Shorts/swimsuit thread on CB was just deleted

[SoCalCoug]

But it was a timely discussion to me and let me air a frustration we just went through.

My daughter is at girl's camp right now. Last week, my wife went shopping to get her a couple new swimsuits, and she had a horrible time trying to find one piece suits for her. The choices were a women's extra small and a little girls' extra large. Neither work well for a 12-year-old.

Everything for that age is either a bikini or a tankini, which, of course, is verboten, as it comes in two pieces. Never mind that when that rule was made, the only two-piece swimsuits were bikinis.

Is there something about a teenage girl's bellybutton that makes a swimsuit immodest? I always thought it was the boobs that turn boys on, not the bellybutton. And a one-piece suit isn't going to hide the boobs any better than a tankini.

[Art Vandelay]

A swimsuit thread got deleted?

I really have nothing to add to the discussion other than my wife and daughter wanted to know why girls can't wear shorts at girls camp and the boys can wear shorts, tank-tops, or even go shirtless at scout camp. My response, "I don't know. I think it is a dumb rule". Whenever I share my opinion in stake meetings I'm quickly glared down for being the resident rebel.

[kccougar]

A swimsuit thread got deleted?

I really have nothing to add to the discussion other than my wife and daughter wanted to know why girls can't wear shorts at girls camp and the boys can wear shorts, tank-tops, or even go shirtless at scout camp. My response, "I don't know. I think it is a dumb rule". Whenever I share my opinion in stake meetings I'm quickly glared down for being the resident rebel.

Because, John Stockton aside, the boys won't be running around in hot pants.

[byu71]

I am glad my status in the church is now a "bystander". I don't supervise anyone and I don't get supervised by anyone.

I go, sit on the back row and split as quick as possible.

[Moliere]

But it was a timely discussion to me and let me air a frustration we just went through.

My daughter is at girl's camp right now. Last week, my wife went shopping to get her a couple new swimsuits, and she had a horrible time trying to find one piece suits for her. The choices were a women's extra small and a little girls' extra large. Neither work well for a 12-year-old.

Everything for that age is either a bikini or a tankini, which, of course, is verboten, as it comes in two pieces. Never mind that when that rule was made, the only two-piece swimsuits were bikinis.

Is there something about a teenage girl's bellybutton that makes a swimsuit immodest? I always thought it was the boobs that turn boys on, not the bellybutton. And a one-piece suit isn't going to hide the boobs any better than a tankini.

Mrs. Jones just bought a new swimsuit and she is also concerned about modesty for good reason. She is very orthodox in her beliefs. The swimsuit she picked out was a tankini, and I have to say she looks very good in it . This leads me to believe that the church body is realizing that whether you cover yourself with one piece or two pieces it's all the same. However, this realization by the church body has the opposite effect on (some) church leadership in that they see people moving towards tankinis and feel they have to throw the hammer down, thus leading to ridiculous dress standards.

I don't mind leaders encouraging or even requiring the stomach/back to be covered during church events (the line has to be drawn somewhere) but a bit of common sense would go a long way.

FWIW, this is where she got her swimsuit: www.limericki.com/

[beelzebabette]

SoCal, choir member replying here.

[mUUser]

Our stake allows tankinis at girls camp -- provided you sew the two pieces together, of course.

[Non Sequitur]

Our stake allows tankinis at girls camp -- provided you sew the two pieces together, of course.

Our stake allows tankinis at girls camp, provided the girl also wears a belly-button pastie.

[Moliere]

Our stake allows tankinis at girls camp -- provided you sew the two pieces together, of course.

It's not hard to see how these things happen and the swimsuit policy is a perfect example.

Decades ago I'm sure a policy came out that men and women should dress modestly at church activities and for swimming this would require women to wear one-piece swimsuits. At the time of the policy I'm sure tankinis didn't exist as you only have a choice of a one-piecer and a bikini. The real intent of the policy was to be modest, but people take the "one-piece" part of the policy as a black and white edict from SLC.

Then tankinis are invented and they cover just as much skin as one-piecers, however leadership doesn't want to break the edict (which common sense would say a tankini is fine) so they continue to require one-piecers. Many women respond back to leadership that most companies don't even make one-piecers anymore and so you end up with some leadership telling women to sew the tankini together so they can comply with the edict.

This type of process happens all the time with policies both in the church and in large companies.

[beefytee]

They had to cover up the belly button on the first few seasons of "I dream of Jeannie"

[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Dream_of_Jeannie"]I Dream of Jeannie - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia@@AMEPARAM@@/wiki/File:I_Dream_of_Jeannie.png" class="image"><img alt="I Dream of Jeannie.png" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d7/I_Dream_of_Jeannie.png/200px-I_Dream_of_Jeannie.png"@@AMEPARAM@@en/thumb/d/d7/I_Dream_of_Jeannie.png/200px-I_Dream_of_Jeannie.png[/ame]

[byu71]

This type of process happens all the time with policies both in the church and in large companies.

Exactly, it makes life so much easier for those in charge. The more things that are black and white, the less time one has to spend making decisions.

Think about how easier it is to say run a place like BYU than the University of Utah.

Also a leader is less likely to face criticism if something goes wrong. If a Bishop allows tankini's and a girl later gets pregnant, the Bishp has his detractors who will claim his "loose" policies led to the girls downfall. On the other hand, who is going to blame a Bishop who makes the girls in the ward dress like nuns if one of them gets pregnant.

Really, sometimes I hear this stuff and I don't think of the nice smiling mormon family, I think of the nice smiling FLDS family.

[Moliere]

Exactly, it makes life so much easier for those in charge. The more things that are black and white, the less time one has to spend making decisions.

Think about how easier it is to say run a place like BYU than the University of Utah.

Also a leader is less likely to face criticism if something goes wrong. If a Bishop allows tankini's and a girl later gets pregnant, the Bishp has his detractors who will claim his "loose" policies led to the girls downfall. On the other hand, who is going to blame a Bishop who makes the girls in the ward dress like nuns if one of them gets pregnant.

Really, sometimes I hear this stuff and I don't think of the nice smiling mormon family, I think of the nice smiling FLDS family.

Or I think of this:

[Jeff Lebowski]

Yowza. This kind of stuff is a pet peeve of mine. Wouldn't it be nice if they just said "be modest" and then butted out? I.e., teach correct principles and let the people govern themselves.

Eddie: my wife and daughter love the limericki suits also.

[fusnik]

Bikini threads on CB? So 5 years ago....

The modesty of a one piece is seriously lacking especially for girls with longer torsos. For some reason a belly button is more guarded than a girls pubic area.

Makes no sense.

[TheAzzuri]

Exactly, it makes life so much easier for those in charge. The more things that are black and white, the less time one has to spend making decisions.

Think about how easier it is to say run a place like BYU than the University of Utah.

Also a leader is less likely to face criticism if something goes wrong. If a Bishop allows tankini's and a girl later gets pregnant, the Bishp has his detractors who will claim his "loose" policies led to the girls downfall. On the other hand, who is going to blame a Bishop who makes the girls in the ward dress like nuns if one of them gets pregnant.

Really, sometimes I hear this stuff and I don't think of the nice smiling mormon family, I think of the nice smiling FLDS family.

For the record, I completely agree with everyone. It think it's a stupid rule.

However, I do have some sympathy because as every parent knows that decisions are often not made in a vacuum. What you thought was a one-time decision your kids view more as precedent and the basis for future actions. "You let him, why not me?"

I also think that many parents use the Church and For the Strength of Youth type guidelines as a crutch sometimes. Rather than teaching their kids the importance of seeing good movies and making good decisions, it's just easier to not allow anything rated "R". The same is true with the swimsuit/modesty issue. I know that unfairly paints with a broad brush, but I've seen it happen more than a few times.

'71 has it right when he says it just leads to fewer decisions. I think that rather than delve in specifics, it's just easier to avoid it altogether and many people are ok with that.

As an aside, the idea of relative modesty is always interesting/amusing to me. I realize that appropriateness is defined by time and place. But it's funny to make such a big deal about a stomach when a "modest" bathing suit shows leg up to the hip. Imagine if something as revealing as a one piece swimsuit were worn to a youth dance.