I’m going on holiday next week and I am so bloody FED UP with being self conscious & miserable on the beach. Either I stay in normal clothes, a dress probably, getting hot & sweaty while my family splosh about, or I squeeze into a swimsuit & feel really sad about my squashy bits, plus I worry about sunburn (my Celtic skin goes red & peels), and get sand in my sensitive crevices where it really should not be - let alone all the bloody self tanning before hand. I hate it & have really got to the stage where stripping off for the beach just feels like another sexist burden placed on women.
So my partner who knows my feelings jokingly asked ‘why not wear a burkini?’ . I looked these up (new to me) & I actually think they look good. (I’m not sure if that’s the right name for them, but it’s what eBay calls them so I will use the term- with apologies if it is inappropriate.) No sunburn! No sand! No exposing the squashy bits! Coverage! Honestly to me they look like a much more middle-aged-woman friendly option than a swimsuit or a bloody bikini (though I would not cover my hair, just the body.)
But I am a bit nervous about this radical change in my swimwear! I am not a Muslim - would it be ‘cultural appropriation’ to wear one of these? Would it be disapproved of? (Not sure by whom.)
What are peoples’ experiences of choosing to wear burkinis (again apologies if that is the wrong term)? Are they positive? Did you feel self conscious?