150 years of the jockstrap: a look back at the history of a queer icon
Who would have thought that a simple underwear, originally designed to meet purely functional needs, would become a symbol of fashion and culture? Invented in 1874 in Boston to protect bike messengers from the inconvenience of paved roads, this innovative underwear was made up of a fabric pocket, an elastic waistband and two side bands. A pragmatic invention that quickly found its place in the world of sports, before taking an unexpected path far beyond the terrain.
An object reappropriated by the LGBT community
If athletes in the 1950s continue to wear the jockstrap, it begins to appear in a completely different context: bodybuilding magazines, popular with a gay community seeking images of masculinity and sensuality. These publications, such as Physique Pictorial, feature sculpted bodies, often dressed in this minimalist accessory. Gradually, the jockstrap is becoming an erotic and identity symbol within gay culture.
