# 2012 Olympics women's swimsuits (Question) **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [August 3, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263 "2012-08-03T07:02:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/1 "2012-08-03T07:02:14Z")
I’m posting this question for my wife. She’s been watching the Olympics swimming contests, and wonders “how those swimsuits work.” Meaning, how do they stay up and in place? What prevents “wardrobe malfunctions”? ---
**Author:** ![Scholar\_Beardpig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de053/32.png) [@Scholar\_Beardpig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scholar_Beardpig)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/2 "2012-08-03T07:22:03Z")
Which ones are you talking about? They all look like pretty standard 1-pieces to me, albeit with the long legs. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/3 "2012-08-03T14:28:11Z")
They are one piece which comes over the shoulders. They are also tight as hell. There can be “malfunctions” as there was in a water polo match the other day, though that’s because they pull on the suits. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/4 "2012-08-03T16:42:49Z")
> [@Scholar\_Beardpig](#): > > Which ones are you talking about? They all look like pretty standard 1-pieces to me, albeit with the long legs. > [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > They are one piece which comes over the shoulders. They are also tight as hell. > > There can be “malfunctions” as there was in a water polo match the other day, though that’s because they pull on the suits. Yes, that’s the one I mean, the womens’ suit, usually black with the halter strap and legs. I suspect that there must be some hidden bra inside. Thanks, Mrs. Cretin ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/5 "2012-08-03T16:57:50Z")
> [@Edward\_The\_Head](#): > > There can be “malfunctions” as there was in a water polo match the other day Cite? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/6 "2012-08-03T16:59:12Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Yes, that’s the one I mean, the womens’ suit, usually black with the halter strap and legs. I suspect that there must be some hidden bra inside. > > Thanks, > Mrs. Cretin There’s no bra. Just a very tight suit. The idea is to get everything, including the breasts, compressed as much as possible. The shoulder straps hold it up, no need for extra material. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/7 "2012-08-03T17:07:37Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Cite? 🙂 [There’s a link for the photo on this link.](http://www.examiner.com/article/olympics-water-polo-wardrobe-malfunction-breast-exposed-on-spain-competitor) I think there’s an article too. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/8 "2012-08-03T17:08:30Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Cite? 🙂 [http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a397165/london-2012-olympics-nbc-accidentally-airs-water-polo-nip-slip-video.html](http://www.digitalspy.com/odd/news/a397165/london-2012-olympics-nbc-accidentally-airs-water-polo-nip-slip-video.html) ETA: Video and commentary in this one ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/9 "2012-08-03T17:44:21Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > There’s no bra. Just a very tight suit. The idea is to get everything, including the breasts, compressed as much as possible. The shoulder straps hold it up, no need for extra material. My Reason-For-Living thanks you. She reports that she also found mention online about “compression panels.” Sounds like those suits aren’t particularly comfortable. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/10 "2012-08-03T17:51:33Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Sounds like those suits aren’t particularly comfortable. Certainly no worse than wearing a wetsuit. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/11 "2012-08-03T18:57:18Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > Certainly no worse than wearing a wetsuit. I was resding somewhere that the full body suits worn in Beijing 2008 (which have since been outlawed) took 30 min to put on. I can’t imagine they were very comfortable at all. ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/12 "2012-08-03T19:07:08Z")
> [@USCDiver](#): > > I was resding somewhere that the full body suits worn in Beijing 2008 (which have since been outlawed) took 30 min to put on. I can’t imagine they were very comfortable at all. I never used the really expensive ones, but the ones I have used took a few minutes and they were really tight. I can see 5 minutes or so, but not 30. I do know people took them off right away. ---
**Author:** ![artemis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/91b2a8/32.png) [@artemis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/artemis)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/13 "2012-08-03T19:15:20Z")
Another question: why were the high-tech suits all the swimmers were wearing in Beijing subsequently banned? Was it because they were too expensive for the swimmers from less wealthy countries to afford? ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/14 "2012-08-03T19:34:30Z")
> [@artemis](#): > > Another question: why were the high-tech suits all the swimmers were wearing in Beijing subsequently banned? Was it because they were too expensive for the swimmers from less wealthy countries to afford? They were thought to give too much of an advantage to the swimmer. There were a lot of records broken, as in almost all of them, within a year or two. FINA didn’t like that so they banned them. But as we’re seeing now there are a lot of times falling that people thought wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2012, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/2012-olympics-womens-swimsuits-question/630263/15 "2012-08-05T03:15:12Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > Cite? 🙂 Mmm… [It’s so erotic.](http://deadspin.com/5930908/nbc-aired-a-bare-breast-during-live-water-polo-coverage-today) Like forbidden pie. Seriously.. her chest is more manly than mine.