“Jockstraps are definitely one of our most popular garments we have them in every colour and style you can think of,” says Monty Tayara, manager of The Men’s Room Toronto (the company also has locations in Montreal and Chicago). Truthfully, whatever design element you could possibly imagine in a jockstrap has likely been done over and over again. Author Shaun Cole writes in his book, Don We Now Our Gay Apparel, “ adopted a manly demeanor and attire as a means of expressing their new sense of self, and in adopting this look, they aimed to enhance their physical attractiveness and express their improved self-esteem.” These outfits often included bomber jackets, leather jackets, chaps, military uniforms and, of course, jockstraps.Īs such, jockstraps became a matter of fashion over function – and jock underwear brands, as any smart business would do, began advertising to this burgeoning market. The jockstrap first entered the homosexual zeitgeist during the 1950s and ’60s, when gay fashion took an overtly masculine turn. Among gay men, however, they remain incredibly popular as a form of lingerie. Eventually, as more supportive forms of athletic underwear became available starting in the ’90s, jockstraps were mostly phased out among athletes.
“It rubs, chafes, and the straps go up your butt.” Naturally, as jockstraps began to falter among athletes, fewer people were encouraged to wear them – an attitude that became more prevalent with each passing year. “It just wasn’t designed for comfort,” Bob Beeten, manager of the US Olympic Training Center, told Healthmagazine. In the past few decades, athletes began bailing on jockstraps for protective purposes.
The brand’s termination didn’t come as a surprise. Sadly, only a few years ago, the classic Bike brand jock was discontinued. In fact, during World War I, the US Army issued a jock to every man who served.īy 1897, Bennett had patented and begun mass-producing the “Bike Jockey Strap.” Later that year, his company sold its trademarks to Russell Athletic, who sold an impressive 350 million units worldwide. Over time, jockstraps became a massively popular (and functional) garment for physically active men. Bennett saw a need for a supportive pair of underwear specifically for bicycle messengers and delivery men (also known as “bike jockeys”) who, at the time, had to endure regular ball torture by bouncing over the city’s cobblestone streets. Bennett of Sharp & Smith, a sporting goods company in Chicago, back in 1874. The first ever jockstrap was invented by C.F. No, the advent of the jockstrap is far less sexy. If you can believe it, the jockstrap was not invented to make your ass and genitals look fantastic at circuit parties.