Help DH won't wear speedos but going to France!

[letitgoletitgo6]

Taking DCs to Disney land Paris in May. DH has severe body dysmorphia and getting clothes that he will wear is a nightmare as he genuinely hates the way he looks (there's absolutely nothing wrong with the way he looks but it's not as easy as just telling him that!)

So I've recently found out about the law in France about all men and boys having to wear speedos when swimming. We aren't staying at Disney we are staying at the centre parks so we definitely plan on going swimming. He's point blank refusing to wear them which I do completely understand as he will worry about it every hour until we go. However if he doesn't go then non of us can go in as Dc are small and can't swim without help and I can't help both on my own. Is there a speedo alternative that's a bit more body forgiving that I could suggest to him?

Everyone is hot, sweaty and covered in suncream abroad

So they surely shower before they get in the pool?

He won't get into public swimming pools then.

Dss was hauled out of Paris Disney pool for wearing boardshorts . He was 7.

I think this sounds really sensible I'd suggest wearing the tighter ones and then his regular surf style shorts on top

How does this resolve the issue?

kids and hubby wear swim shorts all over France lol 😂 what law is this ?

@letitgoletitgo6 you’ve had some great advice already so I just wanted to come on and say that the support you demonstrate for your DH is admirable. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday.

When I go swimming at the local municipal pool I always have my tankini on under my clothes. I'm getting small children changed, anything I can do to speed the whole process up is good! DH doesn't, but that's actually because he wears baggy shorts and so he can't put them on under his normal clothes like I can with my swimming costume...

Oh bless him.

And you as well having to deal with this also.

It’s a strange rule

I remember my hub wore thoes tight jockey short things.
it just drew attention to his package

The one you can discover with five seconds of Googling. You'll also discover that it doesn't apply to beaches, private pools can set their own rules and it doesn't have to be tiny Speedos (although you may have to search a little for that information as so many news reports use those to sensationalise it).

I thought the post was regarding pools on holiday??? My understanding is alot of pools in France (indoor or outdoor eg campsite pools) require speedos? Is that not true?

It actually totally puts me off French campsites altogether as no one in this house would wear speedos to a pool.

I put my swimming costume on underneath my clothes before I go to the pool.

But I don't walk around wearing it for days before I go to the pool. That's the difference.

Municipal swimming pools have very strict hygiene rules which are set by law.

Private pool operators may be able to set their own rules, which is why hotel pools etc are often more flexible. You'd have to check with the hotel or camp site in each case.

How does wearing speedos instead of boardies stop hair from going in the pool? Completely lost. Unless you mean they are sooooo tight that not a stray pube can escape?
This has been an eye-opening thread! Personally , I'm more concerned about the band-aids, spit , wee, and the code browns!. I avoid public pools like the plague though.

Just checked the details for the campsite we will be staying on this summer:

https://www.eurocamp.co.uk/campsites/france/dordogne/st-avit-loisirs-campsite

They definitely have the rule listed. We have been visiting French campsites for decades and have seen this rule enforced and also ignored in practice.

It has been said already, on the continent rules around hygiene are also different. Washing before swimming is mandatory. And you change at the pool.

OP well done for trying to support your DH here. I think someone saying a woman had body confidence issues would get a lot more sympathy tbh.

Also surely people don't start shedding pubes once they jump in a pool.

I used to swim quite a bit in UK pools. Can't remember ever having issues with pubes floating about in the water. I did have issues with varucas but I don't think wearing tighter shorts or a tighter fitting top would have helped with that. Flip flops around the pool edge would have helped though I think.

But if it was summer ( quite likely) and you washed before swimming and you weren’t allowed a rash vest, surely you would need to reapply sunscreen again after washing?🤷🏻‍♀️

There was a post about this last summer too. That sounds tough on everyone, OP. I hope your DH can get away with fitted swim shorts if speedos are a definite no go for him. Otherwise, I know it's more of a faff, but maybe you could take one child each for a day/half a day and then swap, so you could go swimming with 1 child and he could go to a park or something with the other(s)?

My experience of this is that a lot of private resorts have rules about this but they don't enforce them. We stayed at a campsite last year in France, which I very carefully chose based on it saying in the info that swimming shorts were acceptable (DS absolutely refused to wear trunks). Arrived and in the information we were given, it clearly said that, much to my annoyance, they were not allowed at all. As it turned out, pretty much every single male person there wore swimming shorts and nobody said a word (predominantly French people on the campsite as well). People also sauntered around the campsite in their swimwear.
They had a few other rules about showers and footwear that everyone also mostly ignored.
(You had to walk past a life guard to get in to the pool, so they could have stopped people if they cared - or maybe it just wasn't worth the bother to them!).

The only thing I saw them being very strict about was food/drink - which was very much not allowed around the pool.

I don't go to other countries and break the rules. If I was in France I just wouldn't go to a swimming pool that enforced swim wear I'm not comfortable with.

I've never said that French people don't care about skin cancer. Or that I think all rules in France are stupid. Or even that France has more stupid rules than any other country.

British people have some stupid rules too. All cultures have some stupid rules. I can't see what's wrong with calling them out on a discussion forum.

It really is a thing. It’s to do with hygiene apparently as swim shorts could be worn as actual shorts snd bring dirt etc into the pool.

Put them underneath his normal shorts if anyone tells him off show speeds. They French think we are all crazy anyway.