I was raised with the understanding that I was to dress modestly. In our family, “modest” was very specific: cover my shoulders, cover my bosom, cover my midriff, cover my buttocks. (In other words, boobs, belly, butt. [Only we’re not crude here at Archives of Our Lives. We’re very ladylike, and we use words like “midriff.”])
My parents were firm in laying down this family law, and I never thought to question it–it was not negotiable, so I didn’t even bother trying. {Later on in life, I realised my physique was not conducive to showing all that skin anyway, and skanky clothing never appealed to me; I knew it would only showcase my chubby imperfections, and I wanted no part of it.}
But for some reason, a lot of girls in my acquaintance–who were raised the same way as I–have taken a liking to wearing bikinis.
Bikinis! I’m floored. Me, I’m a fatty, so I have never been tempted to wear one (except for maybe when I was a young little thing–seven or eight–and thought a bikini would make me beautiful. But I got over that.)
I’ve been asking around a lot lately–people in my family, people I knew growing up, people who knew me growing up. The question of my poll was this: “Was it ever a gray area? Bikinis, I mean. Was there something I missed, wherein our standards mentioned dressing modestly except at Cabo? What the…? Did YOU ever think it was okay to wear bikinis?”
And it wasn’t just me. I didn’t miss something. It has never been a gray area. The answer is so simple: if one believes in dressing modestly in every other situation of one’s life {and notice I said “if,” because this doesn’t apply to anyone who was never raised this way, neither does it apply to anyone who simply doesn’t embrace these values {to you: go for it. I’m not judging. It’s not hypocritical if you never said one thing and acted differently. Please. Wear all the bikinis you want. You don’t even need my permission–nor my approval.} there is no reason to wear a bikini on vacation. Or at the pool. Or to the prom. Or at the mall. Or snorkeling. Or anywhere.
If a person (specifically a female, but hey–I’m not judging) considers themselves a follower of the modest movement, then said person might also look into finding a swimsuit which will cover their stomachs. It can be done.
The question is not “Should people wear a bikini?” or “Should Camille wear a bikini?” or “Does Camille hate bikinis?” or “Would Camille make a good movie star?” or “Are bikini wearers bad people?” No. The question is none of these. Quite simply, what I want to know is….
“Has a bikini ever been considered a modest choice in swimwear?”
And if we can all agree that indeed, bikinis are not a modest choice in swimwear, then why do so many women–who otherwise consider themselves modest to a T, and would never so much as think about wearing a tank top to the grocery store–wear them?
I suppose it sounds like I am standing on a self-righteous soapbox and think extremely highly of myself…
Think what you will of me. And wear bikinis if you want. Just don’t think bikinis are modest.
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