Editorial

This editorial is a very interpretive, broad opinion about the future of swimsuits. It should be taken seriously but at the same time the reader should be reminded that this is an opinion and an idea to ponder. This editorial emphasizes the balance society needs to create between self-respect and sexual freedom. Looking into the past, women had no sexual freedom to display in public. Modern day swimsuits, on the other hand, have exceeded the amount of sexual freedom a woman’s predecessors could have ever imagined her having. In order to create the balance mentioned earlier, modesty needs to be the new à la mode. Again, the reader does not need to fully agree with everything in this editorial but it would be nice for others to ponder what society has in store for the future of the swimsuit.

The Freedom of the Bathing Suit When a woman wears a bathing suit she is making a statement; she expresses her sexual freedom. Unfortunately, as sexual freedom increases, respect from others and respect for oneself often decreases. Modern day bathing suits have increased women’s sexual freedom by revealing more physical traits. Therefore, while women dress in skimpy bathing suits, the amount of respect they receive from others decreases. In order to find a balance between expressing one’s sexual freedom and maintaining respect, society should be more accepting of modest bathing suits.

The bathing suit’s primary purpose was to be a comfortable water outfit; it was a piece of clothing that covered and protected women (Swimsuit). These original swimsuits were long wool dresses weighed down by weights to prevent anything from being revealed. Today bathing suits are unpractical, flimsy, skimpy pieces of floss; hardly a comfortable outfit that can be worn into the water. After many cuts, alterations, and new stitches, the bathing suit developed the modern, most revealing suit yet, the bikini (A History of the Swimsuit). Bikinis basically reveal a woman’s whole midsection and only cover her top and bottom. This bikini shows a woman’s sense of sexual freedom by emphasizing her physical features. On the contrary, it does not protect or support a woman’s body while in the water. In other words, it fails to serve its primary purpose. Bathing suits should not “cause a wardrobe malfunction when a woman hits the waves” (Ferrier).

There are two ways a woman can express her sexual freedom by wearing a bathing suit: the revealing way and the mysterious way. A woman can wear a more revealing bathing suit, like the bikini, and be vulnerable to not only wardrobe malfunctions but disrespect from others. CNN states that "men perceive women in sexy bathing suits as objects" (Landau). Women should not be treated as objects; this is a very disrespectful image that men have for women in such outfits. Unfortunately, a woman should take responsibility for creating this degrading image of herself.

On the other hand, a woman can find the balance between her sexual freedom and her self-respect by wearing a more fashionable, one piece swimsuit that “leaves a little something to the imagination” (Ferrier). Expressing a more mysterious sexuality creates curiosity, allowing them to still express sexual freedom in a more modest way. At the same time, women can maintain their respect and not be degraded by men's opinions.

A balance of sexual freedom and self-respect is important for a woman to maintain her individualism. This balance is often disrupted when thrown into society's rough waters. When a woman is thrown into the waters of society, she must be able to withstand the waves and be able to protect herself by having the right gear. Without the right gear, she will not be able to swim in these waters. As //The Stir// puts it, “I've never seen the logic of wearing a bikini at the beach if you actually plan on swimming. There’s too much potential for disaster when you’re in the water” (Ferrier).