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Why San Diegans dress the way they do

Bras, men's swimsuits, tattoos, mustaches, being blonde, tell me what you're wearing

Peter: "I would just as soon shave my eyebrows off as my mustache."
Peter: "I would just as soon shave my eyebrows off as my mustache."
  • Men's Summer Swimsuit Issue

  • “Now, you ask me, the male physicality wasn't built for aesthetics. Those angles and edges, the purely functional proportions: men's bods are too utilitarian, at least for my taste. (I prefer a woman's gentler curves, that smallness, the supple delicacy; that's just me.)”
  • By Geoff Bouvier, July 1, 2004
Dave Knoblock
  • Mustache

  • "I was 15 years old. I was babysitting. The missus was out of town. When the mister came home, we sat and chatted. The kids were nestled in their beds, upstairs. We were friendly. I had babysat there several times before. The family owned a fancy hot dog stand at the local mall's food court; I was thinking of working for them. The kiss was brief, the mustache wiry and foreign."
  • By Deirdre Lickona, June 16, 2005
Bob: "My favorite mustache in history belonged to Captain Smith of the Titanic."
  • Got Some Skin Left?

  • "When I was eight, I saw a tiny red devil tattoo on my dad's left bicep. That devil might have been no bigger than a golf ball, but he couldn't have made a larger impression. In coming years my father would uncover tattoo magazines under my bed, find a cigar box I'd marked "Savings for Tattoo," and uncover checklists I'd made outlining the process of immigration to the Philippines."
  • By Ollie , May 26, 2005
A short stint in a California prison for aggravated assault had given him 18 months to practice a newfound craft. He showed us how to make a tattoo gun from an eight-track motor, a Bic pen, and a sewing needle.
  • Tell Me What You're Wearing

  • "I used to see all these ads for Hawaiian prints, so I tried wearing those. I grew up in Iowa; it just didn't work. Neither do muumuus, which people wear out in public. And those sweats. Okay, you're a mom, you're busy. You're going to the gym, it's everyday use, but you can still dress up."
  • By Sue Greenberg, Dec. 13, 2007
Michelle Dalessandro: "I don't have a chest, so baby doll tops work great for me."
  • More Than Support

  • “I first started to notice breasts when I was ten years old. Not my own, because I didn’t have any yet, but my mother’s. I had seen my mother dressing often enough; she was small-framed, and her pear-shaped breasts were average in size and proportionate to the rest of her.
  • By Deirdre Lickona, April 24, 2003
“Right now, I have four to six bras, but I mainly wear my favorite everyday bras. Oh, those are ugly."
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Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Peter: "I would just as soon shave my eyebrows off as my mustache."
Peter: "I would just as soon shave my eyebrows off as my mustache."
  • Men's Summer Swimsuit Issue

  • “Now, you ask me, the male physicality wasn't built for aesthetics. Those angles and edges, the purely functional proportions: men's bods are too utilitarian, at least for my taste. (I prefer a woman's gentler curves, that smallness, the supple delicacy; that's just me.)”
  • By Geoff Bouvier, July 1, 2004
Dave Knoblock
  • Mustache

  • "I was 15 years old. I was babysitting. The missus was out of town. When the mister came home, we sat and chatted. The kids were nestled in their beds, upstairs. We were friendly. I had babysat there several times before. The family owned a fancy hot dog stand at the local mall's food court; I was thinking of working for them. The kiss was brief, the mustache wiry and foreign."
  • By Deirdre Lickona, June 16, 2005
Bob: "My favorite mustache in history belonged to Captain Smith of the Titanic."
  • Got Some Skin Left?

  • "When I was eight, I saw a tiny red devil tattoo on my dad's left bicep. That devil might have been no bigger than a golf ball, but he couldn't have made a larger impression. In coming years my father would uncover tattoo magazines under my bed, find a cigar box I'd marked "Savings for Tattoo," and uncover checklists I'd made outlining the process of immigration to the Philippines."
  • By Ollie , May 26, 2005
A short stint in a California prison for aggravated assault had given him 18 months to practice a newfound craft. He showed us how to make a tattoo gun from an eight-track motor, a Bic pen, and a sewing needle.
  • Tell Me What You're Wearing

  • "I used to see all these ads for Hawaiian prints, so I tried wearing those. I grew up in Iowa; it just didn't work. Neither do muumuus, which people wear out in public. And those sweats. Okay, you're a mom, you're busy. You're going to the gym, it's everyday use, but you can still dress up."
  • By Sue Greenberg, Dec. 13, 2007
Michelle Dalessandro: "I don't have a chest, so baby doll tops work great for me."
  • More Than Support

  • “I first started to notice breasts when I was ten years old. Not my own, because I didn’t have any yet, but my mother’s. I had seen my mother dressing often enough; she was small-framed, and her pear-shaped breasts were average in size and proportionate to the rest of her.
  • By Deirdre Lickona, April 24, 2003
“Right now, I have four to six bras, but I mainly wear my favorite everyday bras. Oh, those are ugly."
Sponsored
Sponsored
Once there was Marilyn Monroe, Mae West, and Grace Kelly, and now we have Britney Spears, Sharon Stone, and Pamela Anderson.
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The latest copy of the Reader

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or view all
Previous article

Big kited bluefin on the Red Rooster III

Lake fishing heating up as the weather cools
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3 Tips for Creating a Cozy and Inviting Living Room in San Diego

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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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