Swimming Suits and Modesty

[Magnificat]

One of my crusty old uncles had a job in a toy factory where they made Stretch Armstrong dolls.  That top photo makes me just wanna yank on his arms and pull.

Edited to add link

http://www.iwatchstuff.com/2009/02/13/stretch-armstrong.jpg

I got the Stretch Monster one year for Christmas. Later the same day my brother and his friend wanted to see how far it would stretch and ripped off one of the arms. :mad:

And I was just saying to myself, "Marc's birthday is coming....I must do something different this year."   Apparently, if you buy a vintage one and give them a glycerine transfusion (like Keith Richards did with his blood), they'll be all stretchy again.   I always did want to be a plastic surgeon...

[Happyandgrateful]

How do you ladies handle swimsuits while remaining modest?  I am quite perplexed on this one and my daughter is now 9mo. and loving the splash pool at the park.  I want to be able to get into the pools with her but feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable in a normal swimsuit - I know it does not conform to the modest standards of dress.  Curious how others handle this situation.

H&G thinks>>Wow: the OP is serious and so are the respondents.  I've never thought of anyone I've ever seen on the beach in a sexual manner (including topless sunbathers, in Martinique). Is it just me?

[Satori]

How do you ladies handle swimsuits while remaining modest?  I am quite perplexed on this one and my daughter is now 9mo. and loving the splash pool at the park.  I want to be able to get into the pools with her but feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable in a normal swimsuit - I know it does not conform to the modest standards of dress.  Curious how others handle this situation.

H&G thinks>>Wow: the OP is serious and so are the respondents.  I've never thought of anyone I've ever seen on the beach in a sexual manner (including topless sunbathers, in Martinique). Is it just me?

Oh, no, I'm sure there are a few other people who are better than the rest of us, who need to take modesty seriously.

[Nadege]

How do you ladies handle swimsuits while remaining modest?  I am quite perplexed on this one and my daughter is now 9mo. and loving the splash pool at the park.  I want to be able to get into the pools with her but feel EXTREMELY uncomfortable in a normal swimsuit - I know it does not conform to the modest standards of dress.  Curious how others handle this situation.

H&G thinks>>Wow: the OP is serious and so are the respondents.  I've never thought of anyone I've ever seen on the beach in a sexual manner (including topless sunbathers, in Martinique). Is it just me?

It's just uncomfortable for many people, including me, for their lower body to be so exposed.  Most men wear beach shorts almost down to their knees instead of swimming speedos.  Personally, I wear a one-piece bathing suit with bathing suit skirt over it, or just a skirted bathing suit, they sell them everywhere.
 

[Dust]

It's just uncomfortable for many people, including me, for their lower body to be so exposed.  Most men wear beach shorts almost down to their knees instead of swimming speedos.  Personally, I wear a one-piece bathing suit with bathing suit skirt over it, or just a skirted bathing suit, they sell them everywhere.

For guys, the shorts type suits (not to our knees) are comparable to a standard one-piece w/o the skirt for girls.  I won't ever wear a speedo, as I imagine you wouldn't wear a bikini.  The same way all girls are almost expected to show a ton of leg, guys are expected to be shirtless at the beach.  Both of these things seem to be slowly changing in favor of a little more modesty.  The again, I haven't been to a large public beach in some time...

[Nadege]

It's just uncomfortable for many people, including me, for their lower body to be so exposed.  Most men wear beach shorts almost down to their knees instead of swimming speedos.  Personally, I wear a one-piece bathing suit with bathing suit skirt over it, or just a skirted bathing suit, they sell them everywhere.

For guys, the shorts type suits (not to our knees) are comparable to a standard one-piece w/o the skirt for girls.  I won't ever wear a speedo, as I imagine you wouldn't wear a bikini.  The same way all girls are almost expected to show a ton of leg, guys are expected to be shirtless at the beach.  Both of these things seem to be slowly changing in favor of a little more modesty.  The again, I haven't been to a large public beach in some time...

I'm sure if you go to the Jersey Shore one of these weekends, you won't pay attention to what folks are wearing, you'll just try to find some space where you won't get stepped on!  ;D

[PeterII]

It's just uncomfortable for many people, including me, for their lower body to be so exposed.  Most men wear beach shorts almost down to their knees instead of swimming speedos.  Personally, I wear a one-piece bathing suit with bathing suit skirt over it, or just a skirted bathing suit, they sell them everywhere.

For guys, the shorts type suits (not to our knees) are comparable to a standard one-piece w/o the skirt for girls.  I won't ever wear a speedo, as I imagine you wouldn't wear a bikini.  The same way all girls are almost expected to show a ton of leg, guys are expected to be shirtless at the beach.  Both of these things seem to be slowly changing in favor of a little more modesty.  The again, I haven't been to a large public beach in some time...

Your observations are accurate, but they did not change due to modesty, but out of vanity.  Most of the people at the beach, especially Americans, are fat and look like crap, that's why they cover up; while those who are fit do vain things to accentuate their physique: for example, men are shaving their chests. 

Around 95% of the adult male population should naturally have at least some hair on their chest, but when I was at the beach recently, I noticed about 95% of the fit guys did not have any hair at all!   And the long shorts are often there to cover up their skinny chicken legs because they spend all their gym time working on their chest and arms. 

As for the women (who I spend most of my time observing, thanks) generally the better the physique, the skimpier the swim suit. 

[Dust]

It's just uncomfortable for many people, including me, for their lower body to be so exposed.  Most men wear beach shorts almost down to their knees instead of swimming speedos.  Personally, I wear a one-piece bathing suit with bathing suit skirt over it, or just a skirted bathing suit, they sell them everywhere.

For guys, the shorts type suits (not to our knees) are comparable to a standard one-piece w/o the skirt for girls.  I won't ever wear a speedo, as I imagine you wouldn't wear a bikini.  The same way all girls are almost expected to show a ton of leg, guys are expected to be shirtless at the beach.  Both of these things seem to be slowly changing in favor of a little more modesty.  The again, I haven't been to a large public beach in some time...

Your observations are accurate, but they did not change due to modesty, but out of vanity.  Most of the people at the beach, especially Americans, are fat and look like crap, that's why they cover up; while those who are fit do vain things to accentuate their physique: for example, men are shaving their chests. 

Around 95% of the adult male population should naturally have at least some hair on their chest, but when I was at the beach recently, I noticed about 95% of the fit guys did not have any hair at all!   And the long shorts are often there to cover up their skinny chicken legs because they spend all their gym time working on their chest and arms. 

As for the women (who I spend most of my time observing, thanks) generally the better the physique, the skimpier the swim suit. 

Whatever the reason, it means that more modest suits are commonly available.

Some pretty girls are being modest, maybe not many, but they are out there.  Also, I think some of the serious surfers have learned to cover up from the sun, leading to things like rashgrard shirt being common.


As far as hairless guys go, it is just sick.  The razor companies are pushing it since it means more razors sold.  I'm not sure how that started, but it's just gross.

[PeterII]

Whatever the reason, it means that more modest suits are commonly available

These threads are schizoid because people are trying to find the "more modest" bathing suit when the only reasonable solutions are to just wear what is common, or don't go to the beach at all.  If one really thinks beaches are that immodest, then one can't justify putting themselves into a proximate occasion of sin just because they themselves wear something "modest" by their personal standard. Other people won't be wearing what you're wearing, and you're probably not blind. 

And most of this topic is really about body image and being comfortable in public, not the virtue of modesty. 

[QuisUtDeus]

Whatever the reason, it means that more modest suits are commonly available

These threads are schizoid because people are trying to find the "more modest" bathing suit when the only reasonable solutions are to just wear what is common, or don't go to the beach at all.  If one really thinks beaches are that immodest, then one can't justify putting themselves into a proximate occasion of sin just because they themselves wear something "modest" by their personal standard. Other people won't be wearing what you're wearing, and you're probably not blind. 

I agree completely.  The only difference is if one swims privately with one's family and they are dressed modestly.  Like at a private pool or summer cottage or at the river where others are not, etc.