Can't Possibly Swim in Modestwear Swimwear

[Ralar]

I wore my new mini skirt tankini yesterday (not for modesty purposes, rather to camouflage my thunder-thighs).

http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-beach-living-dot-twist-tankini-top/id_237307?sku_0=::UW7

My plan was to mostly lounge by the pool and read. My daughter insisted I get into the pool with her. As soon as the skirt got wet, it clung to my thighs. When I actually swam, it flopped up, exposing the built-in panty. Skirts are definitely NOT for swimming. I can't even imagine attempting to swim n a long skirt. That said, I love the suit for lounging by the pool, or strolling in swimsuit-appropriate places, like the beach.

[NurseNell]

I wore my new mini skirt tankini yesterday (not for modesty purposes, rather to camouflage my thunder-thighs).

http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-beach-living-dot-twist-tankini-top/id_237307?sku_0=::UW7

My plan was to mostly lounge by the pool and read. My daughter insisted I get into the pool with her. As soon as the skirt got wet, it clung to my thighs. When I actually swam, it flopped up, exposing the built-in panty. Skirts are definitely NOT for swimming. I can't even imagine attempting to swim n a long skirt. That said, I love the suit for lounging by the pool, or strolling in swimsuit-appropriate places, like the beach.

As a swimmer I agree. Those kind of suits are fine for lounging by the pool, sitting on a blanket on the beach, even going in the hot tub. But for swimming, no.

This is what I prefer, and what my granddaughter wears in competition:

http://swimming.epicsports.com/prod/528 ... -long.html

ETA: there's also an option that covers the entire back, which is good for swimming outside.

[NoneandDoneinCali]

I'm a big girl (size 16, 38H on top), so I also wear more "modest" swimwear for practical reasons (like not flashing an entire beach-full of people when I'm splashing around in the ocean). However, even at my size/level of insecurity, I don't mess with the swim skirts - I still swim avidly and body surf on occasion, and those things feel very restrictive. They are also less than flattering when they ride up while you're in the water exposing the panty part or the bottom of the tankini (keep in mind mine tend to be reinforced with steel beams due to my size) floats up to expose my paunch. I'm better off with something a bit tighter for comfort and to stay in place. However, I manage to find short board shorts or full-coverage briefs and long stomach-shrinking tops with built in bras that wouldn't move in a hurricane - nothing defrauding there.

I can't imagine trying to swim, really SWIM, surrounded by fabric. I don't really care if it's made of bathing suit material. And some of those girls are very petite ... the wet fabric probably weighs as much as they do! You can't wear a full-coverage one piece (or board shorts and a rashguard, as some have previously suggested) and put on a cover-up when you get out of the water?

[OkToBeTakei]

Aww Nell. Hear you. Have you tried a suit with matching wrap? When you are lounging they are comfy and hide all the bits we may not like then just as you go swimming, slip it off at the side of the pool.

Best way to swim would be naked. Lets be honest :lol:

[snowy]

Actual physical exercise probably isn't big with fundies, anyway. It wouldn't surprise me if many of 'em held the Victorian notion that exercises ruins a woman's reproductive equipment. Since reproducing is a woman's only useful function in their eyes anyway, exercise is not only defrauding, but actually ungodly.

[NurseNell]

Aww Nell. Hear you. Have you tried a suit with matching wrap? When you are lounging they are comfy and hide all the bits we may not like then just as you go swimming, slip it off at the side of the pool.

Best way to swim would be naked. Lets be honest :lol:

Size wise I'm OK. I just prefer the length to the knees so I don't have to worry about the suit sliding up in my butt. :o I also have no boobs, literally. It doesn't bother me when swimming laps but I am very self conscious about it at the beach. You can get swim boobs to fit in your suit but I've known women whose have floated out. :embarrassed:

Naked does work. We had our own in-ground pool and did swim that way sometimes.

[PennySycamore]

I do think skirted suits are more flattering to older women who might not be fat, but maybe their tushie isn't quite as firm and high as it was when they were twenty. That's my experience seeing women at Myrtle Beach. These women were either lounging at the beach or walking down the beach. Few of them were doing a lot of active swimming. I do have a skirted suit in my lingerie drawer, IIRC, but I haven't worn it in years or any other swimsuit for that matter.

edited for riffle

[Ralar]

My Dad used to swim nude at his cousin's house. One day, he was simming laps in the pool in the very seluded back yard. No one else was home. He came up for air and realized the family's CHABAD rabbi was poolside with a half-dozen women he had brought over to swim (the rabbi was going to leave and allow the women to have a leisurely same-sex swim -- he had permission to do so anytime). Their plans were foiled my my nude-swimming father.

The women were much more embarrassed than my dad. Before they left, my father told the rabbi that he should call before bringing a group over to swim, lest he defraud them again.. I'm pretty sure he didn't use the word defraud, though.

[rezski44]

I do have a skirted suit in my lingerie drawer, IIRC, but I haven't worn it in years or any other swimsuit for that matter.

FYI you should check the elastic on that old suit as it may have died. That's why I had to replace a seldom used one a few years ago. If you stretch it out and it stays - its toast!

[danvillebelle]

Eh....I had one of the ones from Simply Modest (swimdress over leggings) and I swam fine in it. Laps, in the pool at the gym, and also playing with my kids in our apt. complex pool. No problems.

The only bummer about it was that in less than a year, all the spandex/elasticity was gone from the fabric and I couldn't wear it any longer. I expected it to last longer than that for the price I paid. I took good care of it too, rinsed it out after every wearing and hand washed it in Woolite.

I got some odd looks at the gym, but I also got questions from at least 15 women asking me where I got it, because they wanted one.

[Irrationalnumber]

I've tried it, and it is a royal pain. Last year, I swam in Princess Modest swimwear because I sunburn so easily. It had leggings, a leotard, and an overdress. That dress, no matter how light it was, dragged like mad in the water and made real swimming a non starter.

Recently I've lost two sizes, and the replacement suit is a surfing rash guard and leggings. Swimming without the loose fabric is so much nicer. It makes you realize why women never really swam in the era of those Victorian bathing costumes.

[Avalondaughter]

Size wise I'm OK. I just prefer the length to the knees so I don't have to worry about the suit sliding up in my butt. :o I also have no boobs, literally. It doesn't bother me when swimming laps but I am very self conscious about it at the beach. You can get swim boobs to fit in your suit but I've known women whose have floated out. :embarrassed:

Naked does work. We had our own in-ground pool and did swim that way sometimes.

While I don't skinny dip much, there is something to be said for it, to me part of the joys of swimming is the feeling of cool water on BARE skin. I hate the feeling of fabric between me and the water. I know some people like it, are even turned on by it, but not me. Yuck! No shorts. No rash guards. No skirts. No matter how fat or saggy I get. I will wear lots of sunscreen and as little as possible in the water. I am working hard on a year-long diet and exercise program and hope to come out of it feeling great in a bikini because I don't want to have anything bêtween me and the water. As little as possible please.

[dawbs]

I find that all 'skirts' are not created equal--the longer they are, the more they runch up and, often, the more they draw attention.

I just got this, in black: http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-119794 ... ottoms.jsp

I'll report back in a few months as to how it works :)

(it's less 'skirt' and more 'has ruffle'. I tried a gazillion different bottoms on and found that the tiny skirt was a LOT more flattering than the 'modest' ones that claimed they'd hide my thighs)

[SoybeanQueen]

I prefer more coverage, too, but yes, the tankini tops and skirts do tend to float. If you're just interested in sun protection or covered legs, try a dive skin. They're made to go under a wetsuit, but they make excellent full-coverage swimsuits. Of course, if you don't love the tight fit of a swimsuit, a dive skin won't help there. I suppose you could sew a little skirt on one...

http://www.amazon.com/Xcel-Womens-Lycra ... 09&sr=1-21

[uber frau]

I swim in board shorts and a rashie. The nice thing about living in a country with an insane skin cancer rate is that it's easy to find swimwear that covers everything you could want covered.

[Dysfundamental]

Knee length board shorts and wrist length rash guard is pretty much my outdoor swimming default now, because my skin is so sensitive to the sun.

[Arete]

I swim in a one piece from Land's End, that has a matching skirt I slip on out of the water. I also swim one of their 2 piece tankinis, and use the skirt from the first ensemble to cover when out of the water. It is a contrasting color.

I have to say, I adore the common sense and simplicity of Land's End bathing suits. While swimming naked appeals to me greatly, I suspect the end result would be a very nasty sunburn. I don't tan. :(

[Peppercorn]

I love skinnydipping. It's glorious. I live on a nice wide river where very few of my neighbors swim or boat, so I've been known to get in the water in a t-shirt, slip it off and swim naked to my heart's content. The only problems being the occasional boat or kayak and my love of floating on my back, losing track of time. :lol: (Not really, I only do the latter when I'm suitably clothed.) Being of a certain age and shape, I'd rather surreptitiously skinnydip than wear a skimpy suit in and out of the water. I'm lucky to have as much privacy as I do, except for a few neighbors who came out with binoculars when I first appeared half a mile out in the middle of the river. No, I wasn't skinnydipping at the time. They just thought I was crazy for swimming where apparently no woman has gone before.

I have no problem swimming in a tee/tank and shorts, but I could see why they'd feel waterlogging to most.

Ever see old photos of the woolen suits both sexes used to wear for swimming? They might have covered a lot of skin, but those things were extremely defrauding when wet. And no built-in bra support for the women. Not a good look.

[formergothardite]

I find that all 'skirts' are not created equal--the longer they are, the more they runch up and, often, the more they draw attention.

I just got this, in black: http://www.kohls.com/product/prd-119794 ... ottoms.jsp

I'll report back in a few months as to how it works :)

(it's less 'skirt' and more 'has ruffle'. I tried a gazillion different bottoms on and found that the tiny skirt was a LOT more flattering than the 'modest' ones that claimed they'd hide my thighs)

I really like that. I had a tankini with a skirt once and the skirt just floated straight up and was a pain to swim in.

[keen23]

Oh! I have found a MAGIC swimsuit this year. I kid you not, it's super flattering. I'm a size 16/18, 38-C, and I frickin love my new bathing suit-

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Catalina-Sudd ... t/17804485

[jaynie]

Oh! I have found a MAGIC swimsuit this year. I kid you not, it's super flattering. I'm a size 16/18, 38-C, and I frickin love my new bathing suit-

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Catalina-Sudd ... t/17804485

I looked at getting one like that too. They're flattering on every body shape, and still look cute.

The one I ended up with is identical to this (http://www.modcloth.com/shop/onepiece-s ... -one-piece) only I got it from a local shop for about half the cost (modcloth is well overpriced!). It has shapewear and tends to scrunch around the tummy area (even though it isn't ruched) so it's pretty flattering as well. And the skirt part adheres fairly well to my thighs, so it doesn't seem to be an obstacle with swimming -- although I'm not sure the half-assed paddling in the shallows that I do really qualifies.

I think the extent to which you can swim in more covering bathing suits depends more on the particular cut and quality of the suit -- though doing timed laps in Duggar-esque swimdresses is probably not wise!

[djibouti]

I actually have one of those landsend skirt + tankini combos and I disagree that it's uncomfortable! I have personally never felt comfortable in bikinis, and after being pregnant with twins my body never quite recovered (two more pregnancies after that hasn't helped either) so the tankini is great, and I like the skirt. When I take my kids swimming I always think the moms in skimpy suits look a little trashy. A couple years ago I saw a mom have her bandeau top be pulled down very quickly by a hungry baby!

[yetanothermeg]

I wore my new mini skirt tankini yesterday (not for modesty purposes, rather to camouflage my thunder-thighs).

http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-beach-living-dot-twist-tankini-top/id_237307?sku_0=::UW7

My plan was to mostly lounge by the pool and read. My daughter insisted I get into the pool with her. As soon as the skirt got wet, it clung to my thighs. When I actually swam, it flopped up, exposing the built-in panty. Skirts are definitely NOT for swimming. I can't even imagine attempting to swim n a long skirt. That said, I love the suit for lounging by the pool, or strolling in swimsuit-appropriate places, like the beach.

Ok, well I own the exact same bathing suit. You better not show up at the same pool as me! Now if I see another woman wearing it I am going to walk by and say "Free Jinger!" really fast and see if she laughs.

[formergothardite]

I actually have one of those landsend skirt + tankini combos and I disagree that it's uncomfortable! I have personally never felt comfortable in bikinis, and after being pregnant with twins my body never quite recovered (two more pregnancies after that hasn't helped either) so the tankini is great, and I like the skirt. When I take my kids swimming I always think the moms in skimpy suits look a little trashy. A couple years ago I saw a mom have her bandeau top be pulled down very quickly by a hungry baby!

What is trashy about a mom in a skimpy suit?

[TMS]

Ok, well I own the exact same bathing suit. You better not show up at the same pool as me! Now if I see another woman wearing it I am going to walk by and say "Free Jinger!" really fast and see if she laughs.

Uh oh, I have the exact same suit too. :lol: I love it!