Sunday, September 29, 2013

WHAT NOT TO WEAR—GYM EDITION

Okay, first off, full disclosure. I do not wear tank tops. I simply cannot carry off the look.


It goes back to when I was twenty, jogging along a less traveled road in a Dallas suburb on a Saturday afternoon. I’d just bought a teal Calvin Klein tank top as part of my new running gear. It was a daring purchase. At the time, I was completely devoid of biceps. The only noticeable bump between shoulder and wrist was a dry, boney elbow. But I was pie-eyed optimistic. My arms would grow into it, I told myself.

Five minutes into the run, a car passed, windows down. I don’t recall the exact message the passengers yelled but, without a doubt, they were mocking me.

It could have been for a number of reasons—my awkward stride, my acne-riddled face, my chicken legs—but I surmised it was a tank top taunt. Confirmation that I had no business wearing the shirt. I cut short my jog and retreated for home. The tank top remained at the bottom of a drawer until I readied for my next move when I dropped it off at a clothing donation bin. Let a homeless guy rock it in his Calvins.

That incident has led to bicep envy. Over the years, I’ve watched men successfully carry off the tank top look, doing fewer reps with lighter weights. While I’ve made gains, I still have reluctant biceps.

My recent month long stay in West Hollywood immersed me in an all tank top gym. It was the unwritten dress code. On each visit, I was one of the half dozen sad-sacks that donned a regular t-shirt, mine hanging over my body like a poncho. I told myself I was being non-conformist, a muscle tease, a rebel. Not that anyone noticed. Not with all those bulging biceps.

My first weekend workout spawned culture/clothing shock. At my small town gym, no guy would ever lift weights in a lilac or peach tank top, but I spotted both. I’ll admit to spending the rest of the month on the lookout for a lilac tank in clothing stores. If I ever dared trying the tank again, why not do it in a festive color and wash it repeatedly with Febreze-scented Tide? Why not sniff the shoulder strap for a refreshing whiff to fend off the stench of man sweat?

Aside from the range of color, the design of the tanks caught my eye. These were not standard tanks. These were thong tanks, a dire scarcity of fabric. The straps dipped low, fully revealing men’s pecs. I don’t think a man’s nipples should be exposed in a shirt any more than a woman’s should. If you’ve got the body and you must flaunt it, just rip your shirt off and sun yourself as soon as you exit the gym. Go ahead, cause a traffic accident. Isn’t that the ultimate ego boost?

The sides were also fabric free, coming together only at the waistline. Between front and side profiles, nothing was left to the imagination. Call it the peek-a-boo shirtless look.

Admittedly, most of the men had bodies worth showing off, but it seemed too much. The twenty-somethings could get away with it, but it smelled of desperation for guys in their thirties, forties and fifties. Why didn’t someone put an expiration date on the thong tank label? Along with WARNING: Entire shirt may get lost in dryer lint basket, add Best before 30.   

It reminds me of female pop stars. In their twenties, Lady Gaga, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus try to push the envelope, exposing as much flesh as possible, making censors earn their pay. But when Madonna continues to flash audiences in her fifties, it seems a little tired, doesn’t it? She needn’t be wearing turtlenecks, but age is supposed to bring a modicum of restraint.

Just because you can wear a thong tank doesn’t mean you should. Still, these men were better attired than the frizzy haired man in the camouflage FLOSS OR DIE t-shirt. And I probably looked more ridiculous in my poncho tee, but as the car hecklers of yesteryear made clear, I am not the workout fashion god. I’d just like to think an athletic forty-five-year-old man would look so much sexier in a form fitting t-shirt that catches one’s eye without giving it all away.

What do you think? Am I too conservative/modest to be gay? Am I still scarred from an ancient tank top misfire? Has rural life nuked my appreciation of a little exhibitionism? I cling to the hope I still have some fashion sense.

5 comments:

Aging Gayly said...

Consider it a sign that I have no business criticizing anyone else's fashion sense. Just after posting this, I went to the gym, wearing a nifty plum Lululemon t-shirt I bought on a recent trip to Whistler.

I'd already worn it a half dozen times so imagine my surprise when I discovered a message stitched along the back and front hemlines. On the back, it said, "the harder you sweat" and on the front, "the better you look naked". I was horrified. Had I noticed this in the store, I'd have never bought it. Was this supposed to be an inspirational message, the Lululemon take on "Just do it"?! Or was it intended to embarrass a stuffy, scrawny middle-ager like me?

It was only as I folded my laundry later this evening that I realized I'd worn the shirt inside out. I still didn't care for the message, but it was supposed to be my little secret.

At least the buff boys with thong tank tops know how to dress themselves.

Color me red. Or plum, at least.

Anonymous said...

i like and wear the black tanktop from the first photo. you don't need to have big muscles for that, just lean and ripped. it shows it without showing much skin.

Aging Gayly said...

I like the first tank, too. Still, I have to work on the lean and ripped element. Until then, it would be a wasted purchase!

Rick Modien said...

Yes, RG, you still have fashion sense. And, yes, I agree with you.
Although, you might be a little hard on the almost-nothing-there tank (the one that displays the nipples), especially worn by the dude who has the body to pull it off.
Okay, that's just my ogling side talking. I have to tell him to shut up once in a while.
By the way, thanks for sharing the picture of yourself in the previous post. Dude, you are one handsome man. Why so hard on yourself?

Aging Gayly said...

Hi Rick,
Are you ogled out? It's so hard to trudge on through workout after workout with microscopic gains when there are buff bodies bulging and taunting. In that sense, it is nice to be back home again. There is one local guy who dons the thong tank, but it's to expose a tattoo bodysuit, not power pecs. No risk of ink envy on my part!

Thanks for the comment about the photo. Our self-images are shaped much earlier in life and I always felt like a compatriot whenever I heard Janis Ian's melancholy "At Seventeen". I may or may not be too hard on myself, but at the very least, I am glad I don't have an inflated sense of self. I'd rather come across as humble than insufferable. Somehow it makes the occasional compliment more cherished!