First of all, let me say that this was not always easy. As the trip came closer and I started shopping for Caribbean worthy clothes, there was a HUGE temptation to abandon all I had learned in the past year, buy an oh-so-cute bikini, and worry about modesty when I’m 60 and wrinkly. It took a lot of prayer by me and for me and a great amount of grace and strength from God to decide to unwaveringly pursue the modesty standards that He had impressed upon me.
A few days before the trip, I went to a sports store (Sports Authority, Academy, etc.) to look for something to wear swimming. During my trial run last summer, I wore board shorts from the guy’s department and a sports shirt that is a polyester/nylon blend over a tankini. However, because that made me feel like a cross-dresser, I really wanted to buy something from the women’s department. I found two pairs of board shorts (these were 97% cotton/3% Spandex) and a pink(!) sports shirt. The shirts are athletic shirts that I think are mainly made for cycling. I also bought a one-piece swimsuit to wear under the shorts and shirts.
On the trip, I made the commitment that I would always wear shorts and a shirt over the swimsuit-no exceptions. The results? I ended up liking it! Really. I never had to worry about the swimsuit staying in place or covering what it was supposed to cover. I was a lot more comfortable with myself. And surprisingly, I didn’t feel like a freak. Yes, I was the only one dressed like that, but honestly, it didn’t bother me. I was much less self-conscious while wearing the shirt and shorts than I used to be in a regular swimsuit. I didn’t feel like people were judging my body as they walked by since there wasn’t much to see. And, bonus-I didn’t get sunburned at all since so much of me was covered. 
Of course, it wasn’t a perfect experience. With being in an extremely humid climate, the clothes didn’t dry like they do here. Once I got wet, I stayed wet. This was more uncomfortable than wearing a typical swimsuit because I had a lot of wet material sticking to me. Solution? Next time, I’ll change out of the wet clothes more often if I’m bothered by it. The only other problem I had was wearing the one-piece swimsuit under my clothes on a trip to the Mayan ruins and beach. It was a really hot day, and the swimsuit didn’t allow me to cool off since it was clinging to my front and back. For that, a two-piece would have been cooler. However, I did like the coverage of the one-piece in general. Also, I found that the polyester/nylon shorts dry more quickly than the cotton ones.
I know this view of swimsuits is wildly unpopular. I have been met with resistance from both my peers (guys and girls) and older women. From the younger set, the general attitude is something like this: “If you want to do this, that’s fine. But really, it’s unnecessary to make this kind of statement. This is 2007, not 1900. Just pick a modest swimsuit, and that’s enough in the modesty department.” The responses from women around my mom’s age are different, yet still unsupportive. “You’re young and beautiful! You’ve got a great body-show it off while you can!” However, I have come to believe that these attitudes leave Christ out of the picture and allow the world to define us. In my experience, buying a swimsuit has been all about me-and not at all about Christ. In general, I think that as girls we tend to have a mental checklist for buying a swimsuit: “Do I look fat anywhere? Does my (favorite body attribute here) look good in this? Will people (hot guys) think I look good?” If the answers are no, yes, and I hope so, then we’ve got a new swimsuit. The trouble is that with this attitude, we fail to seek and honor Christ with our hearts, minds, and bodies. Remember, the goal of swimsuit designers is not to further your walk with Christ-it’s to sell swimsuits.
To any girls who may identify with what I’m saying: I would love to help you find something else to wear while swimming. If you live near me, let’s go shopping! If not, I would be more than happy to work with you online to help you get started. Leave me a comment, and I’ll get back to you.
Thanks for reading! This modesty series is coming to an end. (Yay! I’m ready to write about the other amazing things God is doing in my life.) I’ll finish up with a closing post sometime soon.
For His glory,
Katie
7 comments:
I'm glad you are being open about the hard things the Holy Spirit is teaching you. I pray that you will persevere in this area and that you would be an encouragement to other females.
Katie, this series has been absolutely amazing. I'm so glad you're doing this and I love reading about it.
Always praying for you!
Alyssa
Hey Katie,
I definitely ran into this issue when buy a swim suit because my parents just bought a boat. I went for as modest as possible, but definitely still felt uncovered. I had shorts and my whole stomach was covered but still don't feel it is appropriate. Your post opens my eyes to more possible solutions, that I will be looking for. Thanks for being real and honest. This definitely challenges me and I will be praying over this!
Jenn Dower (Mark's fiance)
Hi, this is Joylin, one of PJ's friends, and I saw this off of his Namibia blog. I'm so glad you've posted this because for a long time, I have also been very puzzled as to why skimpy swimwear is acceptable when all it is, after all, is modified underwear. I'm glad to know that other people feel the same way, and I loved your suggestions.
Thanks for posting this!
I would just like to say, on behalf of those of us who believe our bodies are for our husbands and our God is to be honored - THANK YOU. You aren't alone, and I truly believe those who call you a "prude" are simply wrong. My own mother called me a prude once before I was married for not buying a very cute shirt because it showed cleavage. After I got married she saw the difference in my first year and hers, and has since been much more supportive of my decision to leave the sexy, showy outfits for the bedroom. I'm with you 100%, keep it up, and you are DEFINITELY not alone. :)
Thank you for having the courage to live according to your concience! I was not raised with Christian morals, but I converted when I was 18. I still had a very rocky and sinful 20's and 30's. Now I have been married 9 years and love the "safety" of being modest (ie. I don't have to endure the stuggle between being comfortable and sexy.)In my experience, I will get "comments" no matter what I do, so I may as well listen to the One who approves of my modesty: God (and my 97 yr old Grandma!)
I was just looking for ideas for modest swimsuits when I found your post. I bought some fabric from the store and am going to sew my own. A few years ago I went on a cruise planned a few years before that. By the time the cruise came up I was a Christian and found it impossible to wear the suits I had wore in the past. So I just didn't bring one. It helped with the issue quite a bit. I brought regular summer skirts and tops. I was comfortable. When our group went swimming I did other things. Like visit, study my Bible, sun bath, write post cards, pray for those in our group or others I met on the trip, or explore. It really help the temptation of going out to swim. The issue I found is not only dressing immodestly but being bombarded by the immodest dress of others. I find that swimming with your own gender that is like minded is best. Otherwise you will be out there looking at the naked men and mostly naked females running around the beach. You make the effort not to watch these things in immoral movies and on television shows... the local beach is just as bad.
I am happy to be supported in this issue and to support you. It is like Elijah... you always think you are the only one but there are many all over the globe who have not bowed their knees to the world of anti-fashion. But to deny yourselves the pleasures of this world for the love of their Savior or to Honour Him is an awesome feeling. Because it is not us who does it but the Spirit working in us. We have the promise that we can never give up to much... for God has prepared a better thing in the new world to come. Robes of Righteousness!
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