[DameAgnes]

Fascinating

http://www.usatoday....ts_N.htm?csp=34

[CatherineM]

Where I take water aerobics is right next to a high school that uses the pool for classes right before my class. There are many Muslim girls, and most just sit out, but I saw one a couple of months ago in a dive skin that had a hood built in. Kind of like something a surfer would wear.

[alicemary]

I am a swimmer, and there is no way I would wear such an outfit. Modesty is one thing, safety is another. Who would want to sit on the beach in that get up? And why are the men sitting about in short little swim trunks? How about their modesty? Crazy effort to keep woman down in my opinion.

[CatherineM]

Yeah, men and women should have equal rights to exhibit their skin, otherwise we are being discriminated against. No female swimmer worth anything would wear a long swimsuit. Except the fastest female swimmers in the world wear these:

[TotusTuusMaria]

I really appreciate this effort. I actually kind of like them. They seem much more simple and attractive, but yet just as modest as the wholesome wear.

Women have been swimming in variants of the same swimsuit since the 1800s and it hasn't caused safety problems in the past. What they were wearing back in the day was even more detailed and covering then what devora has created.

The bathing suits these days resemble undergarments (bras/camis and underware). They are made for the very purpose of exciting the opposite sex and showing off one's body (which is pride/vanity). Neither of these purposes are modest. And it is these suits that keep women down, I think. When a woman wears a binki (or even a tikini or one piece - which while much more modest is nothing more then a cami and underware) she, unforunately, is going to attact the attention of others, and when you are at the beach or in mixed company it is usually immodest attention or glances. They are not looking at our faces or recognizing some great personaility we have. They are focused on our bodies. She risks leading others into sin and being objectified. She risks being a temptation.

I just don't see our Lady wearing a bikini, takini, or even a one piece. I imagine she would sit out before she would show so much of herself to the world. If she is the lady we are to model ourselves after, then I would rather sit out too unless there is something I could wear that would eliminate this issue and help me to retain any modesty about me. And now there is another option! . :clap:

I don't see how it restricts and hinders the safety of women either. Women have been swiming in much more detailed and covering suits for hundreds of years

[Gregoriana of Nyssa]

I've never liked wearing bathing suits because of the skin they expose. It was okay when I was, say, 5 and didn't have anything to show. But in middle school I had to get a bathing suit for gym class, but it was off-season, and all I could find was a French-cut made for a much older girl. I felt horribly self-conscious. I have also swam (swum?) in a T-shirt and shorts; that was far more comfortable. As I get older and don't have that teenage-perfect body, I'm glad to see modern suits with skirts and more coverage. So if I ever do get into the water again or go to a pool party, I hope to find something more modest.

[Nadezhda]

If I may venture a guess, alicemary was questioning the safety of heavy bathing outfits like dresses. I'd have to agree with that, having spent six years swimming competitively. I've seen the Muslim skinsuit, and was impressed at the usability.

The Speedo long suits are worn because they reduce drag and compression fatigue. It's not usually a modesty issue at that level of competition. I'm not saying they aren't ever worn for that reason. It just isn't the main use.

As for the historical references, a lot of old "bathing costumes" actually were a safety hazard because of the weight. Many, though not all, were made from wool, which is heavy when wet. Add to that a corset and the inability to swim, and you have a much higher chance of trouble. The women that wore them weren't swimming. They were wading or staying on the beach. Humans have been skinny dipping (or wearing only loincloths in the water) for far longer than they've been wearing activity specific clothing.

All that said, I'm glad usable options are available to those that need them.

[Paladin D]

(Curious as to why this is in the vocation station and not in Open Mic)

[Lil Red]

Nadezhda, on Jun 19 2009, 02:27 PM, said:

If I may venture a guess, alicemary was questioning the safety of heavy bathing outfits like dresses. I'd have to agree with that, having spent six years swimming competitively. I've seen the Muslim skinsuit, and was impressed at the usability.

The Speedo long suits are worn because they reduce drag and compression fatigue. It's not usually a modesty issue at that level of competition. I'm not saying they aren't ever worn for that reason. It just isn't the main use.

As for the historical references, a lot of old "bathing costumes" actually were a safety hazard because of the weight. Many, though not all, were made from wool, which is heavy when wet. Add to that a corset and the inability to swim, and you have a much higher chance of trouble. The women that wore them weren't swimming. They were wading or staying on the beach. Humans have been skinny dipping (or wearing only loincloths in the water) for far longer than they've been wearing activity specific clothing.

All that said, I'm glad usable options are available to those that need them.

+J.M.J.+
well said. i like that they are nicer looking than a t-shirt over a one-piece, but i wouldn't wear it. i don't swim anyway, but if i did, i'd get a one-piece.

[DameAgnes]

I actually sort of like the shirt/pants options that the Muslim women seem to favor.

I don't much like the Swimdresses...king of matronly, to me.

But after skin cancer, the covering up sounds good to me.

[CatherineM]

It wasn't just women who used to have to wear more clothes at the beach. This is my dad at Coney Island during the 1920's.

[jumpfrog]

I got a swimsuit from this place: http://www.modestswi...rsolutions.com/ . They sell patterns and fabric too. I've swam in it once so far, and it is GREAT! Not much...upper support in these suits though, just a double layer of 4-way stretch. If you're big up top, you would need something underneath for comfort I think.

[VeniteAdoremus]

jumpfrog, on Jun 20 2009, 04:49 AM, said:

I got a swimsuit from this place: http://www.modestswi...rsolutions.com/ . They sell patterns and fabric too. I've swam in it once so far, and it is GREAT! Not much...upper support in these suits though, just a double layer of 4-way stretch. If you're big up top, you would need something underneath for comfort I think.

Those look really cool!

I love swimming, but my community has decided not to do it because of modesty. Maybe if they start women-only hours at the pool... (Some pools have this, mostly for Muslim women. Think what you like about Islam, I love their modesty and elegance!)

[kavalamyself]

Alicemary, I wear one of the modest swimsuits and they are very comfortable and not at all dangerous.

[alicemary]

I swim several times a week, I wear a one piece bathing suit. I am just not that hung up on what is modest. If someone wants to look at a 55 year old woman, I say go for it. There is modest and there is obsessive.

[Lilllabettt]

I wear a swimsuit from the Splashgear company mentioned in the article.

I wear it because it makes me feel comfortable. I just don't want people seeing so much of an outline of my body, whether they find it attractive or not. I do like the style, also.

[DameAgnes]

I must say the splashgear stuff looks very comfy.

[kavalamyself]

My prayer group decided to have a pool party. There are some of us that are actively discerning. I believe this topic belongs in the Vocation Station thread because as we discern undergoing a radical life change, giving all to God, and belonging solely to Him, there are things to consider. One is the fact that much has been said about the witness of the habit and how that impacts others.

Those of us who are discerning to more traditional life and have already begun the steps towards inward consecration (which I believe happens before one even steps foot in a community!) have decided to sit the pool part out. We will be there, just not in bathing suits, which as someone already pointed out, often do look like underwear. So, for the sake of modesty (and finances - some of those "modest" swimsuits are expensive!) we are sitting it out.


I always wondered how my former Novice Mistress kept her cool in her long habit during the days of extreme heat and humidity. It wasn't until she passed and we read her spiritual diary in the Refectory that we learned she offered it up for the "sins of the flesh, especially against modesty - for those in the world!" Obviously a very traditional nun and heavily influenced by Pope Pius X.

Something else to ponder.

One last word - for those of you who are at this level of discernment and leaning towards modesty, most YWCA's have "women only" times for swimming. This practice solves a lot of problems!

[VeniteAdoremus]

My mum (who is a non-practising Catholic) asked me today whether I would wear my habit on home visits... I asked her what else I should wear, since I won't have any other clothes :)

She has a small pool in the back yard (quite common in the French countryside), and I'd swim there if there aren't any guests around (as I do now, because I've always been a prude ;) ).

She didn't like it much. I hope she won't be ashamed of me :mellow:

[kavalamyself]

Yet another thing to offer up to God! Interesting how so many Dominican saints had to go against their parents' wishes! Hmmmm....

Do we have a saint amongst us?