Althouse: The burqini.

August 13, 2009

The burqini.

Banned in France. It's unsanitary. Is it really just religious discrimination in disguise? Keep in mind that in France, a man is not only forbidden to wear cutoffs in a public pool — which is generally the rule in America, of course — he is required to wear a Speedo-type bathing suit.

But — as you can see at the second link — Speedos are banned at a British water park.

20 comments:

traditionalguy said...: Different swimsuits for different folks.The beer drinking British men avoid speedos while the wine drinking and better diet eating French men want to show off their figures. I want to hear Crack's opinion on French men again.; 8/13/09, 2:36 PM
Nasty, Brutish & Short said...: After that summer in '95, we'll never have a male french exchange student live with us again. You couldn't take him anywhere in that hideous thing.; 8/13/09, 2:50 PM
Synova said...: Speedos for sanitary reasons?

Honestly... do the French simply EXPECT people not to bathe?

wv: abunsubr

"And in Germany it is required to wear the abunsubr."; 8/13/09, 2:52 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: Easy:

French men are as out-of-shape as anyone anywhere else (Where do we get this impression there's something unique going on over there?) and they look terrible in Speedos. And I'll take the American diet, featuring every kind of food in the world, over the limited fare in France, too.

Oh - french men are cowards. Or gay. It's hard to tell the difference with them sometimes.; 8/13/09, 2:52 PM
Smilin' Jack said...: The Red Gym at UW used to be men-only, and no swimsuits of any kind were allowed in the pool, for health reasons. Then women's lib came along, and everything had to be co-ed, so suddenly swimsuits were required in the pool. Because equality is so much more important than health.; 8/13/09, 2:52 PM
Scott M said...: The western Europeans have far more of a problem than we do with creeping Islamic immigration. I'm happy to see them stand up for themselves like this.

The instant that Europe embraces (or more accurately, is forced to adopt) Islamic courts/judges/police for Islamic neighborhoods, it's over. It might still take another 50 to 100 years, but that'll be the demarcation point.

All of this seems to be more evidence of the Europeans moving to the right as we move to the left. Odd, that.; 8/13/09, 3:00 PM
Cedarford said...: Tolerance has to be a two-way street. Until Islamic countries show tolerance for foreign workers, let alone accept Christian or Hindi immigrants...little acts of wise intolerance like saying the burqini is unacceptable are a nice way to further encourage radical Islamists to return to Camel Country. Don't like it here? Leave!

Unless you wish to reconsider your repressive ways and refusal to assimilate...

Reminds me of Minneapolis and how the "Multi-Cultis" at U of Minn and other places bolted to defend the Somali taxi drivers banning dogs, booze, unescorted women from their cabs as "Practicing their religion and cultural diversity we all should cherish. Diversity, not bigotry, made America great."

The wiser City officials said - "Cab drivers have to pick up all fares. Those that don't want to, don't have to drive cabs."

Faced with push-back, the Somalis stopped pushing on other Minnesota residents and travellers..; 8/13/09, 3:55 PM
bearbee said...: Speedos for sanitary reasons?

Of course; 8/13/09, 4:12 PM
AlgonquinS said...: I like to dress up, and wear a birthday suit.

WV: pyeberso; 8/13/09, 4:39 PM
Big Mike said...: On the other hand, there are plenty of women who would look vastly better in a burqini than a two-piece.

I need to stay off French beaches. The days when I looked good in a Speedo ended about forty years ago.

[Sigh]; 8/13/09, 4:42 PM
Joan said...: Ack! bearbee, there should be a warning on that link!; 8/13/09, 5:49 PM
William said...: I'm thinking of the man who recently shot up an aerobics class in a local gymn. He claimed that he was driven to it by feelings of rejection and sexual frustration. I wonder how many young men in Islamic countries share similar feelings of rage and frustration. Their numbers must be legion. Islamic civilization for all its efforts to keep women down doesn't really help men get them horizontal. Perhaps all those suicide bombers and jidhadists are thinking more of the 72 virgins than of fulfilling God's will.; 8/13/09, 5:53 PM
former law student said...: there are plenty of women who would look vastly better in a burqini than a two-piece.

I remember one summer my grandmother -- who almost never appeared in public without her full body shaper underneath -- going into the lake wearing a house dress. Of course she was really old back then -- 53.; 8/13/09, 5:56 PM
John Burgess said...: The YMCA, when I learned to swim, was also a no-bathing suit venue. And this in a city that was 85% Catholic!; 8/13/09, 6:30 PM
JAL said...: Differnet strokes for different folks. My question is -- what was the appeal of Islam to Carole?; 8/13/09, 6:51 PM
JAL said...: Besides if she is surfing in a pool they must have some kind of pools over there.

Besides which it would certainly seem easier to drown in a burqini.; 8/13/09, 6:52 PM
Anonymous said...: One should not insult the bikini and use the -ini ending with such an abomination. One should call it what it is: a sweat suit.; 8/13/09, 8:35 PM
Scott M said...: Looks more like a Fremen stilsuit...which is, actually, probably appropriate.; 8/13/09, 10:12 PM
The River Otter said...: I wanted to say that she should be allowed religious freedom, to wear the burquini for modesty (ironic that the modesty wear is non-freedom in itself) but how can it be unsanitary if she only wears it for swimming? That kind of rule exists to keep street clothes (and therefore street dirt out of the pool.
I won't mention the pee that is already in the pool. They are just gross all around.; 8/13/09, 10:32 PM
Wince said...: Speedo is genericized trademark, like Kleenex or Xerox, and does not describe a certain style of bathing suit.

Please use the proper term: Banana Hammock.

WV-parea

Area defined by the rotated circumference of your urine stream.; 8/13/09, 11:39 PM