We used to call the speedo style, bun huggers. The only beach in Southern California where they were worn (I am pretty sure) was Laguna Beach.

Oh and Muscle Beach in Long Beach, where the body builders showed their wares.

Speedos are very funny, so popular in Europe, so unpopular at home.

Loved the picture and article. We have had more than a few chuckles watching the speedo brigades. Some beaches are filled with them ( although many beaches are also packed with an interesting combo of naked, half naked and dressed).

Some pools also make you wear little caps ( for everyone) but they wear cotton ones here as well as your typical bathing caps.

This is an area where you can definitely often see a big cultural difference.

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Please, forgive my ignorance, but can someone explain the rationale for requiring men/boys to wear Speedos?
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a strange paranoia about hygene is the reason.

All public swimming pools in France and, as far as I know, Belgium, require men to wear swimming trunks as opposed to baggy shorts, cutoffs etc. Most require all swimmers to wear swimming caps too. The pool I used to go to in Spain had a swimming cap rule too, though I don't remember if it had rules about men's swimwear.

Anyway, I believe both rules are for hygiene reasons - paranoid or otherwise. (I can understand the swimming cap rule, incidentally).

The reason is I believe that many men/boys try to go swimming in the baggies/cutoffs they have been wearing all day, rather than changing into swimming shorts/trunks.
In the Netherlands cutoffs are not allowed but long baggy swimming shorts are. Most kids favour those, the men preferring shorter swimming shorts.
Flip-flops are a good idea at a pool anyway, to help reduce the risk of slipping or picking up verruccas.

It strikes me as odd that when this topic comes up here, as it so regularly does, that people do not comment on what type of garment is best for swimming in. I don't go to a pool to look at people or be looked at (especially not the latter!); I go to swim.

So true, Padraig -- who are all of these people who think that going to the swimming pool is some sort of fashion show and/or spend all of their time checking out the other swimmers?

Funny...Mine's a "condor smuggler."

Even so, Padraig, I bet you look HOT in that Speedo of yours!

This is true Padraig, but if you normally swim in shorts and find yourself banned from a pool in France as a result you will be pretty annoyed. I can understand people wanting to know if shorts are Ok or if they must buy a pair of trunks.

God, OTOH complaining about some stud filling out a Speedo and on the other complaining about a husband who can't get it up!

Can a codpiece be substituted for a Speedo?

Cimbrone, you made me laugh out loud, very clever.

Some of my biggest laughs have been at the expense of a few men in Speedos.

Well, you are tempting me to write about an odd incident in Cannes. I was sitting on the beach and a man walked down to the sand near me. He was wearing sandals and a speedo but the odd part was he had two "budgies" in his speedos.

Hmmmm, I tried not to notice, really.

Then he plucked one of them out, it was a coin purse.

He put it carefully down next to his sunglasses and then walked into the sea.

I thought maybe he forgot and put 2 socks in.

Well, there's one coin purse that's safe from pickpocketers! Ugh!

Some funny stuff here. I must wonder if there's a corollary to this rule that requires men to shave their derrieres and 'intertriginous' areas before donning their Speedos in public. Of course, maybe that's already a common practice in Europe. Can't say that I know the answer.

The majority of Europeans are not uncomfortable with their bodies, even when they are far from perfect at a later age. This is perhaps the big difference with the youth/perfection cult in the U.S.