"Cheeky" swimsuits. Just why?

[disappearingfish]

I get it for posing on the beach, but why do swimwear makers cut the bums off suits otherwise aimed at the "proper swimming" market. I do not want to see bare arses at 0630 under the bad lighting of my local council swimming.

This, for example. Who buys this? www.arenasport.com/en_uk/006660-women-s-swimsuit-arena-mesh-panels-power-back.html

Since #metoo there's been constant demands for respect for women - I will get hammered for saying this but it's possible to look attractive without being semi naked. Look at actors and film stars - as barely covered up as they can be to get on the front pages. Disappointing imv.

I think it's completely clear that the rational dress movement has been hijacked by men who now are just happy that women are dressing in "lingerie inspired" clothing in public.

In a similar way that the freedom the pill / changing attitudes have to women to have sexual if they wanted to was hijacked by men in the "if you don't have sex with me you're a prude."

Of course women can and should choose to wear whatever they want to wear. But we are kidding ourselves if we say our choices are not heavily influenced by society. And in our society it seems women are more highly valued for their looks and sexual availability than their brains or talent.

Of course our choices are and have always been heavily influenced by society that basically was the gist of my post. Most people dress withing their culture and era. And women's clothing has always been sexualised from bustles to corsets to 'push up' bras. I agree that currently there is 'a look' for some women that is very sexualised. But I do think in 30, 40, 50+ years people will perceive the current albeit mild "shock/horror" reaction to thong bikinis in the same way we do to the Victorian's reaction to women's ankles. There will always be a generational reaction to change by a significant portion of society. In late Victorian times women who cycled were criticised for tearing apart society by abandoning their household, husbands, and children and there was a suggestion that women who wore bloomers to ride bikes were loose women, prostitutes, or lesbians. I can remember very similar attitudes to some on this thread to mini skirts in the 1970s.

If you think that this (thong swimsuits) is somehow different to this because YOU believe it then you are kidding yourself.

Also we do have autonomy, I have never felt hijacked into wearing clothes that look like lingerie or into having sex. It's our choice (usually and hopefully!).

You appear to be trying to say that women who dress in a way that you don't like are asking for sexual harassment, while trying to retain plausible deniability by not using those words. Presumably because, even within your offence at certain items of clothing, you do actually realise how sexist, backward and downright disgusting that is.

Frantic backpedal beginning in 3, 2, 1....

With that logic you wear a skirt to show off your legs. Your legs your choice. Why would they wear something they didn't like. Get over it....end of.

they do it to show off their bums, end of.

Ok.

So what?

For those saying men are not so exposed, men can go topless in pools in the UK and women can’t.

I don’t agree that women who dress in an extremely revealing way deserve to be sexually harassed (obviously) but I do think they risk sending confused signals to the world about themselves.

I’m not talking about bum cheeks in a public swimming pool here but more the near bondage type outfits that you see on the red carpet.

but I do think they risk sending confused signals to the world about themselves.

And what confuses you about the signal? What does it say to you other than "I like this outfit"?

I think in 50 years time we will look back and be horrified that we fell for such misogynistic fashions in the first place. I'm hoping that we will have clothes that achieve the same as men's - comfortable, practical and flattering. We can't move properly in ours, they don't support our boobs in the right way, they cling and bunch in the wrong places...

I agree @disappearingfish. @SurprisedWithAHorse do you not accept that the way men and women present themselves sends any sort of signal at all to other people?

How people receive it is on them. If you think she's saying anything other than she likes wearing it, you're the problem.

The veiled way people will still, in 2023, come up with variations of "she wore a short skirt, she was asking for it" is as predictable as it is depressing and horrible.

I will get hammered for it
see what I mean 😂

I wear practical and comfortable clothes all the time, because it's my choice to. You seem to want to shame and belittle women who want to dress to look sexy. That's their choice, no one is forcing them to do it, they can express themselves however they wish.

When addressing misogyny, you may want to look a bit closer to home.

No one is suggesting that women who dress in a sexually aggressive way deserve any sort of harassment. It is however naive to suggest that the way you dress has no implications for the way other people see you. There are thousands of academic studies on this subject.

Of course women's clothing is often sexualized - I know perfectly well if I wear something low-cut/revealing, clingy etc - it will make men look at me. If I don't want people looking at me I don't wear that clothing, or I will only wear it where I feel safe (say in a group of close women friends, or with my family) and not where I am walking around somewhere alone and vulnerable - I have had too many scary men approach me in my life to not be aware of the constant feeling of vulnerability women have to deal with.

I don't mind women wearing these swimsuits, I saw heaps of them today here in Australia on the beach - but both men and women stare at them, and most of the people looking seemed to be amused this morning. I think it's just an extension of the emphasis on women's bums in clothing that has been going on for some time - eg. women's gym wear here has been bum-fitting and ruched. It's just a modern extension of the bustle really.

But I do think it can make we women look easily led. I also think it all has something to do wth porn's emphasis on women's bums. I don't mind women wearing it at all - but I do think they need (sadly) to be aware that some people (ie men in particular) may view it sexually - something unfortunately we all have to be aware of, for our own safety. I wish that were not so.

How people receive it is on them. If you think she's saying anything other than she likes wearing it, you're the problem.

People wear clothes/brands to signal things all the time - that they're fans of a particular football team or they're sporty or they're environmentally friendly. The observer is not always wrong and not always a problem.

Clothes can be practical or can be used as social signals. If people start wearing what are clearly very sexual-signal, raunchy clothing in an environment that is supposed to be just for exercise, like your local family sports centre, it changes the nature and customer of that venue. It turns it into a place where ogling and judging one another's bodies becomes an invitation. I don't want that environment when I go to an exercise venue like pool or gym: save it for your club island holiday.

I am constantly infuriated at clothes manufacturers making women look like idiots. The vast majority of bums you see in these are not stunning. They just look frankly like they've got a wedgie. People stare with wry smiles. You never see men wearing ridiculous items of clothing. It really makes us (women)look easily led, and is usually laughable

I dont think I look like an idiot when I have my arse out in swimwear, so that's all that matters, no?🤣

I have a nice arse and I live in a freezing cold shithole that requires wearing many layers 8 months of the year so when I go away to the sun I want to free meself of these layers and frolic around the beach half naked like a freshly shorn sheep. Feels great😄

I think @Turquioseblue is correct. People wearing this type of costume or the even more ridiculous C strings/ half thongs probably think "I look great in this/ I've got such a fantastic arse" but most people seeing them are just amused or thinking how ridiculous.

To be fair, on a beach you might well not even be noticed but at the local, municipal swimming pool I'd guess the response would be bemusement/ amusement rather than stunned admiration of your arse.

That looks really uncomfortable.

I am not in any way shaming women on how they want to dress. I have said repeatedly that women should be able to choose what they wear.

My original question was around the thinking of women who choose to show their arses in settings where it's looking/feeling sexy seems to be relatively low on the agenda - i.e. lane swimming at 0630 in the local corporation swimming pool, where people are blearily grinding out their lanes and trying not to think about the floating Elastoplasts.

think @Turquioseblueis correct. People wearing this type of costume or the even more ridiculous C strings/ half thongs probably think "I look great in this/ I've got such a fantastic arse" but most people seeing them are just amused or thinking how ridiculous.

You're absolutely right. I do think this 😆 However, I dont think about other people opinions or even notice them looking at me or feel their judgement. Life is too short for that.

Usually on here, youll see a post where someone say ls they dont feel confident enough to wear a certain bikini or swimsuit because of their bodies and most responses are something like "wear what you feel good in , nobody is paying attention to you", so thats what I do now.

I used to feel so self conscious and would not go out in public in any swimwear because I have no boobs or hips and am pretty short(felt I had the body of a young boy) spent my 20's covered up.
After reading mn for a few years and working on my confidence in other ways, I wear what I like and think I look fantastic.
Who wouldn't want to live like that?🥰

Yes, a football shirt is completely comparable to thinking a woman deserves shit for wearing something you don't approve of.

And that is exactly what's being said here, stop trying to deny it. You people know what a misogynistic, backwards and revolting attitude it is, which is why you're all finding all these veiled ways of saying it. But you're not fooling anyone.

Don't like it? Don't wear it and look at something else. The fact you can't concentrate on your swim because of your obsession with strangers' bums is your issue.

It's marvellous that everyone feels so body confident, and I'm aware that in many parts of the world women are policed (quite violently) for clothing choices, where those arguments collide is quite variable in the UK at least.

However, when woman who were previously police officers, nurses or doctors choose to give up those careers for only fans because they can earn more money, I wonder what society values women for and how we value ourselves.

Crack on with your clothing choices by all means, I am currently rocking bag-lady chic, I'm sure people judge me for it.