My new bikini is here, and it's here to stay.
In my eyes, it meets the criteria for a good bikini, which are the same as the criteria for a good speech -- long enough to cover the subject, but short enough to be interesting.
So I'll take off the tags before I water-test it -- maybe tomorrow.
This newest swimsuit brings back memories of a Bible camp where I was a counselor when I was 15.
The camp didn't then have its own pool (it does now, from what I see of online photos), but as one of the recreation leaders, it was my job to chaperone the campers during afternoon treks to the nearest public pool, which was Teachout on the east side of Des Moines.
The camp brochure was explicit: "one piece for girls."
I'd seen the same requirement for Christian youth conferences to which I'd been invited, though I don't recall actually attending. One teen boy came right out and said why: Since God expects boys to be chaste, the girls have a responsibility not to arouse or tempt them. (The term "rape culture" wasn't in use in those years, but that kind of thinking -- that women are responsible for men's lust, and for any ways in which men might act on their lust -- is the essence of rape culture.)
"Lust" wasn't the issue at Willowbrook Bible Camp, where the campers ranged from ages 8 to 13. Willowbrook also required girl campers to wear dresses or skirts at all times.
I know what the thinking was. Modesty.
I've checked my King James Version concordance (a reference book that locates Bible verses by keyword), and I've found no Scripture passages that expressly address swimsuit styles. But I Peter 3:3-4 comes to mind. The writer is addressing women -- "wives," to be specific -- when he admonishes, "Do not adorn yourselves outwardly by braiding your hair, and by wearing gold ornaments or fine clothing; rather, let your adornment be the inner self with a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in God's sight."
I have no problem with that. In fact, I hold to the idea that the best, most effective and most enduring beauty treatment a woman (or a man) can have is to cultivate a spirit of peace, kindness, gentleness and a touch of joyful laughter.
And I think you can do that in a Speedo or a pair of baggy trunks if you identify as male -- or, if your identity is female, in a tank, a tankini, a swimdress or (wait for it) a bikini.
In my mind, this new swimsuit, and all the others I've acquired along my journey to health and strength, are just outward signs of what's happened inside me. I hold no illusions about my body being remotely like that of a 20-something beauty pageant contestant. It's lumpy, and always will be. And it's got scars and marks.
But I love myself. This is one way I show it.
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