On Aussie beaches, burqa plus bikini equals burqini

[rahma]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0109/p01s04-woap.html

On Aussie beaches, burqa plus bikini equals burqini
By Nick Squires | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

CRONULLA, AUSTRALIA – It's a sweltering day, and the beach is packed with suntanned bodies. Girls in swimsuits lounge on the sand while their boyfriends cradle surfboards.
Mecca Laalaa is the lone exception. Instead of a barely there bikini, she's in a burqini - a top-to-toe two-piece lycra suit complete with hijab, or Islamic head covering.

Loose enough to preserve Muslim modesty, but light enough to enable swimming, the burqini, taking its name from the burqa, is at the forefront of a dramatic shift within Australia's iconic surf lifesaving clubs.

No longer wanting to be associated only with bronzed, blue-eyed action men, Surf Life Saving Australia is attempting to better reflect the country's multicultural mix.

Ms. Laalaa is one of 24 young people of Arab descent who signed up for a 10-week surf lifesaving-training course.

I've just ordered a similar swim outfit from an american company and I'm thinking about renewing my lifeguard certification. Or, maybe I'll take scuba diving lessons. Hmm...

 

[BlackAndy]

I just ordered this one for my wife.

 

[Kalevalatar]

Considering the rapid increase of melonoma cases, burqinis could (and should) very soon be all the vogue.

 

[Rochir]

http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0109/p01s04-woap.html

On Aussie beaches, burqa plus bikini equals burqini
By Nick Squires | Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor




I've just ordered a similar swim outfit from an american company and I'm thinking about renewing my lifeguard certification. Or, maybe I'll take scuba diving lessons. Hmm...

That's quite kewl!

 

[marblehead]

What, no skinny dipping?

 

[horuhe00]

I wana see a model wearing one! That's a crummy picture.

 

[CCGirl]

Very cool!

 

[Rotator]

When I saw the headline I was picturing the haed/face covering and then a regular bikini.............which of course..................is ............what some guys..................nevermind.

 

[MadeInOz]

Interesting...

I was thinking, it wasn't all that long ago that Australia was scandalised when a lady wore a bikini at the beach. It shocked the nation who were used to seeing knee length one pieces...

How far have we really come?

 

[Quijote]

When I saw the headline I was picturing the haed/face covering and then a regular bikini.............which of course..................is ............what some guys..................nevermind.

....me too....

 

[nightflight]

Its funny seeing who isn't offended by the idea of burqas themselves.

 

[SallyNow]

Its funny seeing who isn't offended by the idea of burqas themselves.

I am not offended by a woman choosing to cover her body (or reveal it, as the case may be)

I am saddened and offended when women are forced or compelled to cover their identity by covering their faces, and even their eyes.

I think that if this allows these women to surf, then that's wonderful.

I personally would love to see some nice nice, 1950's skirted suits, or some 1940's suits that had shorts. There are some lovely styles from the 1920's that would work wonderfully with modern fabrics. That way, I could play, swim, dive, snorkel, etc as much as I want without worrying about the suit riding up/down/around. Or, at least, that we have a resurgence of the pretty (rather than dowdy) cover-up!

http://www.metmuseum.org/TOAH/hd/amsp/ho_1988.402.1.htm
http://gloriousvintage.com/swimsuits.htm
http://www.ballyhoovintage.com/68/68558.html

(Don't worry, they all show pretty modest swimsuits on mannaquins!)

 

[Sketcher]

We'll see if these are light enough to keep them from drowning, as the old-style swimsuits which covered quite a bit were not. They were drowning hazards. I don't have a problem with modesty, but there's a place where you need to draw the line.

 

[SallyNow]

We'll see if these are light enough to keep them from drowning, as the old-style swimsuits which covered quite a bit were not. They were drowning hazards. I don't have a problem with modesty, but there's a place where you need to draw the line.

Old-styled how?

A swimsuit from the 1870's was more of a layered dress and pantaloons, and did weigh a person down. It was not made for swimming so much as for "bathing", what we would call today wading.
1870's Suit

A swimsuit from the 1920's was made of thick wool, covered a fair bit, and but was very servicable for swimming.
History of the Modern Swimsuit

A swimsuit that covers the body need not be heavy if made with modern materials. Modern synthetics allow a swimsuit - or a wetsuit for that matter - to cover the body without weighing a person down. (a relief for women sick of high-cut suits that lack shorts or a skirt)

A swimsuit, or swim outfit as the ones shown in the OP, made from modern material, can even be loose without weighing a person down or hampering their average ability to swim.