Posts Tagged Australian
Down Underwear
Posted by One Gay at a Time in Uncategorized on August 14, 2012
I have always been a fan of underwear. Before I came out, I used to sneak away from my parents when we were at the store, and I found myself gravitating to the underwear aisle. Sure, part of it was so I could scope out the scantily clad men, but another part of it was the underwear.
I probably go through a lot more underwear than the average Joe. This isn’t because I destroy my underwear through accident or lack of care. Quite the contrary. I don’t ever want to be caught in a situation where my underwear creates or adds to any embarrassment. When I no longer feel a pair of underwear are sexy, it goes in the trash.
I’ve stated my underwear preference many times in my blog. I’ve never been a big fan of straight up boxers. I find things end up sticking to other things, and it’s quite uncomfortable. I grew up wearing briefs the majority of my childhood, but when I got to high school, I discovered trunks — Not quite a brief, but it not quite a pair of boxers. It was the perfect compromise, however, as I grew older, it wasn’t the best fit. I found it would ride up my thigh and bunch around my hips, making me look like I was wearing a diaper. There’s nothing sexy about that!
I’d moved on to boxer-briefs. They would become my staple throughout college and beyond. I wore them every day for years. That is, until I came out. I realized I needed to buy a few pairs of truly sexy underwear. Underwear my boyfriend would salivate over the rip off my body and fling across the room as he flung me onto the mattress. I rediscovered briefs. My boyfriend wore briefs, and I found it hard to resist him in them. They accentuated all the right parts. I wanted that for myself.
I’d come full circle. These certainly were not the Superman, Batman and Mickey Mouse briefs I worse as a child. No, these were a whole new class.
As far as brands go, aussieBum has been one of my all-time favorites. I discovered them right around my gay coming of age. I noticed them showing up more and more in the porn I was watching, and everyone looked incredibly sexy in them. I had to have them for myself. I bought all different cuts, colors and fabrics. Every pair was better than the last. They fit me perfectly and brought my sexual energy up to a new level. I was in love with my aussieBums. They added a strut to my step. I always felt like a million bucks in my aussieBums.
Today’s post is very different. For all my email subscribers who don’t load the pictures at the office, you’ll want to revisit the blog when you get home tonight…
Since I started OGAAT, I’ve touted a few of my favorite products (Yes, I’m taking a page from Oprah’s book). I hit up aussieBum and asked if they would send me some product; In return, I promised them I would share my thoughts with my readers. Normally, I hide from the spotlight. I’m a people watcher who doesn’t like when the attention is turns to me.
Since aussieBum was so generous, I needed to step it up. Considering the bag the underwear and bathing suits came in stated, “If you doubt yourself, wear something else,” I didn’t really have a choice. I, with the help of my boyfriend behind the camera, am bringing to you my amateur aussieBum photo-spread. I will tell you, this photo-shoot taught me two things: I am not a model, and I’m much better on the other side of the camera. Please don’t judge too harshly. Without further ado, here it goes…
Warning: The following may be too graphic for some (hehe). I started my shoot with the Classic Undies. While forest green may not have been my first choice, I found them both sexy and adorable. Who doesn’t love a classic? These are the perfect go-to for everyday wear. Given my choice, I’d have gone for the flashier candy-colored briefs. I found the waistband very comfortable, and they hugged my package quite nicely. After watching my boyfriend try them on, it was all I could do to keep my hands off his behind.
Next up was the WJRAW red briefs (By the way, be sure to check out the video on the site for these). The pouch inside lifted my goods away from your body providing two distinct benefits — Keeping my boys cooler, and of course, made my junk look huge (Not that it was all that small to begin with). When CK turned the camera around to show me the picture, I was in disbelief I was looking at a picture of myself. These briefs will make anyone look like an underwear model, while providing excellent frontal support.
Third, was the White Man Brief. I have to say, at first glance, I wrote them off. I thought they were your standard pair of tighty-whiteys with a soft waistband. Boy, was I wrong. These were incredible. For starters, the soft fabric was heavenly against my skin. This was the most comfortable underwear Joey and John from aussieBum sent me, gently hugging me in all the right places. They were so comfortable, it was almost as if I wasn’t wearing any underwear at all. The material is very light and almost sheer, so if you are a slightly self-conscious, I recommend purchasing a color other than white. 
Next up, swimwear. When I opened the bag, I was shocked they even included bathing suits. I started with the Varsity blue square-cuts (check out the video on this one — It is hot!). I was perplexed by the drawstring at first, but at second glance, I realize how brilliant it is. I thought about all the other square-cuts I’d worn and how much of a pain the drawstring was. This eliminated it by tucking it inside. I proudly donned my aussieBum varsity letter out on my balcony for some grilling in the sun. I felt incredibly masculine, confident and sexy. The Italian Lycra was perfectly cut to hug my curves in the most flattering way.
The suit even managed to give my butt a gentle lift to give me a little more than God did. The simple pinstripes make this suit appropriate for almost any occasion. This trunk is an essential for every man.
Finally, the coup de grâce. I immediately gravitated to the Sidelined Optima square-cuts. The giant aussieBum logo plastered across the backside called to me. I saved the best for last, and I was wearing my aussieBum stripes with pride.
Of all the photos we took, I felt the most comfortable in this one. From the moment I pulled them on, I felt I’d been given a license to be sexy. The fact that the suit’s drawstring ties on the hip was a big sell to me. It completely changed the aesthetic of the suit. This suit is the embodiment of summer.
In full disclosure, I had a blast shooting these pictures, but I attribute that feeling to the product. They made me feel sexy in my own skin.
I can honestly say there isn’t one aussieBum product I was sent I don’t fully endorse. Whether on my body or my man’s, they looked sexy as hell. I recommend you visit aussieBum.com and check out their entire line of products. Trust me, you won’t regret it. They may just change how you feel about yourself.
Ozzy Bonobos
Posted by One Gay at a Time in Gay News on March 15, 2012
Today, I am bringing you a tag team post created for you by myself and another one of my faithful Australian readers, J. Argenta. I hope you enjoy.
Recently, I posted about Bonobos. As a result, one of my readers, J. visited the site and did a little shopping.
“I’m one of his avid readers and couldn’t help but check out the Bonobos site after he spoke so highly of it! I found some great stuff on there, but when I got to the checkout and it was $91 to get stuff shipped to Australia! — More than the pair of pants I was going to get. I was basically a stranger and hoped what I was about to ask wasn’t too strange, but I asked if he wouldn’t mind placing the order for me and sending it over for me? I offered to transfer you the money to cover it all and do so before he placed the order. I just don’t happen to know anyone in America and figured the shipping would be cheaper this way. I knew it was a long shot, but I hoped he would be comfortable with this.” – J. Argenta
This posed many challenges. I wanted to help him out. I was totally game to do whatever I needed to do, but this would certainly force me to give up anonymity. He would need to know my name and address to mail me payment. I didn’t feel comfortable breaking down the fourth wall.
I thought about how else I could help. I knew as a blogger, I had a certain level of power. I could reach out to the Bonobos PR team and see if there was anything they could do. I sent them an email:
Hey there Bonobos PR team.
I am one of your biggest fans (I bought the Shortboards – Lapis Lazuli and ABSOLUTELY love them! and have since bought some pants and hats because I love how everything fits me well. I digress) I have an odd request to make. I am a blogger. My blog mainly (but not limited to) attracts a specific audience, but one that fits well with the Bonobos brand — the gay community. You can check out my daily blog at onegayatatime.com. That being said, I love Bonobos products and am not shy about telling my readers about this. In one of my posts, I mentioned your brand and how much I enjoy it. Afterwards, I received an odd email from one of my readers in regards to your products.
[I attached his original email].
I’m not 100% comfortable making this transaction for him, but I was hoping maybe by reaching out to him I could help him solve his high-priced shipping problem. I told him I would reach out to you and see what you could do for him. I work in media, so I know the value of word-of-mouth. You can expect me to continue to speak positively about your products in my blog and can be assured I will make special note if you find a viable solution for my reader. Thanks for your assistance with this issue.
I look forward to hearing from you!
— O.G.A.A.T.
I was CC’d on an email to the Ninjas who take care of this, and they replied back, “Done. Thanks.” I was surprised how brief the response was, but I decided to wait and see what they sent to J. Argenta. I also asked them to keep me up-to-date with what they were doing so I could share the positive story. I got an email in response:
Sure no problem. Sorry about the curt email. Your message was forwarded to us from the PR team so I though I was giving her a direct reply. My apologies if that came off as short. I can definitely keep you updated. I didn’t know your friend/fan’s name but I shot him an email outlining our international shipment options (we actually pay for outgoing shipments but have to do it manually due to shipping negotiations and site shortcomings).
Thanks for reaching out on this.
Cheers.
— Nick
“I told O.G.A.A.T. they offer free international shipping, but because of ‘how the young program is and various logistic negotiations/planning/tweaking,’ Bonobos covers the cost of shipping manually in the form of store credit. Nick also said I would have to cover customs charges, but I’ve never had to do this with other international orders from other sites. I’m not sure if other sites maybe cover this cost or just include it in their selling price.” — J. Argenta
I emailed the Ninjas again and told them the issue:
Because of this, I think you may be losing a sale and a customer, and I am disappointed in how this problem is being handled. I was hoping to report a viable solution on my blog with a happy story of great customer service to match a great product, but as of now I can’t do that. A store credit of $91 doesn’t sound like a viable solution to me. The problem would just represent itself when he attempts to apply said store credit. I would hope you would further investigate this issue or possibly escalate it to a higher level. I look forward to hearing a happy ending to this story.
Thanks for your help!
This is when Nick really went above and beyond to clarify the situation and make sure he had a satisfied customer. He quickly sent me a reply:
Hey again,
Let me start off by saying that I don’t think your friend will have to pay duties. Sorry about the confusion here. I think maybe there was a miscommunication on our part. Basically the deal with customs is that we (or any company/site/vendor) have no control over duties and customs charges. These are determined solely by the host countries and reimbursing recipients for customs/duties is a legal ‘iffy’ area.
[He then went into detail on international shipping and customs policies, as well as breaking out costs and examples].So basically our feeling was since we lack the ability to predict or control customs costs in other countries we would make it up to the customer by not charging them for international shipping a la the store credit option. I think the confusion here might have been due to when and how the store credit is applied.
The idea was that the most viable way of compensating for our systems/logistics shortfall was to offer a free shipping service until we could finalize a partnership with an international shipper.
Sorry for the long-winded email, I just wanted to make sure I was specifically answering your concerns in regards to, “The problem would just represent itself when he attempts to apply said store credit,” since the store credit actually resolves the problem of shipping costs, not make it worse.
I know it’s a bit of hassle if you’re an international customer which is why we really do try to do as much as we can at the moment given the resources available to us. It’s a big headache on our end as well as we would love to develop an international customer base (pants = the universal language). It’s just proven to be a much bigger bag of worms than anticipated and therefore has been much slower going in terms of negotiating with a shipping agent.
The short answer for your friend is that he will only pay for his clothes, we will cover shipping, and as far as I can tell he won’t have to pay for duties (though again, my knowledge of Australian customs law is cursory at best). The only catch is that he has to shoot us a quick email or give us a call so that we can drop the credit to cover shipping into his account.
If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to shoot us another email or give us any feedback. I always love talking shop.
All the best.
— Nick
I was duly impressed, and I let him know:
Hey dude. Thanks for the explanation. I indeed appreciate the long-winded email. You know your sh*t. I also appreciate the time it took to write and explain. I’ve passed along the info to my reader. I will continue to give nothing but rave reviews going forward of Bonobos and will not the extra effort you made to make a customer (and myself) happy.
THANKS!
He replied once more:
No problem dude. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. We’re definitely a little behind the eight ball when it comes to international shipping so your (and your friend’s concerns) were well founded and we appreciate you keeping us honest. We’ll be in touch and feel free to give us a holler any time you have a question.
Best.
— Nick
I relayed this information to J. Argenta to make sure he knew how this would go down.
“I finally understood what they were talking about. It all sounded good! All this for a pair of pants! But, I thanked O.G.A.A.T. for being so persistent and placed my order. It’s nice to know there are people out there willing to help out a stranger in need (of some new pants).” — J. Argenta
I was happy to hear the transaction come to a positive outcome. I am happy to bring the story to you and highlight Bonobos customer service on this issue. They once again proved they are a company with not only top notch products but also top notch service. They really went above and beyond to help an Ozzy out who needed a pair of pants…
I’m Jason by the way. I live in Australia, obviously! Hello! I’ve got a blog as well — Not one that I advertise much at all, but I’ve sort of been branching out a bit with it lately. Not sure if it would be your type of thing — It’s a bit random really, just about everyday goings-on, and things that I find interesting like racism and gay-related things. I wrote my own little gay life story a few posts ago after coming across so many gay-related blogs. Anywho, check it out if you like — jaargenta.blogspot.com – and I’ll look forward to hearing from you!
Follow @onegayatatimeOne Gay at a Ty
Posted by One Gay at a Time in Gay News on February 13, 2012
Now that the Smiles Saga is winding down, I thought it would be fun to periodically share with you some of the content I come across I really love. So today, I’m going to have a guest post for you.
I am a big fan of this Ozzie. He’s been a dedicated reader of mine for some time, and we’ve share a close bond now. He’s got a pretty level head about him, but he’s still a real human being with real feelings, flaws, desires, etc.
As soon as I read his post, I loved it so much I immediately reached out to him and asked if he would whip something up for me. I know this will definitely skew toward my homosexual audience, but I assure you, I will have other guests that cater to a larger audience in the future as well.
So, it’s time to shine the spotlight on my good friend Ty-Curious. If you like what he’s written here, be sure to check out his blog: ty-curious.com.
Remember to scroll down if you want to see today’s regularly scheduled post.
Enjoy!
Why Penises are like Presents
**Warning, today’s blog is quite graphic so if you are underage, easily offended or a family member of mine you probably don’t want to read on**
It may be my inner slut but when I make out with a guy I immediately begin to wonder what his penis looks like. Is it big or small, thick or thin, cut or uncut, straight or bent, good-looking or ugly. There are so many different combinations of all these different attributes that you almost never know what you’re going to get!
I have come to think of seeing a penis for the first time like unwrapping a Christmas present. Unwrapping a package to reveal something good makes me super excited and I can’t wait to use my new toy! On the other hand it can also be like receiving a bad present when you unwrap the package to reveal something very disappointing and you have to pretend that you like it!
Like there is gift giving etiquette there is also penis etiquette. Here are some of my rules for gift giving.
1, Don’t open too many presents. If you open presents every day it will become boring and lose it’s excitement.
2, Don’t let too many people unwrap your package. Nobody wants a gift that everyone else has already played with!
3, Make him wait! Remember when you were little and you spent days or even weeks shaking that gift under the Christmas tree in anticipation of the big day? Excitement builds over time, use it to your advantage to build excitement over your package.
Do you have any more rules? Let me know yours in the comments!
— Ty-Curious
Follow @onegayatatimeAt the ripe age of 26, I came to a life changing conclusion. I'm GAY!
It took me 26 years to realize this and come to terms with it, but coming out's been the best decision of my life.
This blog is about my dating life in NYC and what happens next...
One Gay at a Time 