Is the burkini as dumb as it looks?

A colleague of mine noted on Facebook this week how ironic it was for France to be forcing people to expose themselves on its beaches to ‘support good morals’. You’d think if someone didn’t want to take their kit off at the beach and be more modest that this would be respected. But now it’s an offence to not get naked on the beaches of France. Check out the article in the Guardian here

Okay, there’s been a lot of violence in the name of Islam perpetrated recently in France, so we can empathise with the reaction to ban full body coverings that might make it difficult to assess the risk to other people on the beach: ‘Do you think that’s a body board under that burka?’

The lost modesty of Christianity?

It wouldn’t surprise me if many Muslims look at westerners at the beach and by erroneously, but understandably, equating our nations with spread of Christianity, think that Jesus encourages nothing but hedonism and immorality. Flesh, flesh, flesh. That’s what you see at our beaches. Really, it is like a meat market. Swimming costumes leave little to the imagination, especially the bikini.

Now I love the bikini. But it is pretty much the same as underwear right? 

As a heterosexual male, I don’t need to be seeing hundreds of girls in their undies when I go to the beach. I mean, you’d all freak out if I passed by your bedroom window as you were putting clothes over your undies. But when we see the same amount of flesh at the beach…it’s considered a trifle. Context is everything? Not for a male, ladies! Context is nothing. It’s flesh and we can’t get enough of it. Just look at the soaring problem that is internet porn and the contemporary male.

Isn't it sexist and inequitable to encourage girls to be modest?

What I’m trying to say is that men are more easily aroused and stimulated by the bodies of women than women are of men. Sexist? Well you can think of it that way if you want to deny basic differences between what arouses a man versus a woman.

Of course some will say ‘what outdated, sexist and incredibly inequitable values these are! I mean if the men can get down to their boardies or even budgie smuggles, then why can’t the girls? Shouldn’t girls be allowed to do everything that men do?’

The Bible is clear on the equality of every human being. We are all made in God’s image. Further in Christ Jesus, there is no difference in status, between male and female. But that doesn’t mean there’s no difference in how we relate to each other, now. We don’t just have men. We don’t just have women. We don’t have one size fits all. When equality becomes ‘every one must get the same’ it becomes inequality. That’s when so called ‘equality’ becomes dumb ass equality. Instead in reality, men and women are complimentary. One but not the same. Consequently, differences need to be respected and valued. Equality is expressed in different ways to different people at different times.

Men are clearly in deep trouble when it comes to porn. Just go look at the stats. Ok you say women are catching up. Yay! Shall we celebrate this wonderful, progression toward equaling up the depravity chart? Neuroplacticity it seems supports the idea that women can learn the behaviours that come natural to men; that is to be stimulated and aroused by images of the flesh from members of the fairer sex.

The Bible has long understood these differences and so it says to women:

‘Likewise…women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire' 1 Timothy 2:9

I think in this matter of attire at the beach, there is an opportunity for Christians to reach out in support of their Muslim neighbours. We should be the ones to support modesty, not deny it!

But am I saying we should be going the whole hog on full body coverings at the beach?

Safety in the surf

Australia is a surfing, beach going nation. Full clothing is not safe swimming attire. If you get stuck in a rip or rough surf, floppy wet clothing, (even the 'rashy' versions which get floppy with age), equals drowning. So I’m not a fan of going in the surf fully clothed for safety reasons.

Now what about that silly lifesavers cap? I was once a life guard and I hated wearing that dicky skull cap. Not only did it feel ridiculous, it was uncomfortable, provided zero sun shade and would often slide down your face or neck in rough conditions. You can just imagine a panicked swimmer grabbing hold of you by the skull cap and literally choking you by the strings. Some clothing regardless of its symbolism is just not appropriate for swimming. The life saver’s skull cap and the burkini come to mind.

The joy and recklessness of water

Now a rash shirt version that covers top and legs could work and I believe this is kind of what the burkini is made to be like: one giant body rashy. Surfers use the t-shirt version of them all the time and they’ve been adopted by parents for their kids as well. But one thing I really miss is that joyous sensation of water on skin. Water on clothing of any kind, even a wetsuit, just doesn’t cut it. It just isn’t the same experience. There is something playful and joyous when you feel the water slide across your body. But there has to be a compromise between 'night swimming, which deserves a quite night' (REM) and the public exhibition on the beach.

Choosing to be more modest will make you different, but that’s OK. I don’t want men and boys ‘consuming’ our daughters with their eyes. I want the way they dress to encourage the males in their vicinity to look for other more valuable things than their bodies. I want my girls to value their bodies and protect them from becoming a product in real or virtual time. I want them to preserve their bodies for the one love of their life and ‘not arouse or awaken love until it so desires’ (Song of Songs 3:5).

How do you feel about your girls and what they are projecting to the males around them? How do you want them to value their bodies? Are their bodies only valuable when they are flaunted in front of men?

My girls are pretty smart. They’ve noticed that girls who wear bikinis generally don’t spend much time in the water. They’ve noticed their passivity and the exhibition of cleavage, bums and belly buttons.

Our kids are also of a new generation of ‘sun smart’ kids. Kids who understand the danger of UV sun radiation on anglo-European skins. We shouldn’t be eroding this awareness by buying them skimpy swimming costumes as they enter adolescence. Mum sets the standard. Dad supports it.

I wouldn’t say we’ve got it right, but I do think our kids are aware and willing to be more modest. But it starts in the home.

What will you do?

 

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