A law that compels women to expose their bodies

[JellySaurus]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61796421

Another case where a law is made without consideration of its wider effects on women.

Not to mention its offensiveness, implying that a woman's swimwear is unhygienic because she is Muslim (or shy, or has skin cancer or Lupus).

Good on Grenoble for challenging it.

Link doesn't work.

The rules (laws?) around swimwear in pools in France is bonkers. The "hygiene" thing is crazy and there surely cannot be any evidence to support it.

On the rare occasions that I swim, I wear swim leggings and a long sleeve swim top. I wonder whether that would be considered illegal swimwear in France?!

(The link works for me)

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-61796421 try this one

I do not understand how a law that argues for the separation of state and religion can then be used to justify controlling what people wear to a public pool. Good on Grenoble for challenging it.

France is just bonkers about swimwear rules. It doesn’t make sense to anyone outside of France, and to a fair proportion of people in France.

I personally think swimwear rules should be based on how likely it is that the garment will impede swimming.
Jeans? No fucking way.
floaty dress? Nope.
really long baggy shorts? Not a great plan.
full length wetsuit? Great
full length swim leggings and long sleeved rash top? Great? Add a little skirt in swimwear fabric for modesty? Er, sure if you must.
loose long trousers and loose tunic style modest swimwear? Pushing it in terms of drag in the water.

To be fair, France is equal opportunities in its swimwear bonkersness. DH turned up to go swimming in board shorts and wanted to wear a T shirt - outdoor pool and roasting hot - neither were acceptable. We had to go to Decathalon and buy the most ridiculous skimpy shorts for him.

We were forced to remove our children's swim tops at a water park in the south of France. They were 5 and 8. Our children are fair and very pale and apart from the longer term damage it's just bloody miserable being burnt and no amount of suncream protects when you are in and out of the water. When I questioned it I was told it was for security as they could have blades up their sleeves 🤣🤣🤔. It is so blatantly a racist policy. One of the MANY reasons we don't go to France on holiday anymore.

True, the pools themselves are very controlling about what swimmers wear. But those are local rules established by custom and culture, rather than law AFAIK. Equivalent to restaurants dictating a 'no jeans and no bare feet' dress code.

This appears to be a law aimed specifically at women.

When this first come into the news in France, women on the beach wearing these wetsuit style burkinis and coverups were forced at gunpoint to either remove them or leave. I can’t think of many things better showing mens control over women than insisting they take their clothes off in public and this being legally enforceable in a Western country. Many different types of women prefer to wear “modest” swimwear and should be free to do so without being expected to explain themselves. Clearly this has nothing to do with hygiene or safety as they were on a public beach!

Let’s get back to separate womens sessions at the pool..many of us would opt for that option were it available. If wet suits are allowed why not covering clothes, especially against the sun? I would really like not to have to look at some guys penis sticking out of wide legged shorts but that is a different issue.

This law mandating what women can wear on the beach is ridiculous and incredibly sexist.

I've actually worn "burkhini" style swimwear in the Middle East to avoid an argument with my religious in-laws. It's surprisingly light and buoyant with not much drag in the water. Much better than a t-shirt and shorts.

That’s not a load different to a wetsuit. When I got back into swimming I did wear a suit that was like a ye olde mens bathing costume - for modesty purposes. Is there a % of body cover the French don’t offensive them (funnily enough, as a child I found all the topless bathing in France quite embarrassing).

As it happens, I went to France on holiday just after that.

I often wear a burkini for outdoor swimming as I have PLE (a very unpleasant reaction to sunlight, that would require treatment with steroids). I was worried that I would be challenged, but nobody batted an eyelid.

Was it because instead of the long tunic top I wore my long-sleeved rash vest? Was that acceptable under French law, because I was not wearing a garment coded 'Muslim'? Or was it that the French where we were staying did not believe that they were entitled to demand that a woman should expose herself?

Are you white Jelly? Obviously not covering your hair? Any other reason why you'd be somehow overlooked in their otherwise totally-not-a-racist-policy enforcement?

It’s in keeping with their rules for men (no shorts, only speedos) really.

Yes, people have already mentioned that, that the French are odd about this altogether. But this specific instance is about women and the effect of this law (not local rule) on them.

I suppose that if it’s not acceptable then they’ll have to not swim, or to go to a private gym to do it.

Or, y'know, people could agree to change the law to not prevent women from swimming due to bizarre rules about what they are supposed to wear. Just a mad thought 🙄

I suppose that if it’s not acceptable then they’ll have to not swim, or to go to a private gym to do it.

I'll tell you what's not acceptable. Dictating to a woman that she must expose her body in public. That's what's not acceptable!

I don't wear the headcover that goes with the burkini. Instead I wear a wide-brimmed hat and tuck my hair up inside it. Yes, I am white.

I got challenged as i was wearing one of those swimsuits with a little skirt (having put on weight felt more comfortable that way). I just pointed out it was swimsuit material and stared them down. Ridiculous.

What’s the problem with the skirt ones? They were all the rage for little girls when I was a kid.

Ashford swimming pool in Kent has always had some nutty rules about swimwear. When I was 8 months pregnant I went swimming there with a bikini and a rash vest over the top and was told I had to take the rash vest off or I wasn’t allowed in. I complained and they stood by it and then looked online and loads of people had said similar. This was 6 years ago now so hopefully changed but so weird.