Bathing costume styles are high on the agenda in this week’s “silly season” news stories.
It seems that some men like to wear shorts whilst others swear by skimpy Speedos and women can choose between a one-piece suit or a bikini ensemble. A few (as reported in my last post) like to let it all hang out by wearing nothing at all. But now there is a new way to bathe. Yes, this week saw the addition of the “burkini” to our repertoire of swimming apparel.
Purple Track Suit with Blue Scarf
This week saw Carole, a 35-year-old Muslim woman banned from wearing a “birkini” in a small provincial French Parisian suburb by the chief lifeguard of a swimming pool. He is reported to have banned her on the grounds of hygiene.
Described as “a head-to-toe swimsuit to aid Muslim women in their quest for modesty”, the “birkini” completely covers a woman’s body except for the face.
I lived in France for a year and in Germany for much longer. Such are the swimming pool by-laws. It is just a fact. Men are not permitted to wear heavy shorts but must wear lightweight briefs because an abundance of absorbent natural cotton-type material is said to be able to harbour more bacteria than thinner man-made fibre. I’m not sure just how much scientific evidence there is for this and I suspect that wearing one thing or another wouldn’t really make much difference; swimming pools are chlorine saturated environments anyway but that’s not the point is it. Rules are rules and exceptions and special dispensations should not be made only for one particular section of the community; especially not for the one section that seems to believe that is is always a “special case”.
A Naughty "Package"
In another bathing-costume-related story this week we read about a ban on Speedos at Alton Towers on the grounds that men’s “packages” were too shocking for children to see although many believe that the story probably originated from Alton Towers’ management in a publicity-seeking attempt during a summer that was promised to be a scorcher but instead turned out to be a very damp squib.
In the case of the banned Muslim woman in France, thankfully sanity prevailed and her complaint to the local police on the grounds of discrimination was met with scorn. Carole, who was born into a traditional French family became a convert to Islam when she was seventeen. She bought her “birkini” whilst on holiday in Dubai. The French police told her that she was in contravention of the hygiene laws and she was warned not to be such a silly girl and then sent on her way. I suspect that her subsequent threats to “leave France” have been met with roars of approval.
At any rate, Carole and others of a similar mind are welcome at beaches all along the French coast where their additional bacteria can do no harm in the already heavily polluted salty water. As for Speedo-wearing men with large “packages”… well they should surely have better things to do than visiting tacky amusement parks.
See:
“French Muslim woman wearing ‘burkini’ banned from Paris swimming pool”
(Times Online 13.08.09)
“Alton Towers bans men in Speedos”
(Guardian 10.08.09)
Filed under: Islam, News, Religion, Alton Towers, Birkini, Emerainville, Speedos
The Emperor Wears No Clothes 
Fun post! I remain confused about the hygiene laws – surely it would be more relevant to ensure that costumes had been laundered since the last time they were used.
As far as the Alton Towers ban Speedos is concerned, I wonder how many children would be concerned (or even aware) of mens’ (concealed) exterior plumbing. Could it be an indication that some of their mothers might be embarrassed?
I agree about your comment on hygiene. A clean “birkini” could well hold less bacterial contamination than a pair of Speedos that had never been washed.
I’m not convinced that when someone is banned for wearing a “birkini” the real reason for banning that person has much to do with hygiene anyway. I think it probably has more to do with someone who dislikes a “foreign” culture coincidentally being in a position of power and being able to justify their position by “enforcing the rules”.
However, since I personally dislike this culture and mindset pushing itself onto my own culture I sympathise with this attitude 100%.
If some Muslims don’t like our culture then as far as I’m concerned they should go and find another one to live in. If they want to live in Britain then they should learn to adapt and behave as many whom I know have managed to do.
Re: “Could it be an indication that some of their mothers might be embarrassed?”
No – I think it is more likely to be an indication that the men who run Bourne Leisure have small penises.
(Believe it or not, I used to work for Bourne Leisure but not for management but rather in the IT department – and you know what they say about IT people don’t you – ahem, yeah, neither do I).
How about this for a super speedo fail?
We caught these 2 guys on the beach taking pictures of each other’s speedo package for like 45 minutes. Oddest thing I’ve ever seen. And we have it on video……HAHA
http://doodiepants.com/2009/09/11/europeans-love-speedos-banana-hammock-fail/
interesting article or post as it were makes you think about a few things regarding speedo’s lol.