History Main / SensualSpandex

* In the ''Literature/WhateleyUniverse'', it is the stock 'beginner' super-suit at SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy. The school provides a variety of basic colors, including white and gray and black.

* Occasionally, the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' series combines this with FutureSpandex. In the case of Seven of Nine from ''[[Series/StarTrekVoyager Voyager]]'', it's given a HandWave as somehow medical because of her de-Borgification. Deanna Troi from ''[[Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration The Next Generation]]'' has the reasoning that she wears the her outfit to give her patients (as she's the Councilor onboard the ''Enterprise'') a chance to relate to someone outside the uniform. This lasts all of five seasons, though. However, T'Pol from ''[[Series/StarTrekEnterprise Enterprise]]'' goes unexplained. There are also some male characters (although usually a guest star) who wear one-piece suits tight enough to bulge.

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* Weaponised in ''[[Film/TheAdventuresOfCaptainProton Captain Proton]] and the Planet of Lesbians''.

[[folder:Film]]
* ''Film/GhostInTheShell2017'': The Major's distinctive form fitting white optical camouflage suit puts her body on full display, though the actual costume was made out of latex in order to conceal the parts of Scarlett Johansson's anatomy [[BarbieDollAnatomy the Major's cybernetic body is supposed to lack]]. The sensual aspect is provided by a network of subtle surface details and incised lines that imply and accentuate the cybernetic mechanisms and access panels that supposedly lie underneath.

[[folder:Manhua]]
* All of Liu Li's military outfits from ''Manhua/SchoolShock'' are like this, be it the LeotardOfPower or the [[http://i.imgur.com/jopJb.png full body suit]].
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[[folder:Pinball]]

* It seems that RealLife female track-and-field athletes' competition outfits are getting progressively skimpier.
** Ironically, the low-friction modern competitive swimwear is now much more concealing than many female track-and-field costumes.
* Gymnastics itself, as noted above, is one of the more explicit examples of this trope for both men and women.
* Beach volleyball.
** To a lesser extent, volleyball in general.
* Professional (American) football players wear tight-fitting trousers and usually tight jerseys as well. This is because a player can be legally tackled by someone grabbing their clothes.
** Though really only their rear-ends and parts of the leg are truly skintight. Most of the rest of the body is padded.

* Swimwear, of most sorts for women. And for men too, except men's trunks, but there are the jammers, and if you leave the U.S., "Speedo" briefs become popular.
** It's worth pointing out that in the U.S., "Speedo" has become a catch-all term for a particular style of briefs, which is not entirely accurate, since similar briefs are manufactured by Nike, truWest, Turbo, Tyr, Dolfin, Arena, Kiefer, and Adidas, to name a few. In Australia, however, where Speedo's headquarters are, the style is called a ''budgie smuggler'' because it looks like you're trying to smuggle a small bird in your briefs.
* Speed Skating and Short Track.

[[folder:WebComics]]

[[folder:WebOriginal]]
* In the Literature/WhateleyUniverse, it is the stock 'beginner' super-suit at SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy. The school provides a variety of basic colors, including white and gray and black.

* Gymnastics Leotards are the prime example: The suits have to be form-fitting to avoid snagging on the equipment, but anything less than full coverage from shoulders to crotch would not stay in place. Women tend to wear full sleeves for the same reason, and both sexes benefit from protection from friction burns and built-in support in appropriate areas.
* Track and Field, on the other hand, argues for minimalism, particularly in the sprint events: singlets and briefs cut to follow the natural lines of the human body to minimize weight and maximize cooling tend to be the rule.
* Full-body swimsuits. While they don't expose as much skin, they still do tend to be form-fitting--form-''compressing'', in some cases. The advent of high-tech drag resisting fabrics inspired the International Swimming Federation to set limits on the maximum amount of swimsuit coverage allowed to prevent swimming from turning into a technology battle like auto racing.
* Figure Skating is an aversion, with minimum coverage requirements for men and women, which the competitors often finesse using strategically placed flesh-colored panels.

* And of course the trope image - speed skating outfits. Although technically not spandex (they're made of different material), they have the same effect. Somewhat unique in this trope as this applies to both male and female athletes. Further emphasized by the fact that speed skaters tend to have very well developed thighs and rear ends and, well, the sport demands they spend much of their time in the position illustrated above. Bonus points when a team orders unexpectedly sheer or light-colored outfits without first actually seeing what they do when put on a well-formed human body under fluorescent lights...

* Full-body swimsuits. While they [[CaptainObvious don't expose as much skin]], they still do tend to be form-fitting--form-''compressing'', in some cases. The advent of high-tech drag resisting fabrics inspired the International Swimming Federation to set limits on the maximum amount of swimsuit coverage allowed to prevent swimming from turning into a technology battle like auto racing.

* [[MeaningfulName Goal]] in VideoGame/{{Deponia}}. Other elyseans wear variations of it.

* The Dark Suit Riku from ''KingdomHearts'' dons once he pulls a FaceHeelTurn. [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsBirthBySleep Vanitas]] has one too.

* WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons: "It feels like I'm wearing nothing at all! ''[[StupidSexyFlanders Nothing at all]]!'' '''''[[MemeticMutation Nothing at all!]]'''''"

* Hwa Ryun's battle suit and mask outfit in ''Webcomics/TowerOfGod's'' Crown Game.

* Weaponised in ''[[Film/CaptainProton Captain Proton]] and the Planet of Lesbians''.

* Selenis Zea's LatexSpaceSuit in ''Webcomic/SupermassiveBlackHoleAStar''.

* Nearly ''every single'' superhero/heroine that isn't wearing full body armor or normal street clothes dresses in this. It's also somewhat of a case of a justified trope, especially those who are brawlers (hard to grab hold of, if not wearing a cape) or rely on flexibility and agility (there's a ''reason'' that gymnasts wear it). That's not to say that functionality is [[MostCommonSuperpower the]] [[MaleGaze only]] [[FetishFuel reason,]] though...

* The artist of ''Manga/HeIsMyMaster'' decided instead of the typical bloomers that are seen in 99% of anime, she would do spatz -- essentially skintight shorts. In one [[BonusMaterial omake]] (author's comment at the end of a book) she points out that she did it because with the screentone in manga, she can essentially draw the girls bottomless and get away with it.

This is a {{justified|Trope}} in situations where an outfit providing more coverage or concealment would be impractical in other ways. Sports such as gymnastics fall into the coverage without concealment category, as less form-fitting clothing would be restrictive, distracting, or get caught in the equipment while less coverage would exposed the athletes to friction burns. In sports that prioritize the speed of the human body in motion, such as track and field, uniforms tend to provide minimal coverage and are cut to follow natural creases of the human body to avoid restriction and chafing. Conversely, sports that involve speeds high enough to make air resistance a factor such as speedskating tend to minimize the amount of exposed surface area to reduce drag. One of the few fanservice tropes that is often applied equally to both sexes.

* ''Webcomic/GrrlPower'' has [[HornyDevils Dabbler]] [[http://grrlpowercomic.com/archives/2542 sport a version that's so skin-tight]] that some SpeechBubbleCensoring has to be employed at groin level.

* In the WhateleyUniverse, it is the stock 'beginner' super-suit at SuperheroSchool Whateley Academy. The school provides a variety of basic colors, including white and gray and black.

For some reason, sports in both RealLife and in fiction tend to feature quite an expanse of revealed flesh -- or flesh ''not'' revealed, but in artful ways. This trope is where {{Stripperific}} meets the sporting arena, where audiences are equally likely to tune in for the {{Fanservice}} and the actual sport itself.

Can be {{justified|Trope}} in some situations, where an outfit providing more covering would be impractical in other ways. Sports such as gymnastics fall into this category, as less tight-fitting and skimpy clothes would be potentially restrictive, distracting, or get caught in the equipment. Likewise sports that prioritize speed of the human body in motion, such as various kinds of racing, tend to minimize the surface area on clothing to reduce drag. One of the few fanservice tropes that is often applied equally to both sexes.

* Full-body swimsuits. While they [[CaptainObvious don't expose as much skin]], they still do tend to be form-fitting--form-''compressing'', in some cases.

* Mimi Marquez in ''{{RENT}}''. Any rendition of the play. Particularly for the song "Out Tonight".

* One word: ''{{Cats}}''. Naturally, the female characters combine this with being {{Catgirl}}s... sort of.

* Selenis Zea's LatexSpaceSuit in SupermassiveBlackHoleAStar.

* ''Series/{{Gladiators}}''. And on that note, ''Series/AmericanGladiators''. Especially the revival (Hello, Crush!).

* Vanessa from PN03.

* [[{{Metroid}} Zero Suit Samus]], especially in the ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'' games.