Thread by @NataniaBarron

So. Codpieces are the kind of thing that, if I wrote into a fantasy novel, people would probably complain a great deal about in reviews, yet are 100% historical.

"Cod" being slang for a gentleman's dangly bits, and piece, because, obvs. See Hank 8 by Holbein Jr, below

1/?

To understand this phallic embellishment, we need to understand that trousers were hose--i.e. really long socks. Pants, as such, didn't exist.

And also, "the pox" was likely rampant (i.e. STIs). (Fascinating article here: daily.jstor.org/the-codpiece-a…

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Now. How or why they got SO popular, and carved into fascinating designs, added to armor, and fashioned into the details of statues, we don't know.

But judging by paintings, it was all the rage across Europe. By the 1530s, it was everywhere.

3/?

The result, other than sexual posturing, was a fashion trend that truly, ah, rose to the occasion.

Sometimes it was subtle. Other times... not so much.

See below for contrast. Seriously gorgeous outfits, regal fabrics, impeccable stitching and... BOY HOWDY.
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4/?

Apparently, the @NewYorker goes as far to say that codpieces were "the PPE" of the Tudor Period.

I mean, weirder things have been said. newyorker.com/books/page-tur…

The codpiece is only one odd piece in this painting...

5/?

@NewYorker Armor-smithing, in fact, accommodated this fashion. I do wonder if there were any specialists in the field. You know, smiths who were like "I can really hammer a good one for you" sort of thing.

The one below looks a bit like a well-dressed potato.

6/?

@NewYorker And no, we can't blame the Tudors or the Early Modern folk in general for this. They are far from the first to be fascinated by such things (if you get this pun, you are one of my people).

In Pompei, the streets were emblazoned Johnsons to point the way to brothels.

7/?

Not to be outdone, there are also many periods where, especially in portraiture, women nip-slipped! While certainly not as extravagant as the codpiece, it's a good reminder that propriety, gender, performance, culture, and sexuality, are all very relative.

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