The Perils of Parenting and Other Ponderings

Jul. 15, 2008

Modest Swimwear Solutions

I am pretty picky about what my daughters wear (and myself, of course). I am probably considered extremely conservative for the area I live in and somewhat liberal compared to some of you. I seem to always be the odd man out no matter who I am with! LOL!

Anyway, we don't wear tank tops usually, although if they have a very wide top, are not low cut under the arm pit or on the chest I sometimes allow my youngest to wear tank tops just at home for pajamas only. We wear them UNDER another layer, but I am not fond of the bare shoulder look (especially if it gaps under the arm and shows a lot of flesh).

We don't wear shorts unless they are more like short capris... all the way to the knee and then only if they are not "sucky tight". We are not dresses only, but we wear skirts a lot of the time. We never show cleavage! If we put our hand on our collar bone with thumb on one side and pointer finger on the other side (palm facing chest) and any skin shows beneath the bottom of our hands then we put on that tank top under layer.

We do not show ANY belly at all. The pants or skirt must overlap the shirt even with arms raised or it is back to that tank top (a long one) to prevent exposure.

We don't like tight blouses that show too much form, but this one has a hard one to define. If the clothing springs back when touched it is probably stretched too tight.

Skirts come at least down to the knee and are not tight and form fitting.

So, this brings me to swimwear. Yikes. Even if we are modest it is hard not to have our eyes accosted... not only at the beach, but in the grocery store check out line! My youngest is "famous" for turning all the magazines over and declaring the covergirls as "IMMODEST"!!!

We did find a cute suit for Kaitlyn HERE. The attached shorts ARE a bit shorter than I like though so we bought it in a too big size and just altered it so it would fit more modestly.

For the past two years I have bought suits for Hannah HERE. I got one for MYSELF there this year too and I will probably get the next one we need for Kaitlyn there as they are custom made and can be made longer easily!

A friend (thanks Jocelyn) also told me about THIS great place to buy swimwear! Looks great too!

My boys do wear rash guard shirts too, mostly for more sun protection, but there is really no need to run around half dressed anyway.

I realize I am probably going to have a few of you rolling your eyes at me b/c I am too strict or not strict enough. I hope though that you will just pray about this matter and bring it before your husband to decide upon a policy for YOUR own family!

If you know of any other great sites that sell modest swimwear or other clothing, please let me know!

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Jul. 15, 2008 - Untitled Comment

Posted by Roxann

Not that I would EVER go swimming at a nude beach... but in many parts of Europe and Australia, nude or topless swimming is the norm. I had an interesting conversation with a classmate in vet school who was originally from Europe, and she had no problem with it, because it was the cultural norm there. In fact, she preferred swimming without a swimsuit, because you get less dirt, etc stuck to your skin, and can dry off easier. She felt that it was cleaner, just like you don't shower in clothing.

So my point is not meant to argue or say you are wrong, but merely to bring up discussion... how much of your opinion do you think is culturally motivated? Do you think you would have a different view if you had grown up in a different culture? Again, I am not at all intending to attack, I'm just curious how much you think is absolutely required to be that way, and how much is a response to cultural norms.