Topless swimsuits

[kim]

i couldn't think of the right title for this topic.

while on vacation we went to a water park and i saw 2 girls, about age 6 or so with just swimsuit bottoms on, no top. now, when i was a kid in the seventies, this was completely normal and no one thought anything of it. but that day at the water park i was like :eek:

my 15 yr old niece was with me and also thought it odd. then i had to admit that i would probably allow that in my yard, but certainly not out in public!

thoughts?

[Nocona]

I agree. That's fine at home, but not out and about. Too many pedophiles in the world.

[Brooke]

At home or a friend's house it would be ok. But not at a public place.

[TtownAnne]

How strange.....I would NEVER let my kid out in a public place like that! Caroline has occasionally ended up starkers in our back yard, but I don't even allow it if neighbors are out!

[sheila]

Its something I did in the 70s (not by choice!) but I couldn't imagine it now. I feel weird taking Katie out topless, and she's pretyy gender non-specific right now.

[Jillian]

Janelle does 90% of her swimming at grandma and grandpa's house, and she just wears a swim diaper for it...actually if grandpa brings her in himself he doesn't even put that on her. But if she is going to be in public she wears a bathing suit (usually a bikini though) and she isn't even 2, I couldn't imagine letting a 6 year old go topless!

[Lette]

I totally can't imagine that in public. I grew up in the 70's and I don't think I was ever topless. :scratch: I don't let my daughter out of the house topless either as there's really not much privacy in our backyard..... besides the fact that I'm worried about sunburn. :sunny:

How strange...

[biggstella]

I also grew up in the 70s and always wore a top. I will let Brooke go to swimming lessons with just a swim diaper on, but when we go on our cruise, I am going to have a bathing suit on her, with her swim diaper under it (granted she is only 14 months). One thing I do remember when I was a kid was that we used to tuck the bottom of our shirts into the collar and you could see almost your whole chest, which is almost like not wearing a top. Am I the only crazy one that used to do that as a kid? Could little girls get away with that now?:dunno:

Stella

[valeria73]

One thing I do remember when I was a kid was that we used to tuck the bottom of our shirts into the collar and you could see almost your whole chest, which is almost like not wearing a top. Am I the only crazy one that used to do that as a kid?
:lol:

I was just about to post about the same thing. That's the closest to "topless" that I ever got as a child (although I was partially raised by my 70+ Irish grandmother, who thought I was disgracefully naked even in the most modest of swimsuits).

I have seen a lot of Europeans let their kids run around topless even today, but I would never even *think* of letting my child (albeit, future child :) ) go out like that in public.

[kim]

yes stella, we did that too i had totally forgotten! :rotflmao:

[SarahK]

:dunno: Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with a little girl running around topless on a hot day--especially at a waterpark. I'm not sure I would do that with Katie (her bathing suits are too cute!!)--but if other parents let their daughters do it, it's fine with me. Those little girls aren't anywhere near puberty--and if they're hot and wearing sunscreen, then why not let them have their shirts off?!

[Kimberly]

Another top tucker here! I forgot about doing that until you mentioned it, but then again there are many fashion trends I would like to forget. :lol:

I have not and don't ever plan to let Ali go topless in public. She has been swimming in just a swim diaper in her little blow up pool at home and at my IL's house. I can't imagine letting her run around at a public pool only in bottoms, but that's just my opinion.

[bunybomb]

Another top tucker here! I forgot about doing that until you mentioned it, but then again there are many fashion trends I would like to forget. :lol:

I'm afraid top tuckers will continue to span generations. My 9 year old does it!

I agree that I wouldn't allow my kid to run with no top at a water park, but then I'm the same mom who would let their kids run around the beach in their underwear if they didn't have a suit. :lol:

[Amy]

I was also a top tucker in the 70s!!

I agree with the majority...maybe at home or my mom's house, but at a public pool/waterpark, no way would I let my daughters go topless. Emily always wears her bathing suit over her swim diaper when we're out, and I just think it looks odd for girls, especially at age 6 or so, to be without their tops.

[TtownAnne]

I guess my main issue with it is, everyone knows that pedophiles and wierdos don't LOOK like wierdos. They look like everyone's neighbor or swim coach or ice cream man. And so if I can't tell which one is the pervert, I'm not going to do anything to help him single out my daughter. To me, it's an even more extreme case than people who object to clothing with stuff printed on the butt (even if it's something innocuous like "ballerina") - at least in that case the kids are clothed; in this case the kids are half naked!

[Bobbie]

I just don't think it's a big deal. :dunno:

[Cortney]

I agree. That's fine at home, but not out and about. Too many pedophiles in the world.
I agree. :nod:

[chefkath]

I just don't think it's a big deal. :dunno:
I agree - I don't think it's strange at all. I've always thought it was VERY strange to see little girls in bikinis - I mean really, like they have anything to cover up! :rolleyes: Our society is SO obsessed with nudity. But maybe it's a geographical thing - it's not unusual at all to see topless or even naked kids at the beach here. I don't think I had a swimsuit until I was 7 or 8, and I only wore it at the pool where there was a rule about wearing suits.

Brigit has never had a bathing suit - she just wears a cloth swim diaper. She swims in a shirt sometimes if I'm worried about sunburn, but it never even occurred to me that I should get her a top to swim in for "modesty" or anything like that! :lol:

[valeria73]

To me, it's an even more extreme case than people who object to clothing with stuff printed on the butt (even if it's something innocuous like "ballerina")
I hate those! DH told me he saw a...ahem...scantily clad mom with two girls, approximately 2 and 4 years old. They were both wearing shorts that said "Cutie" on the butt, as well as very skimpy tops (this was in March, btw). He was just horrified.

[SarahK]

...But maybe it's a geographical thing - it's not unusual at all to see topless or even naked kids at the beach here. I don't think I had a swimsuit until I was 7 or 8, and I only wore it at the pool where there was a rule about wearing suits.
Ahhh--good point. Maybe it is geography...because like you, this doesn't strike me as strange...and I grew up out here in the Seattle area.

[MelissaM]

No big deal here either...and I am WAAAYYYY far away from Seattle :lol: When Jenn was little she would always just swim in a diaper or her little shorts...and it is no big deal to see topless little girls at the local swimming pool here either :dunno:

[Brandi]

Don't think I would let my girl do that.

Also - I did the top tucker thing too - HOW WEIRD! I totally forgot about that!

We also used to go out in our UNDEROOS! I had Wonder Woman Underoos and I would go out in those to run in the sprinklers in our neighborhood!

[harmonielyn]

I wouldnt let madison out of the house without a top on. Its just strange to me.

ETA: I hate the butt shorts too. Theres a commercial here where a woman is asking a cashier if they have LSU butt shorts. :disbelief I would never buy those.. I dont want my daughter to wear things like that and I can promise that DH would burn them.

[AahRee]

We were at a water park on Wednesday, and Katie wore her suit, but I don't think I would have worried about it if she didn't have one or something like that. She just has quite a few cute ones! Plus, she's SO pale, I think she needs the extra skin protection. We (DH and I) were with her every minute, so I'm not worried about a pedophile getting to her - they didn't have the chance. That didn't even cross my mind, to be honest. I'm guessing my changing her (diaper and all) on the patio near the kid play area was *worse* than her running around in just a swim diaper would have been, but again, she's only 2. I didn't think a thing of it.
I *do* object to the skimpy bikinis on little girls, though. I'd rather see them running around topless. Running around topless is something little-kid-ish, whereas wearing skimpy bikinis, with words on the butt, etc., is something adult-ish, and (IMO) worse. :dunno:

[Melissa]

:dunno: Honestly, I don't see anything wrong with a little girl running around topless on a hot day--especially at a waterpark. I'm not sure I would do that with Katie (her bathing suits are too cute!!)--but if other parents let their daughters do it, it's fine with me. Those little girls aren't anywhere near puberty--and if they're hot and wearing sunscreen, then why not let them have their shirts off?!
This is exactly how I feel. Now, I do think there is a cut off, 5 or 6, or depending on the child maybe even 8. But when the girl starts to develop, then she should definitely have a top.

[Karri]

I grew up nude, so I dont think much of it :lol: Seriously, every photo of me at the beach (or even at the park) in our photo album at my parents has me stark naked.

Norah wears a swimsuit, though, because they are so darn cute :)

[kalm]

I grew up nude, so I dont think much of it :lol: Seriously, every photo of me at the beach (or even at the park) in our photo album at my parents has me stark naked.

:lol: :lol: :lol:

My sister and I grew up nude too....and I think my kids (especially Lilly) are trying to follow this tradition. On more than one occaision while they're playing with water in the backyard, mine have suck into their playhouse and come out sans a swimsuit. And I make no big rush to cover them up. In public, I do try encourage keeping nudity to a minimum...but figure the less fuss over it, the less novalty. Time will tell to see if I'm raising streakers. :lol:

[TxTeacher]

I'm not a parent, but I don't think it's a problem for a child to go swimming w/out a top unless the child is old enough to start noticing the differences between boys and girls. Also, if a girl is starting to develop breasts, it's definitely time for her to cover her top. I would consider it okay for a girl of about 6, or maybe even 7, to not wear a top, whether in public or private. After that age, it might be inappropriate, especially in public. But even then, if nobody makes a big deal out of it or tries to sexualize the girl's body, it should be okay unless she is in puberty.

I definitely think that, if the child is going to be swimming without a parent around, she should ALWAYS be covered, so there's no liability or question as to whether anything inappropriate happened. For example, while student teaching, my class (3rd grade) went swimming at the school district's indoor pool. The teacher and I pretty much stayed out of the way and let the lifeguards supervise the girls in the locker room, because sadly enough, in this day in age, teachers and other caregivers have to be careful about what they see or do around kids, especially in a situation like this where the girls were undressing. So, of course those girls should be covered, especially since they were swimming with boys (and considering how some of those kids talked, even in 3rd grade, they were already fully aware of body differences and gender).

[Barb]

Another 70's top-tucker here. :lol:

I think it's fine for toddlers, but at 6 or 7 years old you know you're a girl and that you're topless, KWIM? I think by preschool a girl should wear a top in public (and that includes the front yard.)

[Lissa]

I'm not sure how I feel about a 6 or 7 year old topless in public. Alex -- at 18 months -- goes nude in the backyard swimming in her pool. But we have always had her in a suit at the pool. But I have stripped her naked poolside to change a diaper and put on dry clothes...Much easier to do that try to do it on the little bench in the bathroom!

I *do* object to the skimpy bikinis on little girls, though. I'd rather see them running around topless. Running around topless is something little-kid-ish, whereas wearing skimpy bikinis, with words on the butt, etc., is something adult-ish, and (IMO) worse. :dunno:
Anne, we are always on the same page! :lol: I agree. I don't get little babies/little girls in bikini's. Our plan is not to have Alex in a bikini at all -- we may find a tankini that covers her up once she is potty trained to make going to the bathroom easier. Our theory is that if we never let her wear a bikini then we have a easier time explaining why she can't wear a bikini when it really matters around 12 or so. Besides, doesn't the top just ride up on a bikini on little ones?? I'd go crazy fixing that darn thing constantly!