Shopping for female swimming costumes (called "togs" in Queensland) has to be one of the most depressing activities one can engage in. I've been avoiding it for 12 years and finally today, with our summer holidays fast approaching, had to go and find a replacement.
Standing nearly naked under harsh lights in front of multiple mirrors is bad enough, without having to try on a variety of badly fitting garments. Add to that the challenge of doing it on your own and with a limit to how many you can take into the fitting room, and you potentially have, not only a depressing activity, but a lengthy one. I'm now considering swimming in a coverall from neck to knee this summer!
The one positive is that the current trend allows women to wear board shorts instead of garments that seek to show as much of your hips as possible. Unfortunately that kind of modesty doesn't extend to the upper body.
We went swimming yesterday in the face of 39.5 degree Celsius temperatures. Later my youngest son saw my old one-piece togs (they'd been modestly hidden by a tank top). His comment was,
"Some people wear more skin than that."
Ain't that the truth. My aim is to "wear" as little skin as possible!
Shopping for female swimming costumes (called "togs" in Queensland) has to be one of the most depressing activities one can engage in. I've been avoiding it for 12 years and finally today, with our summer holidays fast approaching, had to go and find a replacement.
Standing nearly naked under harsh lights in front of multiple mirrors is bad enough, without having to try on a variety of badly fitting garments. Add to that the challenge of doing it on your own and with a limit to how many you can take into the fitting room, and you potentially have, not only a depressing activity, but a lengthy one. I'm now considering swimming in a coverall from neck to knee this summer!
The one positive is that the current trend allows women to wear board shorts instead of garments that seek to show as much of your hips as possible. Unfortunately that kind of modesty doesn't extend to the upper body.
We went swimming yesterday in the face of 39.5 degree Celsius temperatures. Later my youngest son saw my old one-piece togs (they'd been modestly hidden by a tank top). His comment was, 
Yes, it can be difficult. My swimming "costume" tends to be rather bulky as it's a one piece underneath shorts and a swim-shirt. It really looks horrible, but I suppose it's better than "wearing too much skin"...
ReplyDeleteI have a tankini, board shorts and a swim shirt that I use in various combinations depending on my mood and the location of my swim.
ReplyDeleteI have a tankini, board shorts and a swim shirt that I use in various combinations depending on my mood and the location of my swim.
ReplyDeleteI have no idea what the current fashion is in beachwear, it's still fairly early in summer in Melbourne for me to have been to the beach, except for early-morning walks when hardly anyone's there. But I'm glad that women's board shorts are still available.
ReplyDeleteBecause I burn easily, I wear board shorts and a long-sleeved top I bought from the Cancer Council - I suspect like Anika but with long sleeves - over my rather plain one-piece Speedos. Actually I don't think it looks too bad, better than the middle-aged leathery skin that you see at the beach, which I would probably have if I hadn't kept out of the sun.
I sometimes wear this at the indoor pool too - because we have a multicultural population here, I don't think anyone pays much attention to what you wear, and the more skin you cover, the less likely you are to cause offence. I bought the Speedos at the pool, they were a "low-cut leg" style, which I was happy with, but it was a few years ago and I don't know if they still make them.
Swimming in Cambodia is also an exercise in modesty (at least I try to be) so I still hunt for modest one piece (usually racing back style) swimsuits. While I was in Thailand over our summer I also invested in a short sleeve swim shirt and shorts. Definitely a plus for fair skinned me swimming in the tropics.
ReplyDeleteOn a positive note, at least you are hunting for a swimsuit in the right season. The last time I was in Australia it was the middle of winter and swimsuits were very few and far between. Hope you found something to keep the boys happy! Sounds like a long hot summer is coming.
In English, what we wear when swimming has quite a diverse range of words attached to it. It is one of the markers of various cultures and dialects, but never clear cut.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why people would want to have so many words for cossies.
It does seem strange, doesn't it Ken, when they are one of the briefest of garments!
ReplyDelete"one of the briefest of garments"
ReplyDeleteA burkini isn't.
True, Ken. But they are far more decent!
ReplyDelete