How can we hide them?
March 21, 2010 10:24 AM Subscribe
How do I hide puffy nipples as a guy?
I'm a not too thin, not to big guy. 6 '1 and 190 pounds and I have always wondered what to do about this. I wear tighter shirts and can sometimes notice that I can see my nipples. It bothers me to no end. I've tried wearing tighter and looser undershirts.
Right now, I seem to just slouch a little bit. Which I don't really like. Obviously I can just wear bigger shirts, but I really don't like the way they look.
Ive been going to the gym for about 3 months now solid and have some chest muscle has helped considerably. But I was just wondering what others have done as males.
Also, for women. Is it a turn off/something you look at when you meet a guy? I think this is obvious but maybe I'm wrong.
I'm a not too thin, not to big guy. 6 '1 and 190 pounds and I have always wondered what to do about this. I wear tighter shirts and can sometimes notice that I can see my nipples. It bothers me to no end. I've tried wearing tighter and looser undershirts.
Right now, I seem to just slouch a little bit. Which I don't really like. Obviously I can just wear bigger shirts, but I really don't like the way they look.
Ive been going to the gym for about 3 months now solid and have some chest muscle has helped considerably. But I was just wondering what others have done as males.
Also, for women. Is it a turn off/something you look at when you meet a guy? I think this is obvious but maybe I'm wrong.
I never notice. Wouldn't be a turn off. If it were really, really obvious, I'd be like, "Oh, cool, he's also a mammal!"
posted by Seppaku at 10:30 AM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Seppaku at 10:30 AM on March 21, 2010 [3 favorites]
Not really a problem, and definitely less of a turn-off than wearing ill-fitting shirts or slouching.
posted by Solon and Thanks at 10:36 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Solon and Thanks at 10:36 AM on March 21, 2010
wear a wifebeater
posted by Rubbstone at 10:38 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Rubbstone at 10:38 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
Girl here, I don't find it a turn off at all.
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:39 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:39 AM on March 21, 2010
6'1" and 190 pounds is pretty thin. Wear looser shirts or put tape on your nipples.
posted by dfriedman at 10:41 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by dfriedman at 10:41 AM on March 21, 2010
Google turns up 499,000 hits for "nipple cover." Shop from the privacy of your home.
posted by Carol Anne at 10:43 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Carol Anne at 10:43 AM on March 21, 2010
Slouching is a turn-off. Nipples (puffy or pointy or flat or big or small or...) are those things everyone has.
posted by sallybrown at 10:44 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by sallybrown at 10:44 AM on March 21, 2010
I must have missed the 'nipples are unattractive on men' memo. Because all the female-dominated places I've worked have had lots of pictures of hunky men with their tops off, and since no-one was going round putting post-its over their nipples I'm assuming that they were generally held to be ok!
posted by Coobeastie at 10:44 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by Coobeastie at 10:44 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
And I'd also remind you that Colin Firth went from 'some bloke' to 'UK sex symbol' via nipples-seen-through-shirt.
posted by Coobeastie at 10:46 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Coobeastie at 10:46 AM on March 21, 2010
Google turns up 499,000 hits for "nipple cover."
Surely, a guy in the possession of a nipple cover would give some women pause. Many more than those who would be surprised to find out that a guy has nipples, which any woman who has been to a swimming pool must have realized is true of all men.
posted by grouse at 10:47 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
Surely, a guy in the possession of a nipple cover would give some women pause. Many more than those who would be surprised to find out that a guy has nipples, which any woman who has been to a swimming pool must have realized is true of all men.
posted by grouse at 10:47 AM on March 21, 2010 [2 favorites]
I'm a woman. I doubt I would notice, and it really wouldn't matter if it was "obvious". Also, every time I go to pinch my husband's nipple (mostly because it bugs him!) I aim too high. So apparently I don't actually know exactly where a guy's nipples are (and it's different for different guys) and just go for general pectoral area. Maybe it is just me... but under a shirt, the whole area is kind of... all chest. Also, we always see "obvious" things on ourselves that nobody else even notices.
posted by Swisstine at 10:48 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Swisstine at 10:48 AM on March 21, 2010
Response by poster: If you have fat behind your nipples, you may have a mild form of gynecomastia. It isn't curable without surgery (which would be pretty mild in just the "puffy nipple" case) but the appearance can be reduced through increasing the size of your chest muscles. If it's regular ol' fat, then body fat reduction will help as well.
posted by Anonymous at 10:53 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Anonymous at 10:53 AM on March 21, 2010
Response by poster: Also, I guess I'm an outlier here, but I'm not a fan of the puffy nipple. Not bothered by regular ol' man nipple, but the poochy ones are a turn-off, yes.
posted by Anonymous at 10:53 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by Anonymous at 10:53 AM on March 21, 2010
Wear correctly fitting shirts and stand with good posture. I'm going to go out on a limb and say more of us straight women are bothered by slouchy guys dressed poorly than some nipples that stand out a bit.
posted by asciident at 11:00 AM on March 21, 2010
posted by asciident at 11:00 AM on March 21, 2010
I am a female with The Puffy Nipples. I do have the advantage of wearing a bra so it's not obvious when I'm clothed. But when naked, the men-folk don't seem to have any problems. It's just another 'difference' among other 'differences' that makes everybody 'different'. It's not a bad thing in my opinion, just one thing among many things about myself that I don't think is that big of a deal.
If you're self-conscious in clothing, I would second wearing an undershirt.
posted by greta simone at 11:01 AM on March 21, 2010
If you're self-conscious in clothing, I would second wearing an undershirt.
posted by greta simone at 11:01 AM on March 21, 2010
I had Puffy Nipples when I was 11. I was extremely self-conscious about them. That's when I started slouching. I no longer have Puffy Nipples. I still slouch. Now I am self-conscious about my slouch.
I have since learned that Puffy Nipples are no big deal at all, except that some people like them a lot, like they were Asian redheads' feet or something.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:57 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
I have since learned that Puffy Nipples are no big deal at all, except that some people like them a lot, like they were Asian redheads' feet or something.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:57 AM on March 21, 2010 [1 favorite]
I'm with schroedinger on this one. I'm not a fan of the puffy nipples either but it is by no means a deal breaker. If my boyfriend had puffy nipples when we met, I still would have dated him because he's such an awesome guy. Confidence is the sexiest thing a man can possess, puffy nipples or not.
posted by MaryDellamorte at 12:39 PM on March 21, 2010
posted by MaryDellamorte at 12:39 PM on March 21, 2010
Another thing to keep in mind is that they look bigger from where you are up there than from to the front and slightly down where most of us are out here. Even looking in a mirror, you're looking straight on standing still generally fairly close whereas the rest of us see you moving around and from angles and with all kinds of obstructions. So anything about your body is less obvious to the rest of the world than you'd think.
Plus yeah, men have nipples, we know this already. If your shirt is so tight it's leaving a big crease across the front then that's too tight in general and you probably need a better fitting shirt. If there's a darker colour showing through regardless of pointyness then you need an undershirt (particularly if you also have dark chest hair). If people keep staring at them then again, probably need to buy a different shirt somehow (and get some less rude friends), try going to a good men's clothing store and asking for advice. If it's just a bump where they show then meh, that's normal, and also much more likely.
So stand tall, wear nice fitting clothes, and try not to fret too much.
posted by shelleycat at 12:44 PM on March 21, 2010
Plus yeah, men have nipples, we know this already. If your shirt is so tight it's leaving a big crease across the front then that's too tight in general and you probably need a better fitting shirt. If there's a darker colour showing through regardless of pointyness then you need an undershirt (particularly if you also have dark chest hair). If people keep staring at them then again, probably need to buy a different shirt somehow (and get some less rude friends), try going to a good men's clothing store and asking for advice. If it's just a bump where they show then meh, that's normal, and also much more likely.
So stand tall, wear nice fitting clothes, and try not to fret too much.
posted by shelleycat at 12:44 PM on March 21, 2010
Do you mean your nipples are larger than normal or that they contain more fat and protrude more? Or that they're really dark and noticeable under light colored shirts?
posted by anniecat at 2:52 PM on March 21, 2010
posted by anniecat at 2:52 PM on March 21, 2010
When necessary -- for example, with knitted or a bit tighter shirts -- tape them down with an inch-and-a-half of first aid tape.
posted by Work to Live at 7:37 AM on March 22, 2010
posted by Work to Live at 7:37 AM on March 22, 2010
like others have said, chances are that no-one else notices, but if they really bug you what about shirts that have pockets on the chest?
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:01 PM on March 22, 2010
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 5:01 PM on March 22, 2010
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posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:28 AM on March 21, 2010