""When it's hot outside or at a gay bar, or if I've just finished something physically taxing like a jog or playing basketball, I like to have my shirt off. But I don't do it quite as much because I feel self-conscious about it," he began. "It's not a body image problem. I'm a pretty fit guy - decent pecs and abs. The issue is that I feel like having your shirt off randomly is a young guy thing.""
""To be clear, I'm not talking about being shirtless at the beach or poolside or Pride. It's more like taking off my shirt for a random bike ride or as I stroll through my urban neighborhood in July. 'I used to do this all the time when I was like 24,' he continued, before dropping the bombshell: 'But now that I'm 38, I feel like 'the old guy with his shirt off.' Maybe it's in my head.""
A 38-year-old gay man enjoys removing his shirt in hot weather, at bars, or after physical activity but feels self-conscious about doing so in public. He reports being fit with decent pecs and abs and distinguishes the behavior from body-image concerns. He accepts shirtlessness at beaches, pools, and Pride but questions taking his shirt off during random bike rides or urban strolls. He recalls doing it freely at 24 and cites friends criticizing older celebrities for going shirtless. Over 100 responses generally advised that age should not prevent someone from taking their shirt off, saying 38 is not too old.
Read at Queerty
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