On this week’s episode of Answerland, we’re giving you tips to deal with a specific type of chafing. Andrew asks:
I get chafing from my belt as I wear my pants under my belly. As I’ve aged and the belly hangs lower and rubs on the leather, it’s starting to hurt. Any suggestions?
There are a few things you can do to ward off belly chafing:
I know, I know… for some of you, this might seem like a no-brainer, but not everyone does it. Wearing an undershirt gives you a layer of protection between your skin and the belt that you wouldn’t have otherwise. This bottom layer can also help you manage sweat and keep your ass from hanging out (I opt for a longer t-shirt so it’ll stay in place while I move and bend).
Leather is a durable material that is made to stand up to a lot of wear and tear. This is good until it starts cutting into your skin. Consider switching out your leather belt for a braided belt. These belts stretch and move with you, plus they aren’t as tough as leather, meaning less of an issue with chafing. I personally wear braided belts regularly and own a few in different colors. Here are some big and tall braided belts to get you started.
For some guys with bigger bellies, the belt buckle itself is the problem. There’s an easy solution to this that you might not have considered: move the buckle to the side. We’ve written about dealing with bellies and belt buckles before – showing this as an option. This moves the buckle out from the specific area that your belly is pushing against and gets that hard piece of metal out of the way. In most cases, nobody will even notice that your buckle is off to the side.
Maybe it’s time to give the belt a break. You could try integrating suspenders into your wardrobe. Lots of guys are rocking the suspenders and doing a great job with it.
If that’s not your style, you could try going au natural – no belt at all. For me, that requires having pants with stretch fabric that I can pull up enough that they stay in place on their own. You can even try wearing your jeans at your natural waist, though most people aren’t willing to go there.
Do you need style tips, have a question about finding clothes in your size, dating, body confidence or more? Send us your question and we might answer it in a future episode of Answerland. Send it to us via social media @chubstr on your favorite network or message us directly through the website.
