His crafty sets of army barracks, police stations, locker rooms, and gladiators' arenas were all peopled by exhibitionistic, swaggering youths, and they all wore the most obscene item of clothing ever devised: the posing strap. In the late 1940s and '50s, his images of smirking, flexing men, all posed and strutting, acted out Mizer's tableaux vivants. Not sure what the ring on the bottom is for, as people had no car keys then.Ģ0th-Century Bulge: The Birth of the Posing Strap Photographer and publisher Bob Mizer practically invented the beefcake magazine - in fact, the biopic about his life is called Beefcake. In a great example of the mindset of the moment, an 1880s chastity device. Aside from these glimpses, it's hard to see much evidence of bulge celebration. Boxer-style underwear was worn widely, so your tailor might ask if you "dress right or dress left" to accommodate your pants leg for the extra width on one side. Athletics, the ballet, and certain types of swimwear were still exceptional fashion moments for bulges, and seeing a bulge in streetwear was fairly uncommon. Victoria's displeasure at male protuberance persisted well into the 20th century. Today, the fig leaf is no longer used, but it is displayed in a case at the back of the cast's plinth. The fig leaf was then hung on the figure using a pair of hooks. The museum commissioned this fig leaf and kept it in readiness in case of a visit by the queen or other female dignitaries. In the reign of Queen Victoria, the display of male nudity was considered contentious, and the queen herself was said to find it shocking. The Queen Is Displeased A fig leaf cast in plaster was used to cover the genitals of a copy of a statue of David in the Cast Courts of the Victoria and Albert Museum. The Spanish court in 1550, bursting with virile pride over conquests in the New World, sported codpieces that portrayed, as it seemed, permanent erections. Finally, the public outcry became too fierce, and, since men would not be inconvenienced by simply sewing the crotch seam shut, the codpiece was invented. In 1482, Edward IV introduced a law that forbade persons below the rank of lord to expose their private parts via short doublets. If this legend is true, and the personality of Edward III would support it, it is an example of how the nobility can influence fashion." - Modesty to Majesty: The Development of the Codpiece by Beth Marie Kosir Below, Pier Paolo Pasolini's Canterbury Tales. The legend goes on to say that the gullible French (from the nobility all the way down to the peasantry) were scared to death by the advance of the 'well-equipped' men. He then ordered that the nobility and knights do the same to their armor. As he was in the midst of the Hundred Years' War with the French at the time, it would not be surprising that he would try to seek any possible advantage available to him. "Legend has it that Edward III, king of England from 1327-1377, had the codpiece of his armor enlarged to astounding proportions because he had heard that strength and military prowess were correlated with a man's endowment. (For more info, visit .)Ībove: 16th-century armor, in the "upswing" mode. Some codpieces would be pointed up, resembling an erect penis. The codpiece might be adorned with embroidery, pearls, precious stones, or decorative stitches. The word 'codpiece' originates from Middle English 'cod' which means 'scrotum.' It was a flap or a pouch attached to the front of men's trousers to accentuate the genital area.
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