not to look a certain way. Women are taught to flaunt their bodies, while men are taught to hide them.

I am from a generation when in high school or college if a man was wearing something other than boxers, it would be assumed there was something essential wrong with him. Where did this come from? As a man, for so long I’ve been taught – by both my culture and my partners – that my body and all its curves and assets should be hidden. Women are taught to flaunt their curves but I need to hide mine? I don’t understand, and I think it took me years to overcome this stigma. And I think it is really my discovery of fine, high-quality, designer underwear for men that helped me make these changes within myself. I love wearing a thong and my satin panties from Body Aware, and I love talking about it and having people see me wearing these things too. Because they make me feel good, I have no doubt that boast in confidence translates to better connections with the people in my life.

As I’ve gotten more involved with social media, I’ve noticed a new trend – men using these platforms to promote a new kind of body awareness and positivity. I don’t know if you follow the Body Aware Instagram feed (@bodyawareunderwear), but if not I’d encourage you to do so. One of my favorite features of it is when they share pictures made by their customers flaunting themselves in Body Aware briefs and thongs. I like seeing normal people like me proudly showing themselves in cute little panties and undies, promoting a confident and true sense of themselves, with pride in their bodies. Indeed, I’d like to encourage more of you to share your pictures with @bodyawareunderwear, and help support a growing movement of men who love undies and swimwear and proudly sharing this with the world. All of us have beautiful bodies and speaking for myself, really discovering fine underwear and swimwear has done so much for myself image and personal confidence. I have a much better feeling for my body since I gave up so many of these hang-ups and gave in to my love of satin briefs and skimpy thongs. I can also say embracing myself this way has paved the way for a much healthier and supportive connection with my partner. Let’s promote pride in male bodies and a body-positive approach to how we dress and interact. Body positivity, words worth repeating, and an idea I want to see more us advocate. I’ll finish by offering a promise, this summer I will wear one of my swim briefs to the beach – and do so without shame – and I’ll report back with another post about that later ;)

Signing off for now!

-Brian