To remind people of French swimming pool rule

[Solmum1964]

Just a quick reminder for people holidaying in France this year. Many public swimming pools and campsites insist that boys and men wear proper (lycra) swimming trunks in their pools. These can be traditional brief style, swim shorts or jammers but must be tight around the leg for hygiene purposes. Looser swim shorts are not allowed.
I'm currently on holiday in France and have seen a number of men asked to leave the pool because they were not wearing appropriate swimwear.

I did a pool plant room training course years ago, as there was a chlorinated fountain in a garden I worked at I had to manage rather than a swimming pool, but reducing as much organic matter as possible makes it run more efficiently and hygienic. Chlorine is used up far faster when there's lots of organic residue in a pool so it's less effective as day goes on, so ppl are likelier to get ill from bacteria, and it's also much more expensive as the pool owner is having to dump huge amounts of water and chlorinate fresh water. When chlorine combines with organic matter the only way to reduce it from the pool is to dump it, once it's combined with the nitrogen based contaminants (sweat, urine etc) it's useless and can be harmful if too high.

So shorts worn all day, skin not showered BEFORE entering the pool, sun tan lotion, sweat etc etc all adds up and a pool with a heavy bather load is expensive to run and if not managed well can be dangerously dirty quickly.

I live In Italy and swimming hats are mandatory in public pools even if you are bald but hotels and some outdoor water parks don't enforce this rule. My local water park has the rule that as it's knee deep water you don't, but if you want to put your head under then you must wear a cap. I went to this one recently in Milan and they insisted on one for eveyone.

I assume that you don't understand "laicity"?

I wear my bikini in place of undies in hot countries on holiday if I'm having access to a pool or beach.
So bikini plus a vest and little shorts.
So it would be the same thing all day.

If we went out at night I'd change into a dress or something and knickers but I wouldn't ever wear a bra in the heat.

I do, I have lived in France. But bringing about rules to exclude Muslim women is utterly shit.

Yes “under”. So not in contact with the physical grime of life.

😆

All the hubbies wearing nut huggers won't they be made up 😆🤣😣

This has made me smile. DH has has to be surgically removed from his budgie smugglers due to DDs’ gentle mockery. But we haven’t had French pool rules to consider

The point of a true separation of State and Church,is that religion does not take precedence over secular rules. I would assume you would understand this if you lived in France.

No.

The French are so weird. Setting all these rules about what others can wear.

They just need to grow a pair, if you'll pardon the expression.

Stop teaching me to suck eggs.

Why don’t you understand that banning a swimsuit to the wrist but not to the elbow is utterly batshit?

I notice you can’t explain that.

Same, i was shocked it wasn't a requirement here.

Daft.

Promoting good hygiene in swimming pools is not 'weird'.

Most countries have rules about what people can and can't wear in public places anyway.

As far as I can gather from reading various public info sites (in French),only sleeveless swimsuits (1 piece or separate) seem to be allowed in swimming pools. Therefore,a sleeve to an elbow would probably not be allowed either.
I think the down to an elbow thing was mentioned as seen on a poster in a waterpark? Maybe those have different rules compared to proper swimming pools?

French here - the reasons for the brief type swimwear are multiple and in some senses quite practical.

The typical board shorts you see on the beach often have pockets and swimmers can forget that when going to the pool.

this means that keys, coins, tissues, etc can fall out and clog the pool filters.

In the summer most people are on holiday and businesses close. It is therefore harder and more expensive to find maintenance people to repair damaged filters. Hence the budgie smugglers!

Also there have been incidents (not just in France) where people in looser shorts have become trapped in filters at bottom and side of the pool. Fabric can be ensnared and cause safety issues,

There is also a hygiene element re going from beach (in looser) shorts to the pool- including sand again clogging filters. Food stains, pee and other issues are not really the issue.

A rule requiring dedicated swimming clothes isn't pointless. It prevents a big part of the pool users from using outside clothes. It isn't impossible to get around it if you decide to make a point, but in majority of the cases the intended effect is there.

Personal hygiene is covered by showering, that's another aspect.

Of course, feel free to stay home if adjusting to local rules abroad is too uncomfortable.

I think this comes up every summer and posters just fixate on men having to wear very tiny Speedo and how dare those French tell them what to do! Normal swimming trunks are also allowed as long they are not baggy and those can easily be bought online. My husband got a cheap pair years ago and just take them on holiday,in case we ever went to a pool. They are not that tiny or revealing!

Back when I was growing up in France (1960/70s),such a rule would not have been needed as swimwear and outdoor clothes would have been 2 different things. However,fashion moved on and those very long board shorts became fashionable for teenagers and young men. It's not difficult to imagine that during the summer holidays,a teenager might have worn those for many days straight from bed (being a teenager,a shower might not have happened!). Hence,the need to enforce a rule to make sure that people are not wearing the same clothes that they've worn all week in the pool.

Some people just like to be offended, especially when the offense is hypothetical.

I don't even understand the riddiculing names for basic men's swimwear. Many women wear minimal bikini, some men wear the underwear type of swimming clothes.

Yes, had this happen with ds in Belgium too.

Re budgie. smugglers, I’m reminded of a beach in Barbados, when I was sitting and talking to a local called Winston who we knew quite well, he used to have a Hobie Cat for hire. But another local walked past, a ‘Mr Muscle’, clad in only a very small, bright yellow pair of budgie smugglers, clearly showing that he was not lacking in the meat and 2 veg department.

Winston was disgusted! ‘He’s not presentable!’ he said, in that lovely Bajan accent, and went on to add that such sights were not suitable for children!

If you are driving stop off at one of the big super markets in France. They sell swimwear in the clothing section

It's disgusting how few people shower before getting in the pool at the gym I go to, some people are just minging.