Bikini not accepted? (UK, but US perspective also nice)
Replies
-
I'm a former lifeguard/instructor and I have a lot of swim suits. For laps it's always a one piece for me. On the beach with friends a dressier one piece or a tankini-a 2 piece with a longer top.
Waterslides-often a tshirt over any of my suits.
When in the pool for work-with kids with disabilities-I add longer swim shorts over a one piece
Stand up paddle boarding-I slip short swim shorts over my suit-I like my butt cheeks covered
and I also have 2 bikinis that I wear when just playing at the beach.
It really doesn't matter what you wear.0 -
Ok, thanks a lot for all your experience. Some interesting insight here. On my US visit (Houston) I felt uncomfortable about how the other pool visitors looked at me (women, mostly). It really gave me the feeling that I did something I should not have done. Unexpected cultural faux pax I thought. Guess that was somehow stuck in my head when I went to the pool in the UK, as some people did look as well, but not disapprovingly as in Houston.
Nah, you didn't do anything wrong, and I have a hard time imagining a Houstonian judging your for wearing a bikini. That was the norm when I lived down there. However, Houston is a big business destination, and people visiting from other countries sometimes bring their families - perhaps the other guests were from a different culture, thus the covering up? Or protection from the sun, it's pretty brutal during the summer.
I hung out at a hotel pool in Dallas two weekends ago when my dad was visiting. All the women, of all shapes and sizes, were in bikinis.0 -
There are no rules in the UK, as others have said its down to choice and comfort and what you are doing in the pool. If I'm doing laps, it's a one piece, but you can get sports style two pieces which I've seen.
For guys doing serious swimming, you WILL see speedo types or tight shorts, but ther wise it's more beach shorts. That's more to do with drag I suspect.
However, go to Germany or France and there ARE rules. Usually speedos for guys only, and swim caps are obligatory.0 -
Bikini for me no matter what country I am in. I'm English, based in Canada, but travel quite a bit.
I am too old to worry what people think so that is a plus.
I do have a couple of unstructured swimsuits and sports bikinis for when I am doing Aqua fit or laps but that is because I have come close to losing parts of a bikini once too often for comfort.
I was shy enough when I first started going to the pool 8 years ago that I seriously considered a burkini for non religious reasons. Got past that pretty fast
and tried tankinis. They float away on me and are harder to keep in place than bikinis.
The bikini preference is because they are the easiest to change out of, and I hate a cold clammy feeling body.
I, like many, look miserable when my face is at rest, thinking, or daydreaming- so don't take a look personally.
All in all it is personal preference.
Cheers, h.0 -
Wear what you want. I haven't noticed a norm any where. It could also be an age thing, location, or purpose of the swim. If I'm swimming laps, I'll prob opt for a one piece, unless the pool is outside, then I'll go 2.
Some people are just more self conscious. My son is thin, but went thru a phase he wasn't comfortable with this shirt off. Of course if I were on a business trip with others, I may decide to wear a one piece, especially if the opposite sex is involved.
I'm currently swimming at a place where the average age is about 65. So there are no two piece swimmers there.
0 -
A few public swimming pools in the UK mandate burkinis even for non-muslims which means women are not actually allowed to swim in the pools because one cannot safely swim in a burkini.
Sure fire way for one group to take over an entire neighborhood.
1 -
My 25 year old daughter said the same thing about her last trip to the pool with her son. She was the only one there with a bikini. There were lots of mothers with hot bodies, so it seemed to be more fashion/convention than embarrassment/shyness. Lots of bikinis at the beach still. We're in Canada.0
-
A few public swimming pools in the UK mandate burkinis even for non-muslims which means women are not actually allowed to swim in the pools because one cannot safely swim in a burkini.
Sure fire way for one group to take over an entire neighborhood.
Where? I've heard of female only sessions but not heard of burkini only. Do you have a link to the pool's website that shows this? (Bonus points if your link doesn't lead to the Daily Fail or Britain First). If you don't have a link, the council website will show it, which councils?1 -
-
Cutaway_Collar wrote: »
Texas is very conservative.Ok, thanks a lot for all your experience. Some interesting insight here. On my US visit (Houston) I felt uncomfortable about how the other pool visitors looked at me (women, mostly). It really gave me the feeling that I did something I should not have done. Unexpected cultural faux pax I thought. Guess that was somehow stuck in my head when I went to the pool in the UK, as some people did look as well, but not disapprovingly as in Houston.
Or maybe you looked so good that they were shocked and embarrassed they cannot pull it off?
You've never been to Austin or Houston, I see.2 -
A few public swimming pools in the UK mandate burkinis even for non-muslims which means women are not actually allowed to swim in the pools because one cannot safely swim in a burkini.
Sure fire way for one group to take over an entire neighborhood.
I concur, proof please? And I'll add the Express and Sun to places not to link to.
Sort of proves my point about the right wing press stirring the pot about things that aren't really happening in any great numbers anywhere.2 -
Oh and I am also one with resting beyotch face, many a person has said I look terrifying when I'm just minding my own business!
As for one piece or two piece, depends what I can find and think is cute, bonus points if I can dive without losing tops, bottoms or both, much of my body likes to try and make a bid for freedom at the first opportunity.1 -
VintageFeline wrote: »A few public swimming pools in the UK mandate burkinis even for non-muslims which means women are not actually allowed to swim in the pools because one cannot safely swim in a burkini.
Sure fire way for one group to take over an entire neighborhood.
I concur, proof please? And I'll add the Express and Sun to places not to link to.
Sort of proves my point about the right wing press stirring the pot about things that aren't really happening in any great numbers anywhere.
I agree. No UK publicly funded pool can impose such dress restrictions on female patrons. That would be illegal.
But then earlier this thread had someone say that 'Islamic numbers are increasing exponentially' which has absolutely no basis in fact either. Clearly too many people are subscribing to the Trump University Debate Team (i.e. Say whatever you want regardless if it's a total lie)3 -
The only time I've worn a one-piece is when I was doing water aerobics but otherwise bikini to anything water related (other than showering)0
-
In my social circle bikinis are for holidays, the beach, social swimming situations. A one piece for proper swimming or taking the kids to the pool (more secure when you have young kids grabbing at you!)
I was at the beach recently, there were several Muslim families, still by far the minority, they seemed not a jot concerned about what everyone else was wearing and there were women ranging from the skimpiest of bikinis to covered from head to toe. Bizarrely enough it seems that Muslims are in fact just normal people enjoying a trip to the beach. Whoda thunk it?4 -
-
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Yeah, I do wonder about that as well. It rather sounds like something a tabloid would write.0 -
Have you ever heard someone say this- if you keep having the same problem over and over then maybe you are the problem?
You felt like people in the USA where looking at you at the pool because you had on a bikini. You felt out of place in the UK because you had on a bikini. Maybe these places are not the problem at all. Maybe the problem is in your head. Maybe you think people are" looking" at you when really they are not thinking anything badly about you. It seems like bikini isn't the problem here. It might be your perception.2 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Yeah, I do wonder about that as well. It rather sounds like something a tabloid would write.
There was an article in one of the tabloids a couple of weeks ago about segregated sessions at a pool in Luton. I think it might have been the Fail so have to be sceptical about it.
1 -
I have to say, I found that odd. I'm from neither the UK nor the US but whenever I go to the beach or a pool (either in Canada or the US since I go there a lot... It's right next door to me lol) I feel like I'm the only one my age NOT in a bikini lol. From what I've seen, wearing a bikini is the norm for young people and not wearing one is the minority. I'd say 70% of people I've seen wear bikinis. So wearing a bikini is ALWAYS acceptable and pools can't have a rule against it I don't think (idk about the UK tho).0
-
VintageFeline wrote: »Oh and I am also one with resting beyotch face, many a person has said I look terrifying when I'm just minding my own business!
As for one piece or two piece, depends what I can find and think is cute, bonus points if I can dive without losing tops, bottoms or both, much of my body likes to try and make a bid for freedom at the first opportunity.
+1. I've had a few friends tell me that they thought I was a total b*tch when they first saw me. They said I looked so angry. I also often have people ask me what's wrong when I'm not smiling. For me, it's either look angry when out and about or look a little crazy while trying to smile for no reason when out and about!
2 -
AnabolicMind2011 wrote: »Have you ever heard someone say this- if you keep having the same problem over and over then maybe you are the problem?
You felt like people in the USA where looking at you at the pool because you had on a bikini. You felt out of place in the UK because you had on a bikini. Maybe these places are not the problem at all. Maybe the problem is in your head. Maybe you think people are" looking" at you when really they are not thinking anything badly about you. It seems like bikini isn't the problem here. It might be your perception.
Who knows... I lived in the Middle East for a while, and the gated community I lived in housed both locals and expats. Nobody cared about people in bikini or burkini at the pool and thus I never felt out of place. I don't care on vacation either, and neither when I lived in Scandinavia where there were always masses of women in bikinis at pools or on beaches. I'm surrounded by beaches here but I have yet to see a single person wearing a bikini. Ok, it's too cold anyway (in my opinion that is), but anyway...0 -
A few public swimming pools in the UK mandate burkinis even for non-muslims which means women are not actually allowed to swim in the pools because one cannot safely swim in a burkini.
Sure fire way for one group to take over an entire neighborhood.
I'd love to know where in the UK that is. Pretty sure thousands women survive swimming in a burkini every day, and Muslims are not one homogeneous group 'taking over' anything.0 -
I'm in the UK and swim regularly. I think it's the confidence of the top remaining in place that puts me off, but I don't think bikinis are unacceptable and I regularly see women in thin triangle held together with string bikinis and it's not a problem either.
Now the guys in long baggy surfing shorts struggling to do laps as they drag them down - they need to sort their outfits out
0 -
berolcolour wrote: »
Now the guys in long baggy surfing shorts struggling to do laps as they drag them down - they need to sort their outfits out
Absolutely! My Middle Eastern beach outfit was a pair of shorts halfway down to the knee and a tshirt over a bikini (not talking a country with beach tourists here). Those clothes, together with the high salinity of the water make swimming completely impossible. You can only sit 'on' the water and read a book. Though the dead sea must be even more amazing for that.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Yeah, I do wonder about that as well. It rather sounds like something a tabloid would write.
There was an article in one of the tabloids a couple of weeks ago about segregated sessions at a pool in Luton. I think it might have been the Fail so have to be sceptical about it.
Segregated sessions I can definitely see - but I'd be very surprised if any public pool in the UK had any general rules like that.0 -
MeanderingMammal wrote: »MeanderingMammal wrote: »
Yeah, I do wonder about that as well. It rather sounds like something a tabloid would write.
There was an article in one of the tabloids a couple of weeks ago about segregated sessions at a pool in Luton. I think it might have been the Fail so have to be sceptical about it.
Segregated sessions I can definitely see - but I'd be very surprised if any public pool in the UK had any general rules like that.
Indeed. Hence asking for clarification up thread0
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.3K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 431 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.8K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions