>
> Does "the abbreviated staple of St. Tropez" come across to American
> men as "too queer"?
>
> Yoshie
Yes, definitely! There is a lot of sexual anxiety and ambivalence surrounding the male foray into self-objectification. Even though many, many straight men are waxing their bikini lines, for example, it makes them nervous. One Manhattan waxing salon owner told me in an interview a while ago -- when I was researching an article on pubic hair, but that's another story -- "Don't suggest it's a gay thing. They're VERY sensitive about that." I haven't looked into the bikini itself but I imagine it's an even more delicate subject, considering that a) the bikini, as opposed to the bikini line, is so public and b) ogling GIRLS in bikinis is a pretty crucial performance piece in the het male repertoire, no? even for those who never make it to an actual beach there's the sports illustrated swimsuit issue etc. so to wear one oneself would be to very explicit offer oneself up to ogling and a quite extreme feminization.
Liza