A new photographer friend of mine had come down from L.A. to do a small photoshoot with me that we had been talking about. He brought over a neoprene suit that he said he wanted me to try on and I was very eager to give it a go.
Neoprene is a soft, rubbery material that stretches but also firmly conforms easily. Putting on the wetsuit actually took some effort on my part, pulling the stretchy suit up and feeling it immediately tighten on my legs was an interesting feeling, much like zentai, only more intense and much thicker. There's a reason they called it "bodyglove"!
Wearing the wetsuit was a little hard, it constantly felt as if it was fighting me, forcing me to curl up into a ball, and just me standing up straight, moving around, and flexing my arms and legs required a minor effort. Also, over time the suit was keeping heat inside, suffocating me a little, as the design of a wetsuit is to allow inside and keep a thin layer of water against the skin in order to keep the wearer from freezing or getting uncomfortably cold. So when it came time to finally get me wet, as we were doing dry pictures first, I was more than eager to jump into the shower!
Now being wet and dry in neoprene are two different sensations, and they both feel wonderful. When wet you're not carrying around this chilly layer of damp with you, it stays warm and comfortable which I had to feel to believe. I only wish I had another wet man to hold close at that moment, it felt so interesting!
I had started to feel lightheaded during the shoot because my apartment had become stuffy and the fans weren't really doing much to alleviate it, so we stopped soon after the shower shots but I would definitely dive into neoprene again sometime!
Plus I can't wait to see those photos too!
Play Safe, guys.
most people have no idea how hot and sealed you are in neoprene! With a full coverage suit you have to hydrate or shower often to keep the heat from building up
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