Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Sunday, April 23, 2017

Suit-Able


The cover of Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
 And I do mean Cover!
While we're on the topic of modesty . . .
Bit of a departure today, because of an experience.
I had a swimsuit.
I made it.
Long. Old-fashioned. Neck to knees type.
Yes, popular at the turn of the century.
The Twentieth century.
I loved it. It covered me.
It encased anything that might otherwise unexpectedly fall out.
And saved me the aggravation of having to shave my nether regions.
I hated shaving my nethers.
Moving on . . .
Swimming was the only exercise I could do that didn't hurt something.
I swam a lot.
This necessitated my going to the pool.
Usually, I swam in the morning with the other octogenarians.
I fit right in. And no one could see well enough to notice that my swimsuit was different from those found at the local Zellers.
All was well.
But I missed my morning swim one day.
And was forced to go at a later time.
With the younger set.
Who could see.
Sigh.
I strode confidently from the dressing room towards the pool.
And that's when the trouble started.
A group of kids, probably in the 10 to 12 age range was sitting on a large, foam raft not too far from the entrance/exit to the change room.
I entered.
One young girl pointed. And laughed.
I suddenly felt as though I was in junior high again.
It wasn't a pleasant feeling.
But that's not important.
What is important, was how this young girl was . . . dressed.
Her slender little pre-pubescent body was covered, barely (and I use this term deliberately) by two almost non-existent triangles of cloth on her upper half and only slightly larger triangles on her lower half.
She was as close to naked as one can get and still legally appear in public.
And she seemed completely heedless, sitting there amongst other boys and girls her own age, laughing at someone who was dressed in a far more modest, albeit fairly 'unique' swimsuit.
I remember when near-nudity was a source of embarrassment. When one's worst dreams were of appearing somewhere public . . . in a less than exemplary fashion.
Okay, I have to admit that, that day, one of us was embarrassed.
Me. For her.
My point is this: When has modestly become an opportunity to jeer?
When did society do a complete turn-around? When did the naked start laughing at the clothed? (Not that I'm promoting the idea of the clothed laughing at the naked . . .) But when?
I have to admit that I believe in modesty.
It promotes confidence and self-worth. It promotes respectful behavior, both to oneself and to others.
I still wear a similar bathing suit, and will continue to do so.
I'm comfortable.
And isn't that the point?

8 comments:

  1. As far as I'm concerned you could swim in your jeans. The important thing is getting some exercise.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is a very cool swimsuit - and you made it? Good going!! I agree with Delores. Except wet jeans are heavy. Probably not a good idea :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love your suit.
    And doubt that the prepubscent charmer could actually 'swim' in hers without bits popping out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. she probably didn't yet have any bits to be popping out (*~*) and hopefully her 'swimsuit' grew as she did.

      Delete
  4. I admit that being a guy, I do guy things. I see a pretty girl and the nasty side of me will--for only an instant--undress the girl. Then that imaginary slap across the face will snap me out of my fantasy and I'll go back to being a respectful--guy. However, when I happen to see a girl who is dressed down to the point where almost nothing is left to the imagination, I'm actually turned off; my imagination goes back to my favorite old cars and trucks. Imagining is fun; not having to use your imagination is a turn-off. Am I unbalanced?

    ReplyDelete
  5. This reminds me of the late 70s-early 80s when bikinis were everywhere and not much bigger than the gold stars usually given out on excellent homework. We were all at the local swimming pool and in walked a woman with her two young daughters. Slim, tanned, and covered in modest, one-piece, white swimsuits. They all looked SO classy among the acres of flesh covered in triangular ribbon.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't understand it either and it's funny because it is something that I will be dealing with in a month or two. We recently moved to a neighborhood with a community pool. I, like you, love to swim. With my RA the pool is the only place where I am completely pain free. I also don't like to wear a bathing suit and have been swimming in the lake in a tank top & shorts. Now I HAVE to have a bathing suit...could you make me one of those? I hate shaving the nethers!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Rena McDaniel; if you can find someone who makes leotards and other dance costumes, you could get one made just to your specifications.

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?