What’s Next?

Just when I think things in our society cannot possibly get any more kinky or depraved, I came across an article on the FOX News Channel site that made me want to reach for the nearest bucket for a good healthy puke.

It seems that a retailer in the Los Angeles area has come up with the idea of lingerie for – get a load of this – MEN. What makes this even more disturbing is that she is finding a market for this beyond that of the gay community. It seems that straight men, married as well as singles, are getting in on the act of owning their own lingerie.

As I read the article, there were a couple of pictures of men in these clothing. I found the one with the black teddy (pictured, right) the most disturbing. Looking at the picture, I get an extremely vivid mental flashback of the song (I believe it was by Bob Rivers in a Christmas spoof) called, “Walking ‘round in Women’s Underwear”. Please understand that while I found the song hilarious, the thought of men actually buying teddies for themselves is something I just won’t ever be able to connect with.

Do not get me wrong; I understand the need for men to connect with their feminine side. A colleague told me that I talk so much, he swears that I have to be at least part female, but to go as far as putting on underwear similar to that of women to me smacks of transvestism or cross-dressing, and even I draw the line at some point.

I understand that guys like the soft, silky feel of a teddy on their wives or girlfriends. I can also appreciate that some men in are very gender-defined roles, like I was once upon a time as a Marine and later as a soldier. But last I checked, the object of a teddy or other soft, silky lingerie on a woman was that it was not supposed to stay on her body very long once the man saw her wearing it. Like any other visual enhancement, it was one of the items used by women to enhance their lovemaking experience on the basis of men being visual creatures, whereas women on the other hand are emotional ones.

I cannot help but think that the idea of men wearing soft, silky teddies or other lingerie might make a woman feel awkward. With men being competitive creatures by nature, the last thing a woman needs is to compete to see who has the sexier looking teddy or other silky smooth item. While I cannot speak for other men as a whole, I can say that between satin sheets and king-size waterbeds and the like, which combined with whatever my wife was (or was not wearing) was more than enough to keep my engines running in top form.

Granted, there are some men who really enjoy the thought of wearing the silky-soft stuff next to their bodies. Actor and director Billy Bob Thornton recently revealed in an interview with The Toronto Sun that he likes to wear underwear that belongs to his wife, actress Angelina Jolie. And yes, NBC sportscaster Marv Albert admitted to wearing women’s underwear during his trial on domestic charges a number of years back.

If men want to get more in touch with their feminine side, they can do it by treating those around them with more kindness and seek to build them up and not by tearing them down. Through the increased practice of this behavior, we can indeed change the course of our families, our neighborhood, our nation and our world. It can come none too soon.

As for me? I prefer briefs myself. Let’s just leave it at that.

• Photo courtesy of Hidden Vestments (http://www.hiddenvestments.com)
• With files from FOX News Channel (http://www.foxnewschannel.com/)

Copyright © 2001 by Timothy Rollins and Lesstrogen Magazine.
All Rights Reserved.

-Published with permission