Portrait of Jean-Baptiste Belley (1798) by Anne-Louis Girodet de Roussy-Trioson; the bulge of the subject's penis is clearly visible through his pants.

A visible penis line is a common colloquial term (sometimes abbreviated VPL) for the outline of a man's protruding penis visible from underneath his clothing.[1][2][3][4] Euphemisms sometimes associated with visible penis line include, but are not limited to, the slang metonyms bulge, going commando, and package.

Trouser fashions adopted to either avoid or accentuate this effect include various cuts creating a bagging of material around the groin area by tailored pleats. Tight-fitting knited pants also noted for this effect, such as bike shorts and swim briefs. Men who have large penises are known to avoid (or occasionally to adopt) sitting in open-legged fashion to avoid (or else to perpetrate) the exhibition of this condition.

Some scholars believe that the tight-crotched, pale trousers of the eighteenth century, such as those introduced by the era's (and subsequent eras') formative arbiter of men's fashion George Brummell, were designed to copy the style of dress in classical statuary and so can be thought of as aligned with the Classical Revival in architecture.[5]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ White, Michele (2010). "Listing eBay masculinity: erotic exchanges and regulation in 'gay' and 'gay interest' underwear and swimwear auctions". 19 (1). Journal of Gender Studies: 43–58. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ "Acronyms: VPL". The Free Dictionary. May 12, 2011. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ ""Spider-Man" To Tackle 'The VPL'". The Best Movie Review. November 29, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ "Finally Indefatigable Proof that the Male VPL Isn't Just a Modern Phenomenon". Me-me-me.TV. March 24, 2010. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Kelly, Ian (2006). Beau Brummell: the ultimate man of style. Free Press (Simon & Shuster). p. 121.