Movember Foundation promotes mustache growing for prostate cancer awareness

latimes.com Aussie expat Adam Garone, co-founder and CEO of the Movember Foundation, hopes to leverage the lip mullet to raise awareness of men's health issues over the next 30 days. The organization has helped raise $47 million to fund prostate cancer research since starting in Australian in 2003, and is just three years old stateside.

It's been derided as a soup strainer, cookie duster, lip spinach and even face fungus, but if Australian expat Adam Garone has his way, each November the maligned mustache will become as potent a symbol in the fight against cancer as the pink ribbons that blossom each October in support of breast cancer awareness.

"I call it our hairy ribbon," said Garone, explaining that supporters of the movement start the month of "Movember" ("mo" is Aussie slang for mustache) cleanshaven and, for the next 30 days, cultivate the facial forest between nose and mouth (no beards and no goatees, please) as a way to raise money and awareness in the battle against prostate and testicular cancers.

Garone, the co-founder and chief executive of the Movember Foundation, says the campaign started on a lark in 2003, the result of a Sunday afternoon conversation in a Melbourne pub. "A bunch of us were just sitting around talking about how everything from '80s fashion was coming back -- except for that mustache. Our dads had them, the sports stars of the day had them. So, for no particular reason, we decided to grow our mos."

Shortly after that, Garone (pronounced Guh-ROW-nee) and his buddies realized the exercise in follicular folly would make a great way to help stereotypically reticent menfolk start talking about health issues. "Especially prostate cancer," Garone said. "It's the cancer that affects the most men; 1 in 6 of us will get it in our lifetime, and it's as big an issue as breast cancer, but there's a significant gap in the level of funding and awareness. And I firmly put that down to the fact that we, as men, are apathetic about our health, and just don't want to talk about it."

While the organization has raised $47 million to fund prostate cancer research worldwide, the movement only reached the upper lips of American men in 2007. That's when Garone decamped to the West Coast, settling here in Venice. That first year saw 2,000 U.S. participants raise $600,000. Last year 7,000 stateside "mo bros" (and their supporting "mo sistas") raised $1.1 million, which went to the Prostate Cancer Foundation. Garone says just getting men to raise the issue is even more important than raising funds, and that's the special magic of the stand-alone 'stache. "When it's somebody who doesn't normally have a mustache, the guy becomes a walking billboard. . . . We want them to go home at Thanksgiving and have a dinner conversation; ask their dads and uncles if they've been screened for prostate cancer."

This year, for the first time, the Movember monies will be split between the Prostate Cancer Foundation and a new beneficiary, the Lance Armstrong Foundation. Garone points out that testicular cancer, which that group's namesake founder famously battled, is the most commonly diagnosed cancer for 18- to 35-year-old men.

To get onboard, participants need to register and join the campaign at www.movember.com "> www.movember.com as an individual or part of a team (women can join as supporters), and then ask friends, family and colleagues to sponsor their 'stache-growing efforts. At the end of the month, mo bros will celebrate with a series of parties around the country (in L.A., the party is slated for Dec. 4).

As for when the "hairy ribbon" of men's health reaches breast cancer awareness' pink ribbon level of mass cultural awareness? Based on the success of efforts Down Under, Garone thinks it's about three or four years down the road. "In the scope of things that's not very long at all," Garone said.

Not bad at all for a 3-year-old, grass-roots, word-of-mouth whisker campaign.

Men Living with ED: Restore sexual well being in your relationship

Solutions and treatments for men in your life suffering from erectile dysfunction. Dr. Paul Terek shares his advice for dealing with ED.
abclocal.go.com
What's After the Pill for Men with ED?
For 25% or more of men afflicted with erectile dysfunction (ED), the common prescription therapies - Viagra, Levitra or Cialis - are not effective. This can occur in men with nerve damage from cancer or other surgery or in medical conditions (i.e. diabetes) that affect the nerves to the penis. For these men, other courses of action can be taken with their men's health physicians. Thousands of men and couples suffer in silence not knowing that there are other options, when in fact there are a variety of treatments available to restore sexual well-being.

When the pill does not work, here are some other options available by talking with a men's health expert:

Treat underlying disease - Although they are unusual causes of ED, medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated prolactin or low testosterone are important medical problems that requirement treatment. Often, by taking care of these illnesses, erections will improve, too.

Sexual health counseling - Counseling on sexual health matters (including techniques) may be all that is needed for men with occasional problems with erections, or for those with situational erectile dysfunction due to anxiety or stress. This therapy is usually short term and highly effective.

Penile salves, creams and pills - Available in many forms and strengths, and often compounded by various pharmacies, "local" therapy applied to the penis or the urethra (the urine tube within the penis) can be absorbed through membranes into the penis and can replace injections and other more invasive treatments for ED.

Penile injections - Although difficult to imagine, local therapy with penile injections is highly effective for the vast majority of men who fail to respond to oral agents for ED.

Penile vacuum pumps - By creating 6 atmospheres of negative suction around the penis with these devices, blood has little choice but to fill the penis in this mechanical approach to treating ED. A ring placed on the base of the penis keeps the blood in the penis while it is needed.

Surgical implants - Available for the last 30 years, surgical implants are the most invasive form of local therapy and are effective in virtually every man with ED. Implants can be rigid (and bendable), inflatable, antibiotic coated and can have various other convenient widgets and gadgets. They do require surgery, however, which distinguishes them from other less invasive treatments. They are also an irreversible treatment, in that they will permanently alter internal penis anatomy so that other treatments are rendered ineffective.

Gardasil is Now Recommended for Males to Fight Against HPV

www.healthnews.com

Soon, boys may also be eligible to obtain the Gardasil vaccine, which is currently given to girls and young women to help prevent infection by four types of human papillomavirus. An advisory committee from the Food and Drug Administration voted Wednesday to recommend that the vaccine be made available to boys and young men between the ages of 9 and 26 to help protect against genital warts that are caused by HPV.

The Gardasil vaccine helps protect against four type of HPV, and two of those are believed to be responsible for approximately 70 percent of anal and cervical cancers, as well as HPV-associated penile and throat-and-neck cancers. Researchers say that the other two types cause approximately 90 percent of all cases of genital warts.

At Wednesday’s meeting for the advisory committee, pharmaceutical giant Merck & Co., maker of the Gardasil vaccine, presented data from three clinical trials that the company claims supports broadening the distribution of the vaccine to include boys and young men. The three trials included more than 5,400 boys and men that were from 23 countries and 6 continents.

According to Anna Giuilano, who is an independent scientist at Moffit Cancer Center located in Tampa, Florida, and the trials’ principal investigator, “The data clearly demonstrates that there was a benefit to men in receiving Gardasil. Overall, we saw a 90 percent reduction in disease—genital warts and pre-cancerous lesions—caused by HPV in men and an 89 percent reduction in genital warts incidence. Essentially, we have a really fantastic opportunity to extend the benefit of the vaccine to men. This is a sexually transmitted infection’ if we can reduce infection and related diseases in men, we have the potential to have a much broader public health impact by reducing the overall burden of infection and disease in the community at large.”

Guiliano stated that there were no serious adverse events that were related to the vaccine. There were some minor side effects such as running a low grade fever and pain at the injection site. The Gardasil vaccine would be administered in boys and young men exactly the same way it has been given to girls and young women: three doses over a span of six months. Pan Eisele, who is a spokeswoman for Merck, said that the cost will be $130 dollars per dose.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 20 million Americans are infected with HPV. There are approximately 6.2 million new infections annually. The CDC states that at least 50 percent of women and men that are sexually active get an HPV infection at some point in their life. The American Social Health Association said that HPV is the most common sexually transmitted virus and puts that number at 75 percent or above.

The CDC says that although HPV is very common for both sexes, most men will not develop symptoms or any serious health problems, and there is no test that will detect the virus in men. The only test that is approved for HPV on the market is for women, for the use in cervical-cancer screening.

The advisory committee has also voted that Cervarix, which is new HPV vaccine that is made by GlaxoSmithKline, appeared to be safe and effective for girls and young women between the ages of 10 and 25.  Cervarix has already been approved for us in Europe.

Barbara Howe, who is the vice president and director of North American vaccine development for GlaxoSmithKline, said, “This is an important step in cancer prevention for the millions of girls and young women at risk for cervical cancer. If approved, Cervarix will provide protection against cervical cancer, a devastating disease that is responsible for thousands of deaths in U.S. women each year.”

Still, the panel recommend that GlaxoSmithKline do more studies that would closely monitor miscarriages and other problems that were reported by patients. In a final review of this proposal, both of the applications will be considered by the FDA, which usually—but not always—follows the recommendations of its advisory committees.

New Stent Aims to Help Erectile Dysfunction Patients

www.healthnews.com

 

We are all used to getting spam e-mails offering discounts on medications such as Viagra, Cialis, or Levitra, but if the new clinical trial is successful, men that suffer from erectile dysfunction may one day be flooded with e-mails for something other than a magic pill: a pelvic stent.

Medtronic has begun testing on a pelvic stent for the men who have not been helped out by the the "little blue pill" and other prescription medications. The researchers will begin with 50 patients from 10 different medical centers. 

Dr. Krishna Rocha-Singh, who is the director of the Prairie Vascular Institute in Springfield, Illinois and installed the stent in the first patient last week said, “This is a common problem. Men many times do not have satisfactory results from first-line medical therapies.” Singh also stated that erectile dysfunction can also be a sign of a larger problem, with potential blockages of some major blood vessels.

Singh said that erectile dysfunction could be a symptom of a vascular source, which means it could be an early sign of what could lead to a stroke or heart attack. “The patients we’re treating in our practice [with erectile dysfunction] had the same problem elsewhere in other parts of the body.” The stent might help solve some of those problems by opening up the blood flow. However, it still remains to be seen which patients using the stent, a question everyone hopes the clinical trial will answer, would actually be help out.

Another question being asked is whether the stents are best used in younger men? Dr. Jerome Richie, who is the chief of urology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, said, “I would foresee this stent as an application for younger individuals who have had traumatic injuries that decrease arterial inflow. Other than that selected group, I do not foresee widespread applicability.”

Dr. Ajay Nehra, who is a professor urology at the Mayo Clinic, also agreed that younger men whose erectile dysfunction stemmed from a traumatic injury would be the mostly likely candidates to be helped, and said that they may even prefer a stenting operation to taking a pill, since an erection would not feel as medically induced. Nehra said, “Men would ideally like to have natural, spontaneous erection, and that’s why the medical device is trying to look at alternative options than pills, per se.”

So will there be a demand for this surgical stent procedure? Current erectile dysfunction drugs work in only half of patients, so for this very reason, a number of doctors believe that the stent could become a commercial success. If women are willing to have plastic surgery to get breast implants, and men are willing to get penile implants, then the potential for the stent could be huge, if it is shown to work and has minimal side effects.

Dr. Ira Sharlip, who is a clinical professor of urology at the University of California at San Francisco, said, “All men with erectile dysfunction will want to know if they are candidates for the stent.” However, at the same time, he stated that it still remains to be seen if the stent really works and for whom.

Plastic Surgery vs Cosmetic Surgery | Men's Neck Liposuction Surgery

 TransD-Tropin

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there is a discernible difference between cosmetic and plastic surgery although most people look at them as one of the same. Plastic or reconstructive surgery is carried out on abnormal parts of the body, which are commonly caused by developmental problems such as trauma, congenital defects, injuries, infections or tumors. Aesthetic or cosmetic surgery is performed to remold or restore regular body parts in order to improve confidence and appearance.

You may be surprised to learn that many men are now opting for this type of elective surgery. One of the more popular operations for men is neck liposuction surgery, which gets rid of areas of fat around the neck and sculpts the area for a better appearance. Quite often, this is combined with a face lift or other form of facial procedure, like chin liposuction. When asked for the reasons they want the surgical procedure in the first place, many state it is related to their careers and see it as investing in them selves.

It would seem that, as a society, we have become obsessed with youthfulness and beauty and it is a near requirement that we do everything possible to improve upon our appearance. Various studies suggest that everyone has their individual ideas and personality and if you are happy with yourself, then you will in all likelihood project that feeling through every part of your life. On the other hand, those who are not satisfied with how they look are inclined to be more introspective and self-conscious. With that in mind, do you think that plastic surgery is right for you or do you feel there may be other choices.

Once the surgery has been performed, a certain amount of recuperation time will be necessary. This convalescence period varies from person to person and is, to a certain extent, dependant on the form of surgery. Nevertheless, physical convalescence is one thing but there are also emotional issues to contend with, which may take a lot longer to heal. Indeed, many people do not even consider the psychological aspects of liposuction cosmetic surgery. Doctors on the other hand will talk over these issues with potential patients before any surgical operations so they will know what to expect.

Even though Aristotle at one time said that Beauty is a greater recommendation than any letter of introduction, that may not be the reality. Obviously, there are many different reasons why somebody may choose to have plastic surgery. Unfortunately, some of their expectations might be a little unrealistic. There are limitations to what can be done by a plastic surgeon during a surgical procedure. It is important to remember there are several variables that must be considered, such as skin texture, age and even overall health. If somebody is convinced that a face-lift will confer ravishing good looks on them, then they may need to be reminded that their surgeon is working with skin, not clay. Although not the answer to lifes problems, it can improve a persons appearance and self esteem, but only if their frame of mind is positive before the surgery.

Viagra Use Could Lead To Condom Breaking

ukmedix.com

Research from America shows that men who make use of the medications Viagra, Cialis and Levitra are four times more probable to end up with broken condoms than men who do not use these medications. However another study done by the same researchers last year showed that there was no link but nevertheless more research needs to be done in this area for a better understanding of the way that Viagra affects condom use.

The study was done with a group of 440 volunteers who regularly used condoms for vaginal sex. Just under ten percent of the men used a condom and for this group twelve percent reported condom breakage compared to only five percent of the group who did not make use of an erectile dysfunction medication. The researchers also reported that men who had sex for a longer period of time were also be more likely to experience their condom breaking.

The group of researchers said that it is possible that because the use of erectile dysfunction drugs increases the strength and hardness of an erection it may be that that the condoms are put under more pressure than usual. They suggested that the drugs manufacturers should possibly advise that when using a condom with their products it would be important to check that the size of the condom was sufficient.

When conducting this sort of research it is extremely difficult to come up with accurate results unless a very large pool of volunteers can be found to conduct research over a long period of time. In order to get 100 percent accurate results it would also be necessary to use standard condom products.

Since erectile dysfunction drugs allow you to have sex for a longer period of time it is pretty obvious that condom breakage is more likely to occur, however to blame Viagra, Cialis and Levitra alone for these incidents is not really justifiable as many other factors come into play. It could be the use of poor quality condoms, badly fitting condoms or just incorrect usage of them.

This research which was published in the medical journal Sexually Transmitted Infections is likely to aggravate the debate surrounding the use of Viagra and its cousins and the spread of STD’s which we have previously written about at Ukmedix News and also which AIDS charities often complain about.

Men's Health: 4 Secret Sources of Aging

Sunlight, cigarettes, and botched plastic surgeries will turn your mug into a catcher's mitt, but they're not the only offenders.

By the Editors of Men's Health

Sunlight, cigarettes, and botched plastic surgeries will turn your mug into a catcher's mitt, but they're not the only offenders. The sneakier culprits are the threats you expose yourself to every day without even thinking about—everything from what you eat and drink to how you manage your emotions. Here are four habits that can add wrinkles to your face, wear down your heart, and even undermine your manhood—and how to avoid them.

Eating processed foods
The deep grooves running from nose to mouth—also known as "smile lines"—are called nasolabial folds. These result from thinning underlying tissue. Dermatologists can prescribe high-end volumizers such as Restylane and Sculptra, but you can take action in the kitchen by avoiding excess sugar, which can make collagen more fragile, putting you at greater risk for wrinkles. Similarly, a diet high in white flour can also create what are called glycation reactions between molecules in the skin. This reaction binds collagen and decreases elasticity, so the skin becomes more susceptible to fracture. Base your diet around the 125 best foods for men, and you'll avoid added sugar, fat, and salt, and consume more of the nutrients you need.


Guzzling alcohol
A six-pack is not a sleep aid. Alcohol messes with the normal sleep cycle, especially the back end of the cycle. "Four hours into sleep, alcohol wears off and leaves you in an excitable state," says Alex Chediak, M.D., medical director of the Miami Sleep Disorders Center. And you need that deep, slow-wave, restorative sleep to keep your body looking—and feeling—young. Moderating your booze intake is key. You're 97 percent more likely to reach age 85 if you keep your daily alcohol consumption to fewer than three drinks a day, according to a study of 6,000 patients in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And remember to make one of those drinks a pinot noir. A recent review in Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that resveratrol, a compound commonly found in red wine, may prevent or delay the onset of chronic disease.

Losing your temper
Emotional stress causes the release of immune compounds called histamines, which can cause inflammation. "If you reduce inflammation, you reduce the risk of death from a heart attack," says Steven Nissen, M.D., chairman of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. A Duke University study found that when angry men took a multivitamin for six months, their levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6)-an inflammation marker that may increase the risk of heart disease—went from being elevated to as low as those measured in calm guys.  Chronic inflammation is also a serious, but easily overlooked, source of fine lines and wrinkles, says Carl Thornfeldt, M.D., in Fruitland, Idaho. When the skin puffs up, the lattice of protein, fats, and oils tends to rupture, creating damage that is difficult to reverse.

Using Harmful Lotions and Potions
Read the list of ingredients in your moisturizers, shampoos, and hair dyes closely. Many of the chemicals they contain are benign; others warrant a better-safe-than-sorry approach. Gary Ginsberg, Ph.D., a toxicologist at the Connecticut Department of Public Health in Hartford, says to steer clear of ubiquitous toxins such as 1,4-dioxane, phthalates, formaldehyde, hydroquinone, and parabens, which researchers have linked to a host of health concerns, including obesity, male fertility problems, and cancer. Instead, opt for products with labels that read "sulfate free," "paraben free," "fragrance free," and "PPD free." 

Provided by Men's Health

Overcoming ED

foxnews.com

It's estimated that more than 100 million men worldwide are affected by erectile dysfunction (ED).

Are you one of them? Or is your sweetheart?

With ED significantly impacting men's social and psychological well-being for the worse, this epidemic affects eroticism in numerous ways.

A 2004 study in the International Journal of Impotence Research found significant differences in self-esteem, confidence and relationship dimensions among men with ED.

In 2005, research published in the Journal of Sex and Marital Therapy investigated the sexual and relationship characteristics of men in the U.S. with and without ED. (The research was sponsored by Eli Lilly, manufacturers of the ED drug Cialis.) The Internet-based sample, which involved 700 men ages of 40-70, found that, compared to men without ED, the 111 men with ED were:

— Significantly older;

— Dealing with more medical conditions, such as heart disease, hypertension or diabetes;

— Significantly worse off when it came to sexual, psychological and relationship functioning.

Those without ED scored higher on sexual functioning measures: erectile function, orgasmic function, sexual desire, intercourse satisfaction and overall satisfaction.

Not surprisingly, the mean number of successful intercourse attempts in the last month was also significant.

However, one glimmer of hope for the sex lives of men with ED was the fact that they were likelier to report sexual initiation. To a certain extent, it can be claimed that the ED wasn’t holding them back from trying to get busy.

The same can be said for their lovers. The partners of men with ED were reported as likelier to initiate sex than those whose partners didn’t have ED – 14.7 percent vs. 5.3 percent.

So how does a man with ED reclaim his sex life? He needs to take a holistic bio-psycho-social approach in tackling the dysfunction. This begins with an evaluation of his medical condition and medications, including cardiac drugs, to determine any vascular, neurological, or hormonal factors that could be at play.

Psychological factors, like depression, and relationship factors, including anger toward his partner that may be undermining his sexual functioning, should be delved into as well.

In any case, there are treatments that may help a man plagued with ED. Ways he can return to his sexual rock star status include:

Pro-erection medications – Drugs like Viagra, Cialis and Levitra can help him attain and maintain erection. They work by relaxing the corpus cavernosum smooth muscle of the penis.

Intracavernous drugs – This option involves administering an injection at the base of the penis. For those who find this inconvenient, the Medicated Urethral System for Erection (MUSE) is an alternative, whereby the user inserts a small alprostadil suppository into the penile urethra. Note: this can be painful or uncomfortable.

Vacuum constriction device – Available with a prescription, this device, made infamous by Austin Powers, draws blood into the penis for erection. It then traps the blood to maintain erection.

By doing this, a plastic tube is placed over the penis and a vacuum is created via use of a motor or manual pump. The tube is removed once he’s erect and a fitted rubber band is placed at the base of the penis to maintain erection for up to 30 minutes.

Penile base – The soft rubber brace of these nonsurgical prostheses hold the penis rigid. Available at drugstores (and without prescription), the tip of the penis is still exposed for pleasure. This gadget may, however, make sex uncomfortable for his partner.

Penile vascular surgery – Surgery may be in order when there is irreversible damage to the penile arteries and veins. Results are typically poor, however.

Surgical penile prostheses – These rigid or flexible rods are surgically implanted into the penis for erection. This option should be the last, since implants are irreversible

In some cases, it’s best to work with your physician in experimenting with a combination of treatments, such as an injection medication and oral agent. In every case, a man and his lover should work with a sex therapist not only on any issues lending themselves to ED, but issues the ED is causing in the relationship as well.

Under the direction of a sex therapist, lovers can acquire the psychosexual skills needed to get through this difficult time. These lie mainly in understanding that relaxation and sensuality are the foundation for sexual response, not necessarily his erectile functioning.

Drink beer and look slim, thanks to the wondrous mirdle

Move over Spanx, it’s time for guys to enjoy the slimming effect of the Mirdle.

Weary, perhaps, of trying to oppress fickle, headstrong teenage girls, the fashion industry has apparently moved on to an easier target: dudes. In recent weeks, The New York Times, Time, ABC News and various other media outlets have all featured enthusiastic coverage of mirdles. They eliminate inches in seconds, the coverage advises. They’re surprisingly comfortable. They’re flying off the shelves at trend-setting retailers.

What, you may be asking, is a mirdle? A mirdle is a male girdle, a constrictive garment designed to streamline a fashion-conscious man’s problem areas—his too-generous love handles, his silhouette-ruining belly. Mirdle manufacturers never refer to their products as mirdles, however, because girdles are feminine and mirdles are anything but. Equmen describes its Core Precision T-shirt as a “high-performance undergarment … engineered with HELIX-MAPPING technology” that “sculpt[s], tone[s] and improve[s] body mechanics.” The makers of the RipT Fusion mirdle call their garment a “classic men’s undershirt injected with steroids.”

So if you were thinking that mirdles sound a little girly, well, relax, tough guy! Mirdles are totally masculine. They’re not girdles! They’re T-shirts with very, very firm handshakes!

Mirdle Mania

The high-performance, steroid-injected verbiage is needed, one suspects, because waif-like metrosexuals who have no trouble slipping into their junkie-fit skinny jeans don’t need mirdles. Nor do gay gym bunnies who spend so much time working out they make Michelangelo’s David look like Homer Simpson. Instead, it’s the guys who spend all day glued to the sofa pounding burgers and Miller Draft with their bros as they watch the game on ESPN, but still want to look good in their striped shirts when they hit the clubs at night in search of fresh flesh.

It’s ironic, isn’t it? For years, Madison Avenue has been bombarding impressionable young lunkheads with an incredibly limiting and destructive view of masculinity. To express your essential maleness, Madison Avenue insists, you must eat triple cheeseburgers laden with enough strips of bacon to reconstruct an entire pig and spend hours perfecting the art of beating up tiny cartoon adversaries or pretending to dunk on Shaq. To affirm your male autonomy, you must choose 12-packs of bland American beer over hot and compliant blondes whenever such decisions present themselves. But despite your beer-swilling, burger-eating, video game-playing lifestyle, you can’t take refuge in shapeless Dad jeans or sack-like Tommy Bahama camp shirts. You’ve got to look good in fitted polos and stretch twill chinos.

Thus the recent proliferation of torso-enhancing undershirts, one-piece body trimmers, waist eliminators, high-compression singlets and extreme chest-concealer tanks. The makers of mirdles position their products as revolutionary, liberating devices: Finally, men get to take advantage of the constrictive, fat-binding garments that women have been using to present an idealized image of themselves for centuries!

But will today’s dudes really fall for such rhetoric? Forty years ago, in the autumn of 1968, the members of a group called New York Radical Women protested at the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City by dumping sacrificial girdles, padded bras and high heels into a “freedom trash can.” “No more girdles, no more pain, no more trying to hold the fat in vain,” they chanted as they shed themselves of the “instruments of torture” that enslaved them to “ludicrous beauty standards.”

Like the members of the New York Radical Women, men have traditionally associated underwear with cultural as well as physical constriction. The laid-back iconoclast who lives life outside the dictates of society typically favors boxers over briefs. The most autonomous, most empowered choice is to go without underwear entirely, i.e., to “free-ball” or “go commando.” Several generations ago, most men decided that even soft cotton undershirts were somehow cramping their style, and today, the planet’s archetypal dude’s dude, actor and semi-nudist Matthew McConaughey, has repeatedly demonstrated that it is possible to survive for weeks at a time, in virtually any setting, without any torso-encumbering garment whatsoever.

And yet at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, at least, men are reportedly lining up to pay as much as $119 a pop for an Equmen Core Precision T-shirt. This seems like an awful lot to pay for an undershirt—especially a clingy, emotionally manipulative undershirt that squeezes itself around your stomach and intestines like a hungry boa constrictor and claims to support you while sucking the life out of your self-esteem. But whoever said that men were rational creatures?

resource: lasvegasweekly.com