The Fit Talk No Swimwear Brand Will Have With You

Why Your Suit Won't Look Like Mine (And That's Okay)

Let's talk about something most swimwear brands won't touch.

You've seen the photos on the Bear Threads site. You know who's in them — it's me, JD, the guy who started this brand. And if you've ordered a suit and put it on, you might have noticed it doesn't look quite the same on you as it does on me in those photos. That's not a defect. That's anatomy.

I'm going to be direct about this because I think you deserve that more than you deserve another vague sizing chart.

The pouch is doing exactly what it's designed to do

Our suits have a contoured pouch. It's shaped to support and define — to hold everything in place and give you a confident, comfortable fit. But what "confident and defined" looks like is going to depend entirely on what you're working with.

I'll be frank here: I'm thick in the front with a decent volume. The way a suit sits on me reflects that. If your anatomy is different — less thick/more thick, lower hanging testicles, bigger balls, less overall volume — the pouch is going to look different on you. It might feel like it has extra room (or not enough). That's not the suit failing. That's the suit fitting a different body.

We note on our product pages that our suits are designed for guys who are average to above average in terms of endowment. That's not gatekeeping — it's just honesty about what the cut is optimized for. If you're on the smaller side and finding the pouch feels loose or saggy, sizing down will give you a tighter, more supportive feel against your body.

Modesty: there won't be much

This is a minimal swimwear brand. Two thin pieces of material. That's it.

Wet or dry, these suits leave very little to the imagination. People will be able to see your shape clearly. I'm circumcised and that's pretty visible when wearing the suit. If you're not, that'll be visible too. The fabric doesn't hide that — and it's not designed to. 

If you're looking for something that conceals, this isn't it. Bear Threads suits are built to show off your body, not cover it up. If you're not ready for that level of visibility, that's completely fine — but go in with your eyes open.

The comparison to the website photos

A few guys have emailed asking why the suit doesn't look the same on them as it does on me in the product photos. Honestly? Because I'm the model, and my body is the one the photos were built around.

What you see in those photos is a suit on my specific anatomy — my proportions, my volume, the way I carry weight, the particular way everything sits when I wear minimal fabric. That's going to be unique to me. No two bodies fill a suit the same way, and a suit that photographs a certain way on one person is going to look different on the next.

That's true of every clothing brand. We're just the only ones willing to say it out loud.

When to size up vs. size down

As a general rule:

• If you have a larger penis or larger, fuller testicles — size up for comfort and room.
• If you're smaller or lower volume — size down for a closer, more supportive fit.
• If you're right on the line between sizes — consider which fit experience you prefer: roomier or tighter.

Still not sure? Email us before you order. We'd rather have a real conversation about anatomy and fit than have you receive a suit that doesn't work for your body. There's nothing embarrassing about it. Bodies are literally our business.