Harnesses are common during pride festivals and gatherings, with many gays adorning them. Admittedly, it’s not the most popular look—button-down shirts and khakis are still far more common—but you see it enough to know it’s a common piece. So, why do  gay men dress up in harness? Is there any significance to it when you see it?

Leather has always been associated with the LGBT community since groups of gay men rebelled against the notion that gays were inherently feminine and selected leather as their symbol for a more masculine appearance.

At one point, leather was so fashionable that there were leather pubs and clubs with styles that went beyond a simple harness.

 In a look that was designed to be both forceful and progressive, full leather could include leather underwear, straps, and chaps that went all the way down.

  These leather bars started during World War II when soldiers were dispatched across the oceans and returned with a craving for what they saw. This could have featured Japanese rope bondage, a type of BDSM involving ropes that follow the harness’s lines.

This is also the origin of several other fetishes and the beginning of America’s growing mind. But unfortunately, many of these bars are closed, with only a handful of surviving bars scattered around the map. This is simple: gays no longer have to disguise their identities, and with the internet allowing them to enjoy their fetishes in secret, they don’t need a location to go to do so.

So, why has the leather harness lasted longer than many other leather items? It’s for one simple reason. Those who wear them like how they look and feel sexier when they go to a party with only a bit of leather on their body.

And, thanks to the rise of spandex harnesses, gay men no longer have to pay a fortune to enjoy the attention that a leather harness generally attracts.

Harness looks great on a man with a good build. They bring attention to your shoulders and chest, emphasizing whatever efforts you’ve made to improve these areas. There’s no need to go full leather for people with a leather fetish; the style can be sexually arousing on its own.

The harness has come to stay. Why? Go to the gay clubs you’ll find them. Go to the streets, you’ll find them. They are everywhere; use it well for best experience.