Embracing Modesty, No. 19 — Swimsuit Edition!
This is it!Β The 2013 Swimsuit edition of Embracing Modesty.Β I’m so excited!
I want to start by telling you how we choose what we will wear for swimming.Β While we need to be comfortable and have free movement in the water, we are never willing to compromise the convictions that we have about how we should dress.Β It may feel weird at first, but if you have a conviction to cover yourself more than a typical swimsuit will cover, then you may have to give up that fear of feeling out of place and stop wearing them.
For our swimwear we have the same basic boundaries that we have for our regular clothes.Β We don’t show our shoulders, cleavage, thighs, etc. It isn’t easy to find things to wear that are affordable and within our boundaries.Β The trick is to be flexible and think outside the box.
As a basic beginning, we all have one-piece bathing suits that we wear underneath some of our swimwear.Β In most of these photos we are wearing those under what you can see.Β We do this because the tops we wear will occasionally float up when we’re swimming or playing in the water.Β Uh-oh!
I’ll start with our oldest daughter, Grace.Β She has a swimsuit we purchased years ago from a company called Wholesome Wear.Β She wears it constantly every summer and it has held up beautifully.Β She loves it.
The whole thing, including leggings underneath and the cute little sleeved top, is one piece that just zips up the front.Β It is very lightweight and comfortable.Β I’d be happy to buy these for all of the girls, but they are a bit costly.Β Plus we need more than one suit since we swim almost every day, sometimes twice a day.
My friend Sara bought a darling modest swimsuit for her 10 year old daughter.Β This suit from Meant to Be Modest is triple cuteness!
But don’t worry….there are plenty of options if you can’t afford or don’t want to wear these types of suits.Β I look for short, stretchy summer dresses that would be easy to swim in.Β Then we put bike shorts and a one-piece bathing suit underneath. And we feel great about what we are wearing!
For this season I found short dresses at Sam’s Club made from lycra, so they are perfect to swim in.Β Hope is wearing a one-piece and bike shorts under the dress.Β She will swim in this….it won’t come off when she gets in the water.Β These are available right now at Sam’s.Β $16.98.Β YES!
Another idea is a dress made from t-shirt knit.Β Again, bathing suit and bike shorts under it complete the look.Β She swam in this all summer last year and it worked great!
I would suggest Old Navy, Target, Walmart and Cato for these little dresses.Β They aren’t that hard to find once you get your radar going.
Sometimes we wear lightweight shorts with a long top.Β These shorts are made with fabric that dries quickly.Β We just look for loose fitting shorts that we think would do well in the water.Β This is our backup-because-everything-else-is-dirty option.
And me, well I don’t care much for swimwear.Β But since we have a pool I do like to swim in the summer, and I LOVE the beach.Β So I found a stretchy skirt and top that works well for me. I have a blue shirt on in this photo, but I don’t wear a that underneath if I’m getting in the water.Β I just have the one-piece bathing suit under the black top.Β Oh!Β And I have this is other colors also.Β When I saw these in the store I got 3 of them.
Please excuse my pasty white legs.Β They rarely see the light of day.
I can’t tell you how wonderful it has been for us to be able to let go of the expectations to wear bikinis/bathing suits that expose parts of our body that we are not comfortable with showing.Β Not only has it given us a complete confidence, but I have been blessed with some wonderful conversations with strangers that see us on the beach.Β They walk over to tell me how grateful they are that we are modestly dressed and I get to reply with love and acceptance of Christ.
Here are a few final tips:
*When buying a knit dress, be sure to check the neckline for stretching.Β If it stretches easily it could become a problem with the weight of the water.
*If you’re not buying actual swimwear, look for the lightest weight fabrics you can find.Β Otherwise it will be too heavy when it gets wet.
*Makes sure the shoulders are high or if you can pin a strap across the back of them so they don’t slip down when you swim. It kills all of the fun when your top keeps slipping around!
*Avoid reds.Β They tend to bleed and fade easily.
*If you’re going for shorts, we also like looking in the men’s swim shorts section.Β Often they have long floral shorts that could be feminine if put with a cute top..
*Sometimes it’s easier to find knit dresses that are tank top style.Β We just put a cute rash guard under those!
*Don’t be afraid to cut off the bottom of a longer knit skirt if you think it would be good for swimming.Β Knits don’t ravel, so you can just cut them off wherever you want!
*If you have trouble finding one-piece suits that cover enough, look for polo suits or lifeguard suits.Β They go up high on the neck and have much more coverage.
I hope you found some ideas here for ways to look modest even when swimming.Β Thanks so much for all of your encouragement through this series.Β The response has been amazing!
Check out the rest of this series in our Embracing Modesty Gallery!
If you like these posts I’d love for you to follow me on Facebook!
Thanks for this! Living in Australia, we swim all year round (we have two free waterparks within 15 minutes of our house). My daughter wears long shorts and a swimmer shirt (not sure of correct word for it), with a one-piece swimsuit underneath. I do the same. Because of the sun here, many people wear the swimmer shirts and longer shorts. It’s a blessing to the eyes! (I did say many, not all!)
Hi Jen! Thanks for chiming in from across the globe! It’s wonderful to know we have like-mindedness from so far away! Lisa~
I recently started following your blog and I will have to say, it is SO REFRESHING to find someone in defense of modesty. This post is GREAT although I’m sure you will face a lot of criticism. Thank you for sticking to what you believe and putting it out there to encourage others. God bless you!
Rachel, thank you so much for your encouragement. You are right, I do get a lot of criticism. People misunderstand what we are saying and think we are judging them. I appreciate you! Lisa~
I just did a similar post on this. I love yours! We need to merge them together because you hit on a lot of points that are in my “head”, but I did not type. Like, when I was pregnant I bought a maternity dress at Motherhood that was all lycra and knee length and I wore a swimsuit panty under it. I had really bought it with water birthing in mind, but it became my swimsuit, as well, for the next two years. Lycra dresses are a great swimsuit option paired with biker shorts or leggings. Many of these things are getting much easier to find since people wear them for exercise clothes or sportswear. Even Wal-Mart has a whole section devoted to this sort of thing. Sadly, most people wear it for everyday clothes, though. LOL! I think I am going to go back to my swimsuit modesty post and link your article! If this is not okay with you please let me know.
Shannon, your post is darling! Thanks for sharing. Lisa~
And thanks for the tip off on the dresses at Sam’s. I believe my 12 year old and 9 year old may be in need of new suits this Summer and they are wanting Swim dresses! Yay for modest contacts!
Oooh, I love some of those classy swimsuits! π Thankyou for sharing these ideas, Mrs. Pennington! Also an Aussie here, and I love swimming whenever I get the chance. Generally my swimming attire is shorts and a swim fabric T-shirt styled shirt. If all else fails, I often fall back on dark coloured T-shirts with thick fabric, and shorts that stop just above the knee. I don’t see why people find this kind of swimming costume so strange – it’s comfortable, and doesn’t really hinder your movement that much, and saves you a whole TON of sunburn! π
Hello! You’re such a sweetheart and we love having you as a friend. Thanks for the comment. You always brighten our day! Mrs. Pennington~
this is the best swimsuit issue ever… I don’t have to hide it from my children’s eyes!
Jennifer, you cracked me up. LOL! Lisa~
I’m sure I’m not the only one who flips magazines! My favorite area of any store is the magazine display and I usually get there while my husband is meandering through the hunting aisles… he catches up to me near the front of the store and chuckles, recognizing my handiwork when an entire section of magazines are flipped to show the ads on the back! I really enjoy your blog and have for a while. I appreciate the tenderness and humility with which you approach your family’s standards of modesty and life in general.
Love Hope’s swimsuits! What a great idea. I have always used shorts and a t-shirt, but have had troubles with things riding up. So a one-piece underneath is a good idea. And y’alls are so stylish!
Hi Rebecca! Thanks, I will tell her you like them. Good luck finding some new things to wear for the summer. Lisa~
I especially enjoyed the picture of your friend Saraο»Ώ’s girl in her new swimsuit! I think I would have loved a suit like that at her age as I remember being quite self-conscious of showing off my body in a swimsuit at that age!
I’m due for some new swim wear this year and really appreciate these ideas, Lisa. You and your girls are great (role)models.
Shari, you are so right…Sara’s girl is a cutie pie. π Thanks so much for your kind words. It means so much to me! Lisa~
I LOVE this post! I have a hard time just wearing a one piece suit, so I just bought men’s swim shorts and a t-shirt so I could put it on top of my bathing suit. I feel so much better in it and feel as if I can swim.
It is encouraging to see other women who try to do the same thing of being modest, but are still wanting to do all the fun stuff! Most people don’t think it is possible, but you just proved that it was.
I enjoy reading your Embracing Modesty posts…they are amazing! Keep them up.
Cassondra, I am just so glad we got to meet at 2:1. You and your mom are so adorable. Thanks for the kind words….you bless us! Lisa~
I love these ideas – the red dress is especially beautiful! Blessings to you for sharing your ideas for dressing modestly over summer! π
Thanks Kelly! I really appreciate you stopping by! Lisa~
This has been my look for eons. I love this Embracing Modesty posts and all the attached links. You ladies are beautiful and so is your heart felt message. So many women have banned themselves from public swimming for years because they believe their only option is to fall into the ideal commercialism trap of revealing swimwear. This look should be mainstream especially in light of the harmful sun rays from prolonged exposure. Image how comfortable ‘everyone’ would feel if this beachwear was mainstream… come on ladies cover up, embrace modesty and glow ‘in the Spirit’.
Thanks so much! The comments about sun exposure are wonderful too! My bright white upper arms agree with you. LOL! Lisa~
I loved this post! I’m waiting for my first modest swimsuit to come in the weekend from Modestly Yours! I waited my whole childhood for a modest swimsuit – but we never found one, so I never learned to swim! For years I’ve been sitting on the edge of the pool forlornly while others frolicked in the water. I will finally be able to join the fun and be covered up at the same time! With me being 6 foot 5 inches tall – that’s a lot of fabric! π
One comment I received today said this, “I don’t think God’s going to deny your entrance to heaven just because you wore a one piece bathing suit.”
I want to be very clear about this. I don’t think what you wear to swim in has anything to do with getting into heaven. This is just a little thing we do to make our time here on earth more meaningful. For us (and I am not saying you…just us) we have a deep conviction about dressing this way. If I went ahead and wore things that I feel convicted by the Holy Spirit not to then I am creating a distance between myself and God. Wearing these things in honor of Him is a pleasure for us and a joy!
But I have never said it has anything to do with salvation. It is simply one of the ways we express our desire to please Him. You each have to know your own path to pleasing God. That is between you and Him. Lisa~
Thanks for this post. My issue with finding modest swimwear has been the cost. Your ideas are fabulous and affordable. Thank you thank you thank you!!!
If I were you I’d look into buying rash guard swim shirts and trunks. They cover up as much as the shot of your daughter wearing shorts & a shirt. However, the material in the actual swim shirts & shorts are usually UPF 50+ sun protection. Regular clothes will still allow you to get burnt. I know Lands End & LL Bean sell looser shirts & board shorts. Also, they don’t float up like skirts do in the water. I’ve also found good rash guards at sports stores like REI. I like to hide my thighs when swimming but the swim skirts drive me NUTS floating up. Just that constant yanking down the skirt or awkwardly holding the material down – ugh. I was so happy the day I discovered board shorts with sun protection built into the fabric.
You all look awesome! I can imagine the feeling of just letting go and loving the look of these cute dresses is awesome! I always add shorts to my one piece, but I think I’ll try a dress this year too- thanks! You ladies all ROCK! π
I totally love this and I think that may look for one of those one piece skirt swim suit things for my daughter! Great ideas… thanks so much for sharing!!
Lisa – I love love love this post – especially after a conversation with my sweet Mum yesterday where I defended our darling girl’s swimwear choices. She has a lovely one piece that we thrifted and she wears a rash guard under it (looks like a jumper) and longish swim shorts over. She is modest, comfortable and as cute as a button. Mum thinks it’s overkill, but I am soooooo glad she wants to be modest and comfy when swimming!
Lisa,
This is great! Hope’s lycra dress is so cute!
We’ve done all sorts of suits to be modest, both that we have purchased as a swimsuit and others that we have thrown together, such as sport skorts with ruffled edges and tee’s. I have used a tee and skirt like you have and it works very well!
My good friend wears mens basketball type shorts and then a cute rash guard! Lots of options that help us to be honoring of others and ourselves by not exposing too much!
Thanks for your boldness!
Lisa,
I appreciate your lifestyle of modesty. Can’t find too much of that today. Keep up the good work. I enjoy reading your blog.
Thanks for sharing these swimsuit ideas! I purchased my last bathing suit online from HydroChic and I love it! Yes, it was expensive, but this will be my 3rd (or 4th – can’t remember!) summer season wearing it and it still looks great. It has been worth it for us to pay a little more initially to be modest and comfortable for the next several years.
Lisa, I just want to let you know that while I do not share your particular convictions on modesty, I have never once felt judged or insulted by your posts, and I’ve enjoyed reading and seeing how one with such a conviction can still look attractive rather than dowdy; this swimsuit edition is no exception — you once again show that modest does not have to look strange, odd, dowdy, etc. but can look cute, attractive, and yet blends into society in a way that allows people to see the person wearing the clothes, not the clothes themselves.
No, of course, not the physical body, but I love that in all the outfits you’ve shown in this series, the dress is such that one’s eye goes to your eyes or your daughters’ eyes — the clothes are mainstream enough AND modest enough not to distract, or detract, from your (all of your) natural beauty. It’s been a joy to read this series, even as one who wears a bikini + cover-up to the beach or pool (and loses the cover-up to enter the water).
Thank you for this post. Last year, I found
Simply-modest.com and they had a swimsuit pattern.
If you know how to sew it is easy and nice to have
The option to make or have more than one suit.
I found swim material in pretty patterns readily
Available on the Internet. It was fun to make sets to
Mix and match sets.
Again thanks for this post and I appreciate your
Ministry of modesty.
I had always wondered how you handled swim wear whenever I saw photos with your pool in them! I think your solutions are a wonderful way of sticking to your principles on modesty. I greatly admire your entire family for their commitment. As clothing choices, particularly those geared to the teens, has become increasingly more revealing I find myself rebelling against these trends. I have enjoyed very much your posts sharing how you and your girls find clothes that fit, flatter, and meet your guiding principles! To be honest you put much more effort and thought into choosing clothes that speak to your style than I do, and I have fewer restrictions than you! I could stand to think like you more often!! Have a Blessed weekend Lisa!
Seems like a rashguard with a swim skirt and shorts would fit your needs? I love the rash guard for my young daughters for sun protection and because I’m uncomfortable with toddlers in bikinis.
Lisa
Loved this thorough and personal post…love the pics of your kids…wow, they are one happy bunch!
Thanks for sharing your tips, pics and links to the suits.
I have two boyss and I did like the one you pictured your son in as well….My boys often wear shorts and t shirts in the water or those
swimwear” shirts and shorts that we pick up at at Kohls or Walmart too….SOmetimes that works for us….)
Your blog is just lovely and SO warm and welcoming, Wow. Thank you for this treat.
Have a lovely weekend, Lisa
….
What a great post. I appreciate your openness on your modesty convictions. My family has similar convictions and once my daughters became teens, and now adults, it is more difficult to find modest swimwear that we feel comfortable wearing. There’s actually a lady at our church that used to sew “swim dresses” but they are difficult to sew and she seldom makes any more. I have actually taken men’s swim trunks and converted them to skirts and work lycra type bike shorts underneath. We make workout skirts with the long men’s basketball type shorts too.
Lisa, I LOVE Hope’s dress! Has she been in the pool with it yet? I was wondering if it floats up making it a pain to keep pulling down? I could see my little guys pulling away at all my material floating around them?
This information was shared today with me by a friend – I have never seen modest swimwear before and love these! Thank you so much for sharing with us!