Well, Memorial Day is next Monday, and one thing that marks the season is that this weekend, the city pools open. We live a block away from a very nice pool, so one thing our family always does is purchase a family pool pass. We always get more than our money's worth and it gives the kids a nice chance to exercise.
One of the things I'm very interested in, personally as a woman, and as a mother, is modesty. And it is very very difficult to mesh the two thing: Swim wear, and modesty.
I always wonder why the presence of a pool or a large body of water suddenly makes it socially OK for people to wear less than what would be covered by their underwear. Personally, I hate wearing a swimsuit. Yes, I'm fat, so nobody is checking me out for being a hottie or anything like that except for maybe the nasty 65 year old men who like fat "younger" women. But I'd like to think that I'm mature enough and modest enough that even if I were a "hottie" that I'd have enough of a sense of privacy that I'd be modest even then. In other words, I'm not modest because I'm fat or embarrassed about my body. I'm modest because of what's on the inside. And what's mine is mine.
But this brings up the question: What is a modest swimsuit? A hot debate, I'm sure, and one that each person who desires to be modest gets to work out for themselves.
As for myself, I think I'd like a long sleeved shirt on top, for the sun-protection factor. I hate schmearing on sun screen.
Is it something that covers you from head to toe, like the
burqini?
Is it something sporty, UV protecting, and tight, like the sun-protecting swimwear at coolibar.com? Follow the link and see that this site also offers swim leggings of varous lengths, along with several style swim jackets and tops.
Something in between like
this gear from Hydrochic? (Click around on this site for a variety of looks.)
Or is it the plain ol' tank suit from a place like Land's End?
Does anything with some sort of "skirt" attachment qualify, even though it shows a mile of cleavage?
Or does one have to go the "extra mile" and make something homemade, or buy something multi-layered such at the outfits at
wholesomewear?
Or, I could sew something myself.
I suppose it all comes down to what an individual is comfortable with. And I've been doing lots of thinking on the subject. And it boggles the mind. Some of the styles really do make me want to shudder. Why do I have such a negative reaction, when I'm fully supportive of the idea? And some, like the outfit from Wholesomewear , I just know would billow up and get waterlogged and be difficult to move about in.
What's really really interesting, though, is that as I've been cruising around on the internet I've consistently come across so very many comments by people just utterly derisive of people wanting to be modest. Now, why is that? Why should anyone care whether or not 80% of someone's breasts are showing OR NOT? It's almost like, in some people's minds there's this idea that in order to be "free", a person has to show off her body. Religious modesty is also mocked. It seems that not much respect is given to those who want to defy culturally endorsed poolside near-nakedness.
Not that I, or anyone else interested in modesty, really gives a flip what others think. It's just that it seems to me like members of an "enlightened"society would live and let live.
And the other thing I'm wondering is: Why is "American Christian modesty" always so much aesthetically less pleasing (at least to my eye) than jewish or islamic attempts at modesty?
One of the things I'm very interested in, personally as a woman, and as a mother, is modesty. And it is very very difficult to mesh the two thing: Swim wear, and modesty.
I always wonder why the presence of a pool or a large body of water suddenly makes it socially OK for people to wear less than what would be covered by their underwear. Personally, I hate wearing a swimsuit. Yes, I'm fat, so nobody is checking me out for being a hottie or anything like that except for maybe the nasty 65 year old men who like fat "younger" women. But I'd like to think that I'm mature enough and modest enough that even if I were a "hottie" that I'd have enough of a sense of privacy that I'd be modest even then. In other words, I'm not modest because I'm fat or embarrassed about my body. I'm modest because of what's on the inside. And what's mine is mine.
But this brings up the question: What is a modest swimsuit? A hot debate, I'm sure, and one that each person who desires to be modest gets to work out for themselves.
As for myself, I think I'd like a long sleeved shirt on top, for the sun-protection factor. I hate schmearing on sun screen.
Is it something that covers you from head to toe, like the
burqini? 
Is it something sporty, UV protecting, and tight, like the sun-protecting swimwear at coolibar.com? Follow the link and see that this site also offers swim leggings of varous lengths, along with several style swim jackets and tops.
Something in between like
this gear from Hydrochic? (Click around on this site for a variety of looks.)Or is it the plain ol' tank suit from a place like Land's End?
Does anything with some sort of "skirt" attachment qualify, even though it shows a mile of cleavage?
Or does one have to go the "extra mile" and make something homemade, or buy something multi-layered such at the outfits at
wholesomewear?Or, I could sew something myself.
I suppose it all comes down to what an individual is comfortable with. And I've been doing lots of thinking on the subject. And it boggles the mind. Some of the styles really do make me want to shudder. Why do I have such a negative reaction, when I'm fully supportive of the idea? And some, like the outfit from Wholesomewear , I just know would billow up and get waterlogged and be difficult to move about in.
What's really really interesting, though, is that as I've been cruising around on the internet I've consistently come across so very many comments by people just utterly derisive of people wanting to be modest. Now, why is that? Why should anyone care whether or not 80% of someone's breasts are showing OR NOT? It's almost like, in some people's minds there's this idea that in order to be "free", a person has to show off her body. Religious modesty is also mocked. It seems that not much respect is given to those who want to defy culturally endorsed poolside near-nakedness.
Not that I, or anyone else interested in modesty, really gives a flip what others think. It's just that it seems to me like members of an "enlightened"society would live and let live.
And the other thing I'm wondering is: Why is "American Christian modesty" always so much aesthetically less pleasing (at least to my eye) than jewish or islamic attempts at modesty?
Comments
More fabric than that would probably make me feel like I would get dragged under.
~Anna
Of course, I could design something myself. It would not be a big stretch.
But put me in a bathing suit and I hate it! I don't swim. I can't. I can barely not drown. We had to swim every Monday morning for Cross Country in college. I always wore a sports bra and a pair of athletic shorts. My teammates would usually wear string bikinis and a few were actual swimmers and had racing suits. I was very aware of my body, unlike when I was running.
On the other hand, I don't think I could wear something like from that wholesomewear shop. Anything that resembles a jumper to me always makes me think a woman is ashamed of her body. Jumpers just creep me out. I don't like to stand near women in jumpers. I'm afraid they'll try to convert me to something.
Once again though, personal experience ;)
I've been wishing for years that the Indian salwar kameez would come into real fashion in America. (I wear them sometimes but always feel like I'm in costume.)
Another lust killer is to wear the rubber nose plugs along with the pink plastic swim cap.
IMHO, skirts don't matter once they're wet...they cling just as much as regular suits.
I'm thinking about starting swimming laps again, so my one-piece high neckline w/bike shorts might not work (any thoughts would be helpful!). It's a big pain to put back on after running to the loo! But I love bike shorts in general.
For example, this brother simply does not want to consider that a neckline which exposes one's collarbone really can be modest in the grand scheme of things. We all know that one of the ways in which we can minimize the appearance of a large bust is to elongate the neck. I often wear scoop-necked shirts to minimize my bustline. If I cover my collarbone, my bust appears much more pronounced. I would never wear any bathing suit that does not expose my collarbone for this reason. For me, modesty is not about covering skin. It's about exercising moderation by minimizing the parts of my body that really are sensual. After all, I never once overheard a man say, "Dude, check out the collarbone on her!"
*sigh* Thanks for letting me blow off a little steam!