Showcasing vintage male photography, mostly nude. You must be 18 years of age or older to visit this blog! If you hold a copyright on any material shown on this blog, notify me, and it will be removed immediately.
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Thursday, May 25, 2023
Early 1960s
Happy times were the order of the day for this quartet on Fire Island in the early 60s.
That swim suit at right would have been risque at the time, but then it was Fire Island.
Strangely, bikini bathing suits for men as brief or even briefer were to be seen even in the provinces in England by the early '60s. (I remember one man at my local swimming pool regularly wore what today would be termed a "micro-bikini and one other young man wore what was with hindsight a mail order bikini - he turned out to be a police officer from the local nick.) True, the police and courts were as bad as in North America - the gay men in Toronto were having a terrible time - but this sartorial difference does demonstrate that the puritanism in respect of the male form was far less stressed this side of the Atlantic, where fashion rather than modesty dictated styles. What a happy time this group seems to be having.
I didn't see anything that skimpy stateside until the late 60s, and even then it was almost a paradoxical conservative reaction to the nudity preferred by the Hippies.
This is a nice series. Normally, I'd choose the lovely photo of the "Life Saving Service" man as my favorite. But the skimpy swim suit has some kind of cross-time mind control powers - at least over me. Thus, this is my favorite. Great job, Jerry.
Strangely, bikini bathing suits for men as brief or even briefer were to be seen even in the provinces in England by the early '60s. (I remember one man at my local swimming pool regularly wore what today would be termed a "micro-bikini and one other young man wore what was with hindsight a mail order bikini - he turned out to be a police officer from the local nick.) True, the police and courts were as bad as in North America - the gay men in Toronto were having a terrible time - but this sartorial difference does demonstrate that the puritanism in respect of the male form was far less stressed this side of the Atlantic, where fashion rather than modesty dictated styles. What a happy time this group seems to be having.
ReplyDeleteI didn't see anything that skimpy stateside until the late 60s, and even then it was almost a paradoxical conservative reaction to the nudity preferred by the Hippies.
DeleteThis is a nice series. Normally, I'd choose the lovely photo of the "Life Saving Service" man as my favorite. But the skimpy swim suit has some kind of cross-time mind control powers - at least over me. Thus, this is my favorite. Great job, Jerry.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leroy! Glad you enjoyed the set.
Delete