The speedo seam wars heat up with one last summer blast

It’s been a fraught summer for speedos.

Mark Mark
Aug 31, 2026 - 20:00
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Photo by Serge Lee/Shutterstock

It’s been a fraught summer for speedos.

Long divisive, the quintessential gay swimwear may be losing in-seam to longer trunks, going the way of booty shorts and tight graphic tees. And now, gays are picking apart one of the piece’s most prevalent designs.

On X, a poster named “p” wondered why so many “gay guy underwear and speedo companies” insist on a center seam. “I personally hate it,” he added.

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The response to “p’s” statement indicates he’s not alone. Many complained how the little line in the center forms a poach instead of a bulge. “It’s as tacky as a side clasp,” chimed in a particularly vicious critic.

For the visual learners, somebody was kind enough to show an example.

A cursory glance at my own speedo selection confirms these center seams are ubiquitous. They are on eight of my nine speedos/tight trunks (there’s a difference), and most prevalent on pairs from Ball Beachwear, a brand on par with St33le and Addicted.

Interestingly, there is no center seam on my thong speedo, which I purchased from a small line called Hummingbird.

A sampling of the author’s speedo collection

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Living in the Midwest, I usually only purchase one new speedo per year–if that. The climate isn’t conducive to swimwear!

But this year, I broke my rule and bought two: a thong speedo and longer trunks from Abercrombie. Even though I only saw speedos at Chicago’s Gay Beach–and a lot of thong speedos at that–I kept hearing about how trunks were the new look.

The declaration made sense. Gays these days are all about baggy jorts, boxy tanks and wraparound shades. This Y2K cosplay is no longer confined to hip spots in East L.A. or Brooklyn, either. My recent trip to Provincetown confirms that “Heartland Drag” has made its way to Boston, the least fashionable city in the Western world (as a native, I can say it).

With that knowledge in mind, I thought I would be all about my blue-and-white striped 7-inch inseams. But six weeks after purchase, I haven’t worn them once. When I tried them on, they were too bulky.

I didn’t look like a cool Gen Z gay. Instead, I resembled my awkward 22-year-old self. No thank you!

It appears that many gays agree. But perhaps a selection bias is at play: millennials and Gen Xers are overrepresented on social media and at gay vacay enclaves. Gen Zers don’t post on X, and they certainly can’t afford a trip to Fire Island!

This past weekend, an L.A. gay reported that he saw a video from a “gay guy pool party,” and most people were in trunks. “The conservatives are winning,” he said.

Others shared his dismay.

Traditionally, straight men rock longer trunks, and gays wear bum-huggers. But the dress code has been flipped. Straight dudes now embrace short shorts and hairless torsos. The Wall Street Journal calls them the “Hairless He-Men of Summer.”

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If the “Hairless He-Men” are rocking crew cuts and 5-inch inseams, it’s only natural they’d move onto speedos. And so, gay people head towards the opposite–and in this case longer–direction.

It’s all understandable, and frankly, not a bad look. At Queerty, we support people wearing whichever swim garment they desire, from itty bitty to baggy.

But when it comes to going against the grain, the thong speedo is the Summer 2026 look that wins out. Straight dudes may now love to show off their glutes.

But let us know next time they show some cheek.

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