Of Bellies and Shirts
This short posting is about a serious topic, and everyone reading this should take me absolutely seriously. Well, I am kidding around (So, no offense folks), but this is about something I find most unusual. When you travel around the Philippines, one thing you immediately notice outside of every carinderia, bar, or sari sari store, is the way that the men are dressed. What’s that, you might ask? Why should I notice?
Well, Filipino men have a most unusual habit of walking around with their shirts pulled up over their bellies. Don’t believe me? I’ve seen at least two guys walking around like this wherever there is a group of more than 4 guys standing around drinking beer. Think, “King of the Hill” in the States. An interesting habit, and one unlikely to catch on outside of the Philippines, and, save for the most redneck parts of America, a mode of dress that I’ve never really seen too much. What am I talking about? Well, here’s a picture of me wearing my shirt in said fashion…. Lock up the kids, avert your eyes if you have a queasy stomach, and get the eye bleach ready… You’ll need it….
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Ready?????
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Not kidding about the eye bleach….You’ve been warned!
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Well, here goes….
See... Told ya! Lotta beer in that belly!
OK… now, to truly wear your shirt in proper Pinoy style, scrunch it up just below your nipples, and stand there with both hands looking like they are clawing at your belly! Thrust the belly out for proper posture, and don’t be shy! Now, you may not be granted entrance to Malacanang Palace like that, but when drinking beer with the guys outside the sari sari store or with the tricy drivers, you’ll fit right in. It also is certainly cooler, and the shirt acts as a sort of sweatband, keeping your lower extremities dry.
Just one of the happy, unique aspects of life in the Philippines!
Thanks John for the pic. It was really helpful.
Roy: You are most welcome! Glad the visual aid helped!
John, I have been thinking of writing an article like this for some time, but never thought of the right angle… and am not as brave as you are to “bare it all” – well, almost all!
What you say, though, is certainly true. I see guys wearing their shirts like this all the time, all over town. I have often wondered why!
Bob: Ahhh… It’s how God made me, like it or not!
I wonder if it’s meant to attract the ladies..?
My GF is always texting me eat more…and how much nicer I look now with a belly than when I was more thin (in Iraq).
Has to do with the heavier a guy is, the more successful he is..?
Just a thought.
I keep telling her I prefer to be thinner and feel better when I’m thinner.
Pete: Could be, but I think it is somehow cooler… When I walk around like that, the mosquitoes really seem to go after my sweet, Kano blood though.
Hi John,
That was good!
Well, I’ll say this…it’s a very comfortable, relaxed, confident look. It also seems like the kind of look a guy who is already married might get into…or a guy who plans to stay permanently single
Cheers!
RC:
That’s priceless! My brother does this all the time.
Miss August: I’m guessing he’s not shy… Funny thing, though… It seems that the guys with the most belly do this more often!
Thank you John – I feel much better now. Didn’t want to stand out too much. I guess I will fit in just right. What about unbuttoning the first button on the pants? It would feel so much better.
Edward: That would work! No need for formality here!
that took a lot of, errr, guts
Image from Michelle Malkin
Gary: I just try and remember that old saying: “What has been seen cannot be unseen”… The eye bleach pic probably helped a few people here
Hey John,
Ok, I looked…Cant un-ring that bell. I think the only thing worse would be to see Janet Reno in a thong bikini. I must admit that mine is bigger than yours. (belly i mean) If a kano does this in public is it ok?
Hudson: OK, now you’re starting to get me going! mmmmm…. Janet Reno….
Hi John,
Now I know what you look like for when I visit! This doesn’t seem to be a regional thing down there – it is all over from north to south. I always thought they were itchy and it was a lazy way to scratch!
John: Right…. common practice all over the country.
hi john i have seen this in the states also, i was born and raised up north illinois , wisconsin , minnesota, my own cousin does this so its not just a pinoy thing.
Ken: I don’t remember this in Chicago, but maybe in the rural areas? Closest thing I remember was on the South side, Ma and Pa Kettle sitting in their garage with a cooler of beer between them, with Pa wearing a wife beater and Ma with hair in curlers… Close, I think.
hi john u must have never been through the ghetto in chicago or rockford where im from
Hi John – I feel much better now, knowing that another Kano in Luzon practices this fine art. Of course, there are those few refinements dependent on just where you are, like a toothpick at the carinderia, etc. Don’t want to be partially dressed for an occassion!
Paul: Really, I think my shirt should have been white for the pic! Toothpick would add to the realism!
And a stick of cigarette behind the ear, too, that would complete the picture.
Hi John,
You made my day!! LoL!!
Yup, Pinoy baraku tend to do that. I think is to cool off the stomach!! They usually do that after having a hefty meal!! Only in the Philippines.
LMAO!!
Toting
Toting: Glad yopu “liked” it!
Kamusta ka John,
Interesting observation sir, but that happens here like you said with the rednecks…here in Florida, and back home in Maryland..lol.
Salamat, ug ingats,
Danny
Danny: You really don’t see a whole group of rednecks, like here, though.
I did notice this while in the Phils. I only noticed it in hot areas, and not in the mountains. I just figured it was a cooling off method. John, you have got some intestinal fortitude going there in more ways than one…..lolololol……i2f
Imagine: Well… Fortitude? ummm… OK!
A big belly is a status symbol in the Philippines…that means you’re eating well..or too well…or you’re a cop. Also a really fair skin…that means you’re rich and you don’t have to work in the sun. So judging by your looks, you must be the richest dude in Northern Luzon:)
Glenn: I don’t say it’s fat… I say it’s a fuel tank for a sex machine. Funny how Becky doesn’t believe me, though.
John – No machine can run without an adequate supply of fuel. Don’t people understand that?
Hi John,
You’re absolutely right, and a very green fuel at that….biodiesel
Glenn: That’s right… So this makes me an environmentalist! I’m preserving the Earth!
Hi John;
I too have seen this over the years and never gave it a thought. I’ll do it today, around my wife and see if I get a positive reaction. Great story!
Paul: Good luck with that!
On my trip to the Philippines last summer, my 22 year old son asked why the men were always pulling up their shirts. I told him I didn’t know. By the middle of the trip, he was lifting up his shirt for a few seconds and he said that was his way of cooling off from the intense heat.
Heidi: Whatever works, I say!
HOLY MOTHER OF …….LAST TIME I SAW SOMETHING LIKE THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO ROLL IT BACK INTO THE SEA !!!:)
THATS A FINE PICTURE THERE JOHN…..BUT PLEASE DON’T EVER WEAR YOUR MAN THONG AND DO THAT OK??!!!!
Brian: Me? Man thong?
Why not just take your shirt off John? Now thats what I call a Red Horse Belly? You must be bored with something to do ha ha lol!
Joseph: Just trying to fit in with the locals! You are right, though… Lotta money and time went into that belly!
So, John, what you are saying is that your belly is not something that should be taken lightly? Ha ha… Join the club!
Hi John, I think that if you roll up your shirt after working up a bit of a sweat allows any breeze to blow over the sweat and cools the body. As for doing it after a large meal I think its just a form of relieving the stretched belly!
I certainly hope this pactice doesnt catch on with the ex-pats in R.P, as could you imagine all those large, white stomachs loose on the streets! aaaargh!
OK Anthony… You just frightened me with that thought! Happy Halloween!
Oh no. Caught my wife doing this. Now, it’s a family issue!
Paul: Hmmm… sounds like you two were made for each other!
Well, up until now, I’ve been a closet shirt raiser. After your brave stance, I fully intend to let it all hang out on my return to RP. Warning: Sunglasses should be worn to avoid blindness.
“Stomach coolers unite!”
Mike:
I enjoy reading your post john,, this is all true!