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Speedo (suit style)
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A swim brief, better known as a speedo (which takes its genericized trademark from the Australian swimsuit brand Speedo), may refer to any briefs-style male swimsuit such as those used in competitive swimming, regardless of the actual manufacturer. Such garments are otherwise also referred to as competition briefs, bathers, racer bathers, posing briefs or racing briefs. More informal Australian names include dick pointers, sluggos, budgie smugglers, dick togs, banana hammocks and dick stickers.
Like the underwear briefs, speedos feature a "V-shape" front and a solid back providing form-fitting coverage. They are usually worn below the lower waist, but some of them can be worn at the waist (resembling the briefs worn by some professional wrestlers). They are secured by a drawstring and thin banding at the upper thighs. Most speedos are made of a nylon and lycra/spandex composite. Suits commonly have an elastic front lining made of similar fabric and are secured around the waist with a cord draw string.
UseSpeedos are used by professional and recreational athletes in many watersports. They are preferred in competitive swimming for the reduction of the water's drag on the swimmer, although knee-length jammers are also common for male swimmers. Speedos are typically worn by competitive divers and in water polo. Some participants in sports that require a wetsuit such as waterskiing, Scuba diving, surfing and wakeboarding prefer to wear speedos as an undergarment to the wetsuit, as opposed to shorts, for purposes of comfort.
StylesBriefs used for competitive and recreational swimming are manufactured in standard sizes and in waist measurements. They are available in a wide variety of solid colors and patterned designs.
Racing suitsThe most common racing suit styles are 1.5in to 3in panelled briefs (as measured by the length of the suit's side panel). The racing suit's main function is to reduce the drag of an athlete in water, thus improving his time. For this reason racing suits are made of materials that hug the body, minimize friction and minimize water retention. Lycra (Spandex) suits generally produce less drag, but are also more vulnerable to prolonged exposure to chlorine than nylon. Therefore, nylon suits are preferred for training and practice, where the increased durability is required for the long periods of usage and the extra resistance brings a training benefit. Lycra suits (and composite hi-tech swimwear fabrics) are preferred for actual racing. In water polo and sometimes in diving, suits may have panels greater than 3 inches.
Water polo players generally wear racing suits, despite the trends in swimming to move to jammers or square cuts. This is to minimize the fabric available to grabbing and pulling by opponents - actions that are illegal yet often happen underwater - while not compromising the strength of the fabric. High-level players wear specialized suits, usually of a very tight fit and made of thicker, tougher and more slippery fabric, intended to thwart pulling and grabbing during rough play; they often wear two suits on top of each other.
Triathlon swimming briefsA special variety of briefs made for the triathlon features the racing suit's design for the swimming portion of the race but also incorporates light padding in the crotch of the garment for the bicycle portion of the race. This is a lighter version of the chamois leather in cycling shorts, to allow running in to be performed more efficiently and the shorts to dry faster after the swim.
FashionSwimwear designs in the 20th century, especially among women, moved progressively toward comfort and became more revealing with the introduction of styles such as the bikini. Speedos may be the equivalent swimwear development for men, but the fashion has caught on at greatly different paces depending on the region of the world.
Austin Silver, a fashion consultant at AskMen.com, points to the athletic advantages, comfort, range of motion, and obtaining a better tan as the main reasons stated by people who wear the style. Others recommend their hydrodynamics for swimming, much like competitive swimmers. The speedo style also dries quickly for wear out of the water.
Due to its apparent utilitarian value for both swimming and sunbathing, the bikini-type competitive swimsuits colloquially known as "budgie smugglers" became popular among non-professional swimmers and beach-goers in many parts of the world.
In the United States, however, the opposite trend has developed since the 1980s. While women's swimwear remains scanty, men's swim briefs has evolved, into loose mid thigh shorts, and later into boardshorts that are baggy and long enough to reach the knees or below.
WorldThe fashionability of speedos varies greatly in different parts of the world. The style is commonly worn by men of all ages, either at beaches or pools, in regions such as Asia and mainland Europe. In China and Japan, men almost exclusively wear speedos as swimwear. Shorts, however, have gain a considerable foothold among the younger generations of Europe.
According to fashion experts whether or not the style is fashionable is often a product of culture and geography. In Europe, says Silver, "Speedos are the bathing suit of choice for men, young and old." Fashion expert Chris Ronvy concurs, noting their comparative popularity in Europe over the United States, where he "recommend(s) wearing swimming trunks instead of a Speedo any day."
The style is historically less popular in New Zealand where a recent poll showed three quarters of men preferring shorts to speedos , but fashion there has been trending toward speedos in recent years. Speedos have also been gaining popularity amongst sportsmen in Australia and New Zealand as underwear during competition, especially in rugby. Reasons for wearing them include increased support and comfort.
In some countries, speedo-style briefs are often compulsory in public or resort swimming pools, as in the common French language sign "slip de bain obligatoire, shorts interdits" ("swimming briefs required, no shorts allowed"). This is considered a matter of hygiene and public health, as shorts which have been worn as streetwear prior to entering the pool may be dirty and hence pollute the water. In this instance, the management of the public pool/resort is assuming that the briefs have not been worn as general streetwear, as it they would generally not be considered appropriate attire in many public places, such as shopping malls.
The similarity of speedos to underwear inherently discourages the use of speedos to some beach and pool patrons. As one television segment in New Zealand (and a similar one in Australia) states "Togs. Togs. Togs. Undies. If you can't see the beach, you are in underpants. Shopping malls. Elevators. Supermarkets. If we all treated the budgie smuggler with a little respect, we will get through summer safely."
Surf lifeguards in various countries are often required to wear speedos for competition and/or patrol duties. This is particularly true in New Zealand and Australia, who are typically the world leaders in Surf Life Saving Competitions. This has led to the development of the phrase "It's all right, I'm a lifeguard". This was originally used as a response by the lifeguard when a concerned member of the public was enquiring as to why the subject person was in fact wearing speedos. This phrase has now been extended for use in a variety of situations thus allowing lifeguards to explain their sometimes-eccentric behaviour in any situation.
North AmericaIn contrast to Europe, more modest styles such as boardshorts are the most common swimsuit style for men in the United States and English-speaking Canada where the speedo is often seen as too revealing, aesthetically unfashionable on some people or associated with homosexuality. Speedos are more accepted in Quebec but not nearly as popular as boardshorts.
One of the most common American fashion complaints is that speedos are worn by "the wrong people." A lot of the fashion preference in this region appears to be the result of the negative stereotypical image of an overweight, elderly, and/or excessively hairy European walking on the beach in a speedo-styled suit. Several fashion surveys of North American women have rated speedos unfavorably due to this negative image. Silver observes "it's all about the environment" and predicts that the negative stereotype of the "fat, hairy, old guy who struts his stuff" would go by the wayside among Americans if the design became fashionable in their culture. For example, the negative "overweight elder" image is not much of a problem in Europe, where the style is socially accepted.
In 2006, several swimwear designers added the similar looking, but more conservative, square-leg suit to their United States catalogs reflecting their increasing popularity. This trend is considered a reaction to the boardshort's recent popularity as a piece of everyday clothing, moving away from its swimwear origins. Also contributing is the metrosexual trend, which has raised body and clothing consciousness among young urban professionals.
Despite the growing popularity of square-leg suits; the speedo, on the other hand, remains taboo for many Americans, at least in public. A swimwear retailer recently interviewed on fashion trends by the Contra Costa Times remarked "I don't think a lot of guys would admit that they buy them, but they do." The Times' article indicates that location may determine where Americans wear speedos. "There's also public versus private swimwear, as in sunbathing at home or on vacation." But in public places themselves, opinions about the speedo also tend to diverge from one location to another. For example, the speedo is generally more accepted or unnoticed at a recreational indoor pool where people indisputably go out for swimming, as opposed to outdoor pools or beaches where relaxing out of the water is often the preferred activity.
Even in North America, fashion opinions about the speedo are often more favorable when the person is in shape and in specific circumstances - typically when worn by athletes and physically fit persons. Many celebrities and pop culture icons who do the speedo style such as Prince William and football star David Beckham have received media attention for their fashion choice.
As in the rest of world, speedos are typically used by competitive swimmers and divers in North America.
ManufacturersIn addition to the style's namesake company Speedo, competitive briefs-style swimwear are produced by companies including Nike, truWest, Tyr, Dolce & Gabbana, Dolfin, Arena, Kiefer and Adidas. Many of these companies have expanded their merchandise to reflect recent trends in water sports. These include the growing popularity of the jammer style and the development of full body suits for competitive swimming. On the fashion end, several designer companies including Nautica have begun lines of speedo-style suits in the United States. Most designer brands of male swimwear in Europe, Asia and Australia produce lines of speedo-style suits.
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