Why do women wear tankinis?

[Vivace]

They make everyone look bad, yet half the women at the pool were wearing them today. One woman, slim, tall, great legs, good arms, would be amazing in a swimsuit...but had a pot belly, flat chest and some livid stretchmarks, all framed, exaggerated and highlighted by her tankini. Horrible, unflattering garment. Obviously people can wear what they like, but they aren't more comfy than a swimsuit and who over 22 really thinks the slice of their belly above their pants is really the best part of their body?

lol suedonim

onepiece wearers peees in the pool

Personally, I never set foot on the beach and never sunbathe, so I don't care about chic.

What I do care about is being able to mess about on the edge of the pool or in the very shallow water with my toddler without worrying about the single dads who inhabit our pool on a sunday afternoon getting a flash of my chuff. And before I had to do that, I liked them as they didn't pull up due to being too short.

This is the same principle I apply to going to the park or whatever - I dress to enjoy the situation and have fun, not worry about how I look. That is reserved for the appropriate times.

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i have some bad ones, cod. hence the fact that i may dabble in tankinidom.

Believe it or not, Vivace, my choice of swimwear is not dictated by what will make my body look best to the casual onlooker but by comfort. I love my tankini, it's much more comfortable than a one-piece, and even though it exposes my colostomy scar I just don't care.

where did you get yours from, bluestocking?

everyone should wear a bikini! Gawd, if huge spanish and french women can manage it, why can't we?! Just cast your eye round a foreign beach in the summer and there are size 20 spanish/french/italien ladies with bikinis on... they wear them with pride and TBH they look great cos they carry them off with panache. English women should do this too, and not hide in a tankini.. I won't wear one on principal! I am old and I wear a bikini...!!!

it's like a strappy top with pants that you wear as a swimming cossie. i definitely look nicer in a vest top and pants than i do in a stoopid one-piece.

hellie, i think if you get to a beach more than once every five years then maybe. a lot of those bikini-wearers have skin like hide, which suggests lots of opportunity for sun.

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oh no, misunderstood whole point of tankini

I wear it to go swimming in

is much more practical as tits do not fall out of side (if wearing too big swimming cossie) nor does it ride right up my arse painfully

on the beach I wear full clothes:trousers or skirt and t shirt unless going swimming of course (v v unlikely)

god, I can't remember the last time I went sunbathing. it is very very unchic these days to want a tan you know Anna8888

I love the British and their can't give a toss attitude to fashionistas

you clearly don't have no arse and a long body, cod. my whole life i've never had a cossie that was long enough as well as tight enough on the bum.

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Aitch2, it's a Speedo. I would be quite happy to wear a bikini to loll by a pool in the sun, but since my swimming is all messing about with a four-year old at the local indoor pool, a tankini is more comfortable and appropriate.

i've got two year old dd to contend with...

i have a terrible medical scar too

the brits have a fab idea for tankinis & soon everyone will be wearing one. I wear one as it's so easy to bf and also it fits comfortably.

i've tried the bhs ones, cod. they're still too big on my arse, they scale up with the tit size unfortunately. not tried long tall sally. in fact, i don't know if there is one here. nor can i be bothered, really, if i go into bravissimo and find somethign great, i'll buy it. even if it's an unchic tankini...

And I've had long body one pieces, and they still ride up my bum, although not with the tenacity and pain of regular length ones. Its a shape, rather than length issue too.

do you wear a tankini, cmot? i'm actually getting quite excited about the idea of feeling comfortable at the pool...

I have a Nike tankini that I bought in Florida to wear swimming - I am not a sunbathing beach sort of gal. It covers my (flatish) tummy and has shorts; much more comfortable than all the too short, ride up yer arse swimming costumes that I have owned previously (oh and it is secretly padded a bit around the chest too )

But I don't want to wear a bikini. I don't want to see my flubbery stomach, which a tankini covers just nicely, thank you very much. And I don't want to wear a one-piece unless I'm just having a quick dip in the pool and then coming back indoors.

There are lots of French-Lebanese people where we live. The women either sit by the pool fully clothed or sport hideous, mahoosive Crimplene bikinis with granny-knicker bottoms that imo look a hundred times worse than a tankini. There also seems to be an unwritten rule that the older and more wrinkly the man, the smaller the swimming trunks.

As to who's looking when you're on the beach or at the pool - me!!

OMG, Washer, they were selling those things in the US? Don't they realise if they wear them abroad people might think they are British?