# Bikinis - immodest or not? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 17, 2014, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354 "2014-07-17T12:09:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/21 "2014-07-17T15:59:03Z")
> [@astorian](#): > > A few weeks back, my family went to a water park in San Antonio, on a day when there happened to be a lot of Muslim women present. Many were in the water wearing “wwimsuits” that covered their entire bodies, as well as scarves that covered their heads and most of their faces. Were they made from some non-clingy material to avoid the “wet drape” effect? ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/22 "2014-07-17T16:45:15Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Were they made from some non-clingy material to avoid the “wet drape” effect? I’m no expert on fabric, but the outfits were NOT clingy. That’s why I figure there MUST be a market for modest full-body swimwear aimed at Muslim women. I’d already seen sort-of full-body swimwer for fair-skinned women who burn easily. Presumably the same kind of fabric can be sued to make lightweight full-body swimwear for Muslims. ---
**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/23 "2014-07-17T17:00:40Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > You’ve never been to Brazil, have you? I don’t have to cite anything I’ve seen with my own eyes, but in all fairness to you, you don’t have to believe it, either… I don’t doubt your experience, but I have personally seen with my own eyes many instances of scanty dress in various situations that can’t be extrapolated into broad social trends of acceptability. Maybe you just hang out with a hipper crowd than typical. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/24 "2014-07-17T17:27:17Z")
I first heard about Muslim swimwear here. Somebody suggested it to some poster who wanted full coverage for sun protection. Just google “muslim swimwear” for examples. The thread also mentioned swimwear for women of Christian religious persuasions that prefer more coverage. There are some cute things out there. > [@](#): > > Anyone wearing a bikini is showing off (or making us all look at) their body. How do you know why anybody chooses to wear a bikini? It’s certainly a lot easier to pee in a two-piece. And nobody is “making” you look at their body. Your eyeballs are your own to control. Don’t blame women for your own inadequacies. > [@Habeed](#): > > It’s 2 pieces of very thin fabric and nothing else. Why are you talking about stuff you know nothing about? Most swimsuits are fully lined and many (most?) bikinis have some sort of bust support, which adds thickness. Oh, and I guess I don’t really want to try to pass judgment on other women’s “modesty,” but any typical bikini is certainly appropriate for the average beach or pool. ---
**Author:** ![PurpleClogs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f04885/32.png) [@PurpleClogs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PurpleClogs)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/25 "2014-07-17T17:31:10Z")
Not only is there an appropriate place and occasion, but style varies too. I think there are bikinis too microscopic to be appropriate, too transparent, on someone too young, someone too old, someone too voluptuous to fit, and someone doing inappropriate things like twerking (which is a bad look no matter what they’re wearing). It’s about having good taste more so than modesty. Some people just shouldn’t be seen in certain swimsuits. Even in Brazil. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/26 "2014-07-17T17:49:32Z")
Here is some appropriate swimwear: [![](http://www.fashion-era.com/images/Edwds1890-1915/beauties.jpg) ](http://www.fashion-era.com/images/Edwds1890-1915/beauties.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/27 "2014-07-17T17:51:22Z")
> [@missyevelyn](#): > > Why do some act as if bikinis are so immodest? I know some people that honestly freak out at them. It’s only like a one piece but with the middle cut out. No one is naked! This is the internet; everyone gets freaked out by something. And you do know [many bikinis are quite modest?](http://plus-size.swimsuitsforall.com/img/product/altViews/z_3219HWBK3220_ALTERNATEVIEW.jpg)[Even compared to some one pieces?](http://www.skinzwearphotography.com/prodImages/F2U-5808-sexy-womens-one-piece-swimwear.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/28 "2014-07-17T18:44:28Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > “… > And nobody is “making” you look at their body. Your eyeballs are your own to control…” :dubious: So… women dress in skimpy outfits and expect men _not_ look at them? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/29 "2014-07-17T19:32:58Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > You’ve never been to Brazil, have you? I don’t have to cite anything I’ve seen with my own eyes, but in all fairness to you, you don’t have to believe it, either… Not only have I been to Brazil more than a dozen times, I’ve attended numerous weddings there, and I have never seen anyone wear a bikini to a wedding. As a matter of fact, I’ve seen halter tops worn quite often, but away from the coast, I haven’t seen Bikinis worn in lieu of regular clothing. ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/30 "2014-07-17T22:18:58Z")
IIRC, bikinis are for showing as much T&A as possible without going to jail, while at the pool/beach. Am I thinking of the wrong kind of bikinis? Haven’t they also been an American staple for something like 50+ years?? For the record, I am all for T&A. ---
**Author:** ![Green\_Bean](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/green_bean/32/1760_2.png) [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/31 "2014-07-17T22:40:56Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > :dubious: > > So… women dress in skimpy outfits and expect men _not_ look at them? > > :smack: Your straw man looks lovely in his burkha. In other words, what you said does not follow from what I said and you know it. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2014, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/32 "2014-07-17T23:22:52Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > [Even compared to some one pieces?](http://www.skinzwearphotography.com/prodImages/F2U-5808-sexy-womens-one-piece-swimwear.jpg) The faux-leather look there makes it less “swimwear” and more “stock super-heroine costume”. ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/33 "2014-07-18T00:48:04Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > The faux-leather look there makes it less “swimwear” and more “stock super-heroine costume”. Well the jpg has “one piece swimwear” in its title, and I found it GIS for the same term. Plus don’t most industry surveys say most swimwear never ends up in the water. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/34 "2014-07-18T01:15:37Z")
> [@installLSC](#): > > Well the jpg has “one piece swimwear” in its title, and I found it GIS for the same term. Plus don’t most industry surveys say most swimwear never ends up in the water. Sorry, was making a comment about the garment itself. I don’t doubt it’s marketed as swimwear 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/35 "2014-07-18T03:05:28Z")
BTW, let’s just have it clear from the start: the OP or in fact anyone who’s so inclined should wear her bikinis to the beach, or to the lake/river, or to the shops in the touristy section of town next to the beach, or while sunbathing in the quad lawn, if she damn well pleases without anyone giving her any flak about it. And in my experience, a majority of people in America seem to have NO problem with bikinis (or minimalist one-pieces) at their beaches. Or for that matter with gowns plunging/slit “to _there_” at their cocktail parties (as long as everyone’s a grownup). It’s just that those who have something to say about it tend to do so louder. There should not be “immodesty” being used to rationalize or justify improper conduct towards persons. Flippant comments should not be seen as a statement of the public consensus. > [@Namkcalb](#): > > Are you at the beach? Modest > Are you at a funeral? Immodest Well, what if it’s a surfer’s funeral and he wanted to have his ashes scattered from a gnarly wave off Waimea? …I now preemptively own my shame at having been unable to resist the next one: > [@kunilou](#): > > There are bikinis that I’d feel comfortable having my daughter be seen in. There are bikinis that make me feel like I should tuck dollar bills into the waistband. The latter being on someone else’s daughter, presumably. (ow! stop throwing stuff!) But like someone else said, time-and-place appropriate vs. inappropriate is a more sensible discussion than modest v. immodest, which is so subjective. And showing examples of unusual or “daring” outfits does not translate into “normalization”. If 19 out of 20 people involved in some activity normally wear business suits, the guy who shows up in a swimsuit is the one out of place whether it’s board shorts or a Speedo. And FWIW so is the one who shows up in full plate armour. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/36 "2014-07-18T04:10:52Z")
> [@Habeed](#): > > Anyone wearing a bikini is showing off (or making us all look at) their body. Another way of looking at it is, why would you want yards of fabric around you when you’re at the beach or pool? The whole point of being there is to enjoy being in the sun and water, and in this light the less you wear the better. At the beach, if nowhere else, men and women both ought to be able to wear as much or as little as they want. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/37 "2014-07-18T05:52:03Z")
> [@Green\_Bean](#): > > Don’t blame women for your own inadequacies. > [@Green\_Bean](#): > > In other words, what you said does not follow from what I said and you know it. And another irony hits the dumpster. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/38 "2014-07-18T15:09:01Z")
A “nude” bikini may be considered immodest because people see nudity as licentious. (“nude” as in same colour as the wearer…) two piece may be considered immodest because it puts pressure on mum’s and so on to trim eg surgically repair their bellies. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2014, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/39 "2014-07-18T16:38:12Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > :dubious: > > So… women dress in skimpy outfits and expect men _not_ look at them? > > :smack: Well speaking as a male, women can dress in skimpy outfits. Some men may look, some may not. But the ones whose notions of morality lead them to believe they may not look have NO right to complain if they look. It’s their problem, not the woman’s, not mine. “Fuck off, Jack,” would be my response to such a complaint. I like the way women’s bodies look. It’s your problem if you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2014, 5:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354/40 "2014-07-19T05:30:04Z")
Bikini? Atoll right with me. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bikinis-immodest-or-not/693354.md?page=3)