[Section to be found in the summer issue, at newsstands or by subscription.] If the tight swimsuit has risen to the rank of fetish, it’s because it awakens the senses. First the sight, by revealing what it claims to hide, then the touch, thanks to Lycra. A meeting with an anonymous kink-lover.
How did your love story with the Speedo begin?
From childhood, when my parents enrolled me in swimming classes, I watched the lifeguard in swim briefs. I found it beautiful, but not “beautiful” in the sense of a kid simply saying “I like it.” There was already something that fascinated me. The fabric, above all. That synthetic, very tight feel. The way it outlined men’s bodies, how it pressed against the buttocks, the package… That was already what captured my attention, and I never felt that with the female instructors. But obviously, at that age, you don’t know what desire is.
Was it during adolescence that you realized your aesthetic gaze wasn’t entirely devoid of lust?
As I grew up, I began to entertain TV fantasies. In front of Baywatch, for example! The guys were magnificent, but most of the time in shorts. So I was on the lookout for episodes where, exceptionally, one appeared in a swim brief. When the Internet arrived, in the late 1990s, I spent time looking for photos of the show’s actors in Speedos. There, I was already a young adult and began to understand that it was no longer merely aesthetic. It aroused me sexually.
After this revelation, did you embrace it in your wardrobe?
Not right away. I grew up in Medellín, Colombia, in the 1980s. It was very conservative at the time. Everyone wore shorts, but I understood that the Speedo was associated with something very tacky, or very gay. I would have liked to wear it, but I knew that putting on a Speedo wasn’t neutral, it said something about you, almost like a textile coming out…
We imagine you continued swimming with dedication…
I continued swimming. I love water, I love swimming, and I love seeing men in swim briefs. It was at the pool that I had my first somewhat erotic experiences. It remained very innocent at first. Looks, touches in the changing rooms or the communal showers… What was very special was that you understood a lot without speaking. You’d meet someone’s gaze under the shower, you’d see they lingered a bit longer, that they looked back too. It created enormous sexual tension. There is a silent sensuality in pools.
A kind of chlorinated cruising?
Exactly. And when you’re a teenager, especially in the 1990s, it’s huge, because you don’t have Grindr, you don’t know where to meet other gay boys, you don’t really have representation either. So Saturday afternoons at the municipal pool were, for me, the “opportunity,” a place of sexual discovery. Elsewhere, most of the time, I couldn’t live it. Today, I separate sport and dating more clearly.
Did you eventually move beyond the game of looks, or does sex never happen in your story?
One of my first real sexual experiences happened around this passion. I was 20 years old and had met a boy at the pool. There was obvious tension between us. After getting out of the water, he asked me if I liked Speedos, and he said he did too. When I went to his place, we both put on swim briefs. We caressed each other for a long time before sleeping together. I still remember it perfectly. The Speedo is part of the sexual game. It isn’t just a sexy undergarment you quickly remove to get “to the serious stuff.”
How would you define this particular charm of the molded-fit?
It’s mainly the fact that it doesn’t show everything. It may seem paradoxical, because you might immediately think of something very exhibitionist. But precisely what excites me is what the fabric lets you guess. I also practice naturism, so complete nudity doesn’t bother me. The swim brief creates something else. You first see a shape, volumes… without access to everything. Then you use your imagination. Next, Lycra also plays a huge role. It isn’t cotton, it isn’t a conventional undergarment. It has a very particular texture. When a boy comes out of the water, the swimsuit hugs his body. Without fully revealing his anatomy, the damp fabric begins to reveal its contents in a very sensual way. I find that infinitely more erotic than seeing someone completely naked.
Do you easily find playmates, or do people look at you oddly when you talk about it?
On social networks, I meet boys who share this passion. In that case, we like to swap photos in Speedos. It also happens that I wear them on a date. I bring up the subject of kinks very easily. I’m comfortable saying: “My number-one fantasy is the Speedos.” There are guys who find that funny, but others are happy to reply: “Me too, I love it!”
