It was also how men wore pants back then that showed more bulge. The inseam was almost literally worn at the crotch. Watch older movies from the 40s and 50s to see what I mean. The belt was worn at the waist, not the hips as is so often the style now. Of course with so many men so damn fat these days they can't wear tight pants.
Then there was the effect of desexualizing men: basketball players used to wear exciting shorts to play in -- bulges galore! The new baggy ones hide it all. In the 50s and 60s we wore Levi 501s much tighter than boys today: the baggy look is in. Oldredneck and I sure grew up through interesting times in men's clothing.