A push-up for men? Tightening underwear can not only raise self-esteem, but men are ashamed of wearing it and women find it ridiculous
Although it might seem that body-shaping lingerie is a modern development, the opposite is true. "In the 18th century, trousers were short and ended just below the knee, so it was desirable to have nice curves," explains Denis Bruna, curator of Fashioning Body, an exhibition focusing on how people in the past tried to perfect their bodies. "Around 1820, men were wearing corsets - certainly for the first time in the history of dressing. In this period, it was important for men to have a very slim and trim waist," she says. But it wasn't just corsets that men used to look better. For example, the so-called dandies (traditionally men who were particularly concerned with their appearance, to which they paid excessive attention) favoured redingots, riding coats that were cut to enhance proportions à la hourglass. And not infrequently, these coats were complemented by padding to further emphasize the bulk of the torso and the slenderness of the waist. Although dandies have become a phenomenon of sorts, the truth is that it is precisely because of their style of dress (as well as their lifestyle preferences) that they have also become a laughing stock. "Their style was widely criticized - dandies spent a lot of time in front of the mirror, which was considered an activity typical of women. So dandies were considered effeminate," Bruna also explains.
The advent of men's pull-on underwear
And the idea that body-shaping underwear was something inappropriate for men persisted. In America, it's now most commonly called Spanx, after the brand that makes it - again, of course, this is tightening underwear, but it was first made for women. But when it also launched men's versions of its pull-up products in 2010, it was surprisingly successful. In fact, it was a new retail hit. Even then, however, the director of one of the department stores that started offering the underwear for men remarked that "men buy pull-ups, but they prefer not to talk about it."
It was around 2010 that some people started talking about a small revolution in men's fashion - special pull-on shirts for male customers appeared on the market before pull-on underwear for men. "Men's torso-enhancing T-shirts are part of a revolution in men's underwear that has been taking place recently," said Michael Kleinmann, president of Freshpair, a company that focuses on producing underwear for both women and men, at the time. "Another popular but so-called hush-hush product is men's underwear, which can be described as the equivalent of a push-up bra," he also added. This is because selected types of underwear can not only enhance the appearance of the musculature, but also elevate (and de facto enlarge) everything in the private parts.
But while many men have fallen for the charm (and effect) of tightening underwear, many others are afraid to even think about it. "The biggest problem is getting a guy to understand that it's just a new category of clothing and it's perfectly OK to wear this underwear," Kleinmann adds, adding that it's still a bit of a taboo for men. And the truth is that sometimes the "bad reputation" stretches back centuries - precisely because of prejudices and stereotypes.
Tight underwear in particular is generally not seen as a type of clothing to flaunt, even in the case of women. But if it is intended for men, it is more likely to cause offence. In fact, this is exactly what the advertisement for men's pull-on boxer shorts spreading on social media in the Czech Republic proved. The overwhelming majority of commenters expressed some disgust at "where the world is going" with men becoming women (and women, who are not unusual in wearing tightening underwear, were also widely offended). The situation was quite similar, for example, with the treatment of male incontinence - while the aids for women have gradually been freed from a certain taboo (and stigma), men seem to want to preserve their "masculinity" and act as if they are always in control of the situation. One could then go on forever with similar examples - even in terms of a number of purely social issues such as domestic violence, etc.
Let's change that!
On the other hand - everything can be changed with a little effort. Also, taking care of oneself, one's skin or hair, has long been taboo for men and it took years before it became quite common for men to visit beauty salons or barber shops. Although pull-up underwear for men has gradually found a place on the market in the USA, in the Czech Republic it seems that we will need another decade to get used to this "novelty". In the meantime, at least online shopping may be the solution - which may also help men get rid of shame.
And, of course, a well-targeted campaign could also help - after all, pull-up underwear doesn't have to be presented only as a way to improve body image. In fact, the purpose of tightening underwear is very universal - it is to help people (regardless of gender) feel comfortable with their bodies (and simply "in their own skin"). Of course, it could be argued that those who want to have a nice body should also do something active to achieve it themselves, but if tightening underwear can be a source of satisfaction or a boost to self-esteem, why not? And there is certainly no reason to deny men this option just because they are men.
