this post was submitted on 17 Jan 2025
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[–] [email protected] 26 points 2 weeks ago (5 children)

People are talking about a double standard, but if I'm honest, I don't really think it is. There's a real double standard especially with respect to women's upper bodies, and that bit tacked onto the end about a man from the Gold Coast is absolutely beyond the pale. But if there's a rule against nudity, presumably there has to be a line somewhere where technically someone might be wearing clothes, but it's not realistically enough to count?

Personally, I'd be fine with just allowing nudity and normalising it...at least at pools. That would take away all its power. But so long as we don't live in that world, it seems reasonable to say that clothing so skinny it gets hidden by the bum cheeks is not within acceptable limits.

There seem to be some people trying to turn this into a US-style argument about women's clothing in offices or at schools. But there's a big difference between a bit of leg above the knee, or exposed shoulders, and the bum crack, I feel. It's equally inappropriate (or appropriate) for men and for women.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago

But I will just quickly add...though I haven't been to any of the pools in question, I do think this is almost certainly making a mountain out of a molehill. It probably just didn't need to be said.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Man, back in the 50s or whatever, going to the pool nude was just the norm. Why can't we just swim in the nude if we want?

[–] phoenixz 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Was it? Any pool pics from that day that I can see has people looking like there wearing a burkha

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Hmm, I was partially correct, nude swimming for MEN was common until ~1970, and was rare for women. Bearing in mind this is data for seppos.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nude_swimming_in_US_indoor_pools

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

That's USA only, do you have a source for Australia?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Yeah that's why I mentioned it's data for seppos only. In a quick search, I found a newspaper article from 1927 suggesting outrage at nude swimming, although it seems to be in a mixed gender pool.

https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/258423430/28764616

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

If this is what the council are spending their time on , I'm sure all the issues of the Blue Mountains are solved!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Everyone should focus on one thing

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Agreed if your bottoms could work as a functional eyepatch they aren't appropriate for public beaches.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Personally, I’d be fine with just allowing nudity and normalising it…at least at pools. That would take away all its power.

You think if all the women in the pool are naked that boobs will no longer have any appeal? This is complete nonsense.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 week ago

I definitely get the sense that Germans are a lot less prudish than anglophones are, and they don't even have nudity allowed at all pools...just at a few relatively-easily-accessible public spaces.

It's not about "no longer having any appeal", it's about taking away the shock value.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

I've been to clothing optional festivals and for the first day you look, then afterwards it just becomes the norm and you barely even notice.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

they allow speedos (us slang for man's bikini bottom / banana hammock)? then anything should be available for women.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

speedos (us slang for man’s bikini bottom

Both of those are allowed, what's not allowed is gstrings which is for both of the genders

“Thongs and G-string swimwear is not acceptable for males or females when visiting our leisure centres."

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

It sounds like they allow (and prohibit) Speedos and women's bikini bottoms of similar cuts, ie, briefs but not thongs.

The rule states "males and females".

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago

Oh no, a human body!

[–] [email protected] 6 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Do people even wear thongs and g-strings to the pool?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago

Even if it didn't start as a thong, if the material is worn or your doing breast stroke/frog kick, its gonna end up that way.

If you can see someone's butthole in the pool, you are way too close. Just be thankful that its a clean butthole :D

[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It all changes over time. What was considered revealing in the 1900s is regarded as ridiculous.

And fashions in swimwear change. High cut, low cut, cover this a bit more, show a bit more of that......

You know how to fix it? Just stop being a perve. Nobody is forcing you to look at anything.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

Sure but the elected council is mostly women

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Pervy jealous judges of others?

They don't need to look either.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Last time I went to the pool with the family, my sister was wearing one of those g-string style bottoms. I fully support this ban.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

If they need someone to closely inspect the swimsuits to see if they're appropriate, I could help out.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

It's a bit ridiculous. If you don't like what someone is wearing, don't look. There's nothing disgusting about the human body.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

That's fine, but do you realise the above comment made you look like a perve?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

Every exhibitionist needs a voyeur

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago

Yes fully aware of that. That's what I was going for. Are you suggesting there's something wrong with being a perv? People who don't enjoy their bodies being seen don't wear g strings to public pools.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 weeks ago

Go back to jerking off on roblox

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

I predict that the moment men start showing up wearing thongs, nobody will have a problem with this rule.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

i think the opposite, if men start showing up in mankini’s with a ball or dick popping out every now and then will result in the quickest ban in history

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Borat punched a hole in that one years ago

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

a once off promotional event which was done expressly for absurdity sake vs thousands of men genuinely wearing it as a swimsuit every week I think would get a different reaction

if your reaction to tony abbott was bad i don’t even want to think what the reaction would be like if women went down to the beach and saw hundreds of men in mankinis

[–] [email protected] 4 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

You mean g strings as thongs in Australian english are what Americans call flip-flops.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago

You are correct.

Butt floss, as it were.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Nobody wants to see your chocolate starfish trying to hide behind some butt floss. So I'm going to go with "no".

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I mean I saw wayy more than I ever wanted to of tony abbott but that passed without fucking comment

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

but that passed without fucking comment

you gotta be kidding me?

you say it like nobody cared about tony abbott when it was the opposite, it was a huge raygun style meme at the time, it was an australia wide ‘please don’t’ and lasted for years and as you have kindly pointed out, still being brought up to this day

https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/budgie-smuggler-abbott-unaustralian-of-year/rdeerx6kc

https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/tony-abbott-declares-campaign-a-budgie-smuggler-free-zone-20130811-2rpsp.html

oMG DouBLe StAnDarDs

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Yeah he got sporked - but was anyone bringing in bylaws to prevent men wearing them?

oMg pOlItIcIaN FuNnY SaMe aS OuTrIgHt bAn!

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Yeah he got sporked

you say that like if 20 million people body shamed julia gillard it wouldn’t be the guardians top story of the year, biggest outrage and constantly reinforced under every article about sexism and double standards since then

was anyone bringing in bylaws to prevent men wearing them?

I duno, was there any demand for one? Is a shirtless guy wearing underwear equivalent to young girls running around near nude?

I duno why i’m even here, i never even go on the beach

edit: it looks like they are both banned anyway

“Thongs and G-string swimwear is not acceptable for males or females when visiting our leisure centres."

Australia had a long history of policing women’s bodies

Blue Mountains Leisure Centres is saying that men can't wear them either?? How did this go from men and women can't wear this to just women are impacted?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

No one wants to see your asshole at the pool. If that's too much for you to handle just stay home

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 week ago

If you don't want to see other people's bodies, don't look. Or go to a private pool.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 weeks ago

When every fucking little thing is a transgression on your rights nothing is.

[–] [email protected] -1 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

But Speedos are fine, right? Because men?

[–] [email protected] 10 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

From the sounds of it, typical bikini briefs are allowed, only g-strings are not. Of the styles shown in this image from Wikipedia, only the one labelled "thong" would be banned, I think. Men's speedos are usually most similar to the one labelled "bikini".

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

So didn't read and just opened up your mouth. 👍 Perfection.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 week ago

Of course I read the article. But the article adds nothing to the confusion around what is and isn't too revealing.

Where in that line? Who makes that call? Why is this even an issue? I'm saying a pair of speedos is more revealing than a bikini, but they're fine.

There have been several occasions where governments have tried to dictate specifically to women about what they can wear while swimming in public. This reads like more of the same. Nobody complains about what men wear in public, only and always women.

The arguments always seem to come from people who are sexualising women, usually men 'who don't feel comfortable'. That's a you problem, mate. Don't like it? Go somewhere else.