Is There a New Tide Of "Male Modesty"?

 I tuned into some men's beach volleyball the other day (O.K., actually I was looking for the beach volleyball babes, but only the dudes were playing  ) .. 

 I was somewhat surprised to see the guys playing while wearing t-shirts (i.e. "muscle shirts") instead of being bare-chested/backed ..   As we all know, the beach volleyball gals wear those tiny bikinis (and the collegiate volleyball gals those high-rise shorts still), so it would only seem logical the guys would not be wearing shirts at all, showing off how "buff" they are, if for no other reason ..  

  Even stranger, I happened to be flipping through sports channels later that day and ran across a swimming/diving competition (not sure if it was collegiate or some pro organization) ..  I was totally stunned, when it came time for the male swimmers to hop into the water at the start of the race, to see them take off their warm-up shirts only to reveal they were wearing some kind of funky outfits that looked like a cross between overalls & a diver's wetsuit ..   (wtf???   )    At least the swimming & diving gals, last time I checked, wore their traditional high-cut one-piece swimsuits ..    Maybe those getups help them go a bit faster, but I remember back when I was in college male swimmers were content to just shave all the hair off their bodies for optimum speed (i.e. less friction) in the water ..  

   This got me to thinking also how, many years ago, male college and pro basketball players went from the traditional "normal" shorts that we wore - at least back in the '70s -  to those fugly looking baggy "shants" that go half-way down the legs ..   (yep, even boys wear those these days instead of the regular thing like I did as a kid)  ..   
 
    This has all got me wondering if we are experiencing a wave, at least in this country, of waxing male modesty, and, if so, what's behind that movement:    Is it b/c we guys are generally getting out of shape (or more so) than we used to be, and we don't want it to "show"?   is there a regligious thing going on?   is it the lack of privacy that digital cams, cellphone cams, and the Internet are exposing us to?  

    I've also noticed, in that regard, that at least here in the N. TX metro area that you almost always encounter little "privacy shields" in the public men's rooms nowadays ..   and I recently visited a major chain gym in which the men's shower in the lockerroom even had the same type of privacy shields for each of the shower heads, similar to those in gals' showers ..  Back in my day we could care less about another guy seeing us in the buff or taking a leak, but now it seems like there is some kind of paranoia about it .. 

    What gives???

The new swim outfits just make them go faster.  I think the one central showerhead is just kind of old school and and not practical for a private business like a fitness center.  I don't think there is more modesty.  I was at a party a few weeks ago where 3 of the 10 guys there showed everyone their peckers.  No modesty there because none were that impressive.

The new racing swim suits are so effective that they are being banned in sactioned events.

People were crushing records wearing them.  I think the ban goes into effect next year.

Scott

A peek at at pecker party.  HMMMMMMMM.  Did that once at Sigma Phi Frat in the 60's.  All were drunk and not a decent pecker in the bunch.  Dont think modesty is making a come back for guys, however I thinks the gails are showing more.  Just no imagination left.  I like wondering whats under the tops and bottoms.  I know whats there but I still wonder.

 I dunno I like the individual shower stalls. If for no other reason that I don't get splashback from the dude next to me. I'd never been in a gym with showers like that until a few years ago and I started off all shy, being a fat guy especially but it was liberating to start caring less and less and enjoy being naked more and more. I'm liking it even more now that I'm slowly getting less disgusting with my shirt off. The volleyball players though, if I looked like that I wouldn't OWN a shirt. If people were like, "sir, please put on a shirt." I'd be all "Have you SEEN ME? Look at my pecs! You go put on a shirt, put on three shirts you jerk!" Oh I'd be a huge douche too.