Wholesomewear - covering up to the extreme

Oh, dear lord...

Ok, first off, I can see so many problems with these suits - I was a big "roughhouser" in the pool when I was a kid. I ran, swam like a fish, and yes, *gasp* played with boys. These suits would have made me Marco every single time. I'd never have been able to get away!!! And we won't even get into trying to manage a dress on a diving board or water slide. yeek.

I understand modesty, but this is ridiculous.

As for your predicament, have you considered checking the sports stores for swim suits? I've never been comfortable in anything but a one-piece (even in my younger, slenderer days), and I've always found that the competitive swim suits, made by Speedo and others, to my liking. I buy nothing else. They're a little more expensive, but they're made well, have reasonable coverage, and look good. (and they don't go out of style every summer)

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I'm on the record as saying that I'm against immodest fashion for kids, but shouldn't there be a happy middle?

We're not able to judge the weight of those fabrics when wet from a picture, but the suits look like the weight might be substantial.

My preference in swimsuits for girls is somewhere between this look and postage stamps being passed off as swimwear.

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Isn't "avoid loose clothing" a basic swimming safety guideline? Maybe something like the suits at ohanaswimwear.com would be acceptable.

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I know there have to be a lot of Mennonite girls who would appreciate the articles of clothing here in the Willamette Valley.

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I'm having a heat stroke just thinking about the layers of clothing and the black cover up! I would be like a cat in a bag trying to get out of it! Ahh!

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If your belief system didn't allow you to go around half naked in public, you might really be happy to see these outfits. At least they allow such girls to go swimming. Their other alternative is to never go swimming or to the beach at all.

This lifestyle may not be for you, but what's anyone's problem if others choose it? Freedom of religion doesn't make exceptions for conservative Christian religions. Do the same commentators throw the same kind of fit about burkas or turbans? No, that would be politically incorrect, but it's OK to bash the amish, mennonites, and other conservative American Christian groups. What a double standard.

Personally, I don't go swimming in public, because I can't find any bathing suit that doesn't make me feel naked and suggestive. I would welcome a suit that at least had shorts halfway down my thighs, and didn't show any cleavage. So does that make me a freak? Personally I think women whose bathing suits cover up less skin than my underwear are freaks.

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If you think that one's heavy, check out the Burquini (www.ahiida.com). Oy.

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#1 - SKL, you are so high-strung! Calm down already! Every comment you leave is just so depressingly INTENSE. Lighten up!

#2 - It goes without saying that the DUGGARS are ALL OVER these suits!! As a matter of fact, aren't those models Duggar girls? Did they get to take a break from washing the jumpers and making the egg salad sandwiches for 20 to model? How perfectly lovely for them!!!!

:)

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I have an idea? Why not bind their breasts while they're at it? You know, because breasts are dirty and wrong. Bad breasts!

http://toocoolforschoolonline.blogspot.com/

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Sorry if I take the responsibility of raising and positively influencing children seriously.

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Blech - see what I mean?

Of course we should take our responsibility as parents seriously. And also we can be a little bit more fun than say....a bag of rocks.

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I think these Victorian bathing costumes are appalling.

That said, my twin 4-year-old girls wear elbow- and knee-length pink lycra rashguard-type LLBean suits to the pool . They're perfectly comfortable for them to swim in and offer wonderful sun protection. So far, no sunburns ever. And they're cute, too.

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BTW, swimming and athleticism in women, no matter what they're wearing, is NOT automatically "suggestive". If you're busy swimming, you're not suggesting anything. Nobody could actually swim properly in those heavy monstrosities.

Lying around on a beach blanket or tossing around a beach ball, maybe.

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And SKL, what's wrong with a triathlon suit? What your describing - long legs and higher necks - is precisely what triathletes wear to swim, bike, and run in. Nothing suggestive about those, they're entirely functional. Tons of vendors for those online, lots of styles readily available. See http://www.tri-sports.com/clothing.html for examples.

Lots of coverage doesn't have to mean baggy, bulky, loose, heavy, and impossible to actually swim in.

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Nancy, because I don't like skin-tight clothes either. Just a personal preference. And I'm not saying swimming is suggestive. I'm saying that baring most of my skin (e.g., up to the tops of my thighs) makes me feel uncomfortably exposed. Maybe there are suits I would feel comfortable in, on some obscure Website, but I sure don't find them on the rack when I go shopping.

I appreciate it when companies offer alternatives that fit conservative lifestyles. I don't get why it would bother anyone else. A true liberal American would embrace every family's right to practice their chosen lifestyle, as long as it isn't hurting anyone else.

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SKL:

Pair a Land's End Square Neck Halter swim top with Land's End swim shorts. The square neck halter is a loose-cut tankini with a high neck; the swim shorts are exactly that--mid-length shorts made out of swim suit material.

I'm sure there are other options at Land's End which will also fulfill your requirements (they remove pieces from the website when they're out for the season, so you might want to check next spring when their full line is available again).

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I'd say that if someone truly wants to engage in a particular athletic activity, and doesn't do it simply because someone *MIGHT* look at them askance while wearing clothing that was indeed appropriate for that athletic activity - whether tennis, swimming, running, cycling, or tiddlywinks - well, that is a very sad self-imposed senseless restriction of personal liberties, and chances are good that it is the result of some serious personal body issues.

If they really didn't want to exercise anyway, and this was a convenient justification, well, that's something else entirely.

I'm not saying it's uncommon - "women only" gyms are becoming amazingly popular, principally because so many women have issues with their own appearance while exercising. Which I think is sad.

And I'm saying that as a 50-year-old women with no great physique, either, but I sure won't let my appearance stop me from anything.

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I'm with the previous posters who don't find it very hard to find modest swimwear. I've been a loyal Speedo wearer for years; they provide full coverage and wear well. However, since I just had a pre-cancerous mole removed from my back I'm thinking about getting a rash-guard type suit. There are lots of options at sports dealers. I see a lot here, though I don't know anything about the site: http://www.swimoutlet.com/Womens_Swimwear_s/203.htm

I don't have any issue with someone choosing to wear the "Wholesomewear" suits if that's what fits with their beliefs, but I'd hate for people to think that's the only alternative to a string bikini. The Wholesomewear looks like it has a lot of potential to drag a swimmer down.

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As someone who has had a preference for swim shorts since I was required to wear them one summer for a lifeguarding position: the "more modest" swimwear can be a little difficult to locate, if you don't know where to look. Target's not going to have them unless they've been declared "in style" for that season. But I've never had problems finding a decent selection of swim shorts (I have a preference for the tighter "brief" shorts than the Land's End ones I pointed out above) at any sporting goods or swim wear store.

And the looser/more covering tankinis seem to have been in style in the past two seasons: Target had piles of what I'd consider relatively modest swim tops this season. And I absolutely LOVE the way that the Land's End line swim top looks but can't currently justify the cost when I have perfectly serviceable swim outfit.

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Nancy, I'm not sure there is such a thing as a self-imposed restriction on personal liberties.

I'm comfortable in what I'm comfortable in, you're comfortable in what you're comfortable in. I like to wear loose t-shirts and jeans when I climb mountains. I have a healthy body; I just like to keep it to myself and whoever I might decide to be intimate with. You, know, leave it to the imagination, the old-fashioned way. Can't I keep my thighs to myself without being criticized? Is that what you mean by personal liberty? I think I now know what it's like to be one of the Duggar girls when they are being bashed for their long hair and jumpers.

Maybe I should just get a burqa so I can cover up in a more politically correct way.

hp, thanks for the suggestion about Lands End - I will check it out.

Lacy, sorry you did not catch me in one of my good humor moments. I get a bad taste in my mouth when I see hypocrasy, like liberals bashing a non-conventional lifestyle.

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