As a Naturist I have limited use for a swimming costume, however on the odd occasion when I need to attend public pools etc. I do wear one…. under protest!

My choice of a “cozzie” has always been the brief style or “Budgie Smuggler” named so because it looks like you may have a small native Australian bird shoved down the front of your swimmers, now these are also known as “Speedo’s” (which is actually a brand name) or swimming briefs and as far as I know are an Australian invention, our current (ex as of Sept 2015) Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a famous wearer of Budgie Smugglers and he is often seen competing in swimming events wearing them…

These days it is quite uncommon to see young men and boys in them, the only men I have seen wearing brief style costumes are older men in the 40++ age range… they obviously don’t care anymore? the fashion for the younger set is to wear board shorts and “rashies” (rash shirt) even if not at the beach surfing…. on the rare occasion when I have been to a local indoor swimming pool I have seen teenage boys through to men in their late thirties wearing long shorts and a rash shirt or a T-shirt, I just shake my head in disbelief and can’t believe how body shame has crept into our society so much 😦

I’ve even found an online cartoon advocating the banning of Budgie Smugglers….

http://justoutsidetheboxcartoon.com/2012/07/23/warning-budgie-smugglers-spotted-on-the-streets-of-melbourne/

On a beach I can understand how the “cover-up” message has brain-washed people into thinking they need to keep their skin covered, but it has now resulted in Vitamin D deficiencies because people are no longer getting their skin exposed to natural sunlight…

Anyway back on topic again, recently I had to go and buy myself a new pair of swimmers as we are going away to a seaside holiday park which has a pool and also for when I go to the non nude beach (but as soon as I’m in the surf I am naked 🙂 ) I have worn plain cotton underwear to the beach and pools in the past, which has resulted in sniggers and whispered comments “look he’s wearing his underpants” but for crying out loud! they are the same cut and style as my Speedo’s…

So I headed off to my local department store to buy some new briefs, and they had none, all they had was board shorts… no thanks, asked the shop attendant and she confirmed they don’t stock them either so I went to two other department stores with the same result, looking online one of the department stores listed them as available online but as I needed them urgently I couldn’t wait.

So I then called into a large sporting goods store and found some, they had a lot of large style ones which were small shorts essentially and eventually I found some brief style ones and took them up to the cashier.

As I was paying I said to the twenty something attendant “You would not believe how hard these are to buy now.. all I could find is board shorts!” she replied “yeah what is with that!… nothing wrong with a guy in speedo’s, look what women wear these days” I then commented “well I’ve always worn these.. besides they don’t stay on long, as soon as I’m beyond the breakers they come off” she thought that was hilarious and giggled uncontrollably 😉

So have Aussie boys/men become prudes? or are they just fashion victims? or has the sun-safe message brainwashed them into thinking they have to cover exposed skin…. I think it’s a mixture of all of them with a touch of body phobia thrown in, which is quite sad really…

But never fear, Nudeyman will still be seen rocking the Budgie Smuggler alongside Tony Abbot!

Published 07/11/2014