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Contemporary men’s swimwear is available in a variety of styles, ranging from baggy knee-length trunks designed for comfort to sleek and skintight briefs designed to cut through the water with plenty of speed.

Men’s swimwear wasn’t always so revealing. Back in the 18th century, men’s swimwear styles were quite modest, a body suit that covered a man’s chest, arms and legs right up to the kneecap. It wasn’t until the mid 20th century that rather skimpy, brief-like swimwear resembling mens underwear came into fashion, fully exposing a man’s chest on the beach or at the community swimming pool.

Swim briefs are men’s swimwear that allows the greatest exposure of skin to the sun and water, usually composed of both nylon and spandex to hug the hip area and allow for speed in competitive swimming. Swim trunks, made of polyester or nylon, look similar to shorts and feature a polyester lining in the event the outer material becomes transparent in water. Boardshorts are a men’s swimwear style most similar to streetwear shorts, usually in polyester or nylon and favored for their loud neon colors and tropical prints ranging from birds and flowers to vintage surf scenes.

Swim jammers are men’s swimwear that look like bicycling shorts and usually worn by competitive swimmers. A mankini is the men’s swimwear equivalent of a woman’s bikini, offering modest covering to the genitals, but completely exposing the buttocks and the rest of the body.

Unless a beach is designated as allowing for nudity, men’s swimwear is required attire whether surfing, swimming, water skiing or skin diving. Swim briefs and trunks are also favored as a man’s undergarment while wearing a full wetsuit for diving or surfing purposes.

To extend the life of men’s swimwear, rinse the suit in cold water prior to pool swimming to absorb less chlorine chemicals. If swimming in salt water or a chlorine swimming pool, rinse the swimwear out in cold water immediately after leaving the water. Always hand wash men’s swimwear using a swimsuit cleaner designed for swimwear rather than regular detergents which can wear out the material more quickly.