In classical antiquity swimming and bathing was done nude, a practice that was common in natural settings until it was banned in England in 1860. To the extent that any single date can be assigned to a form of clothing, that was the beginning of the men's bathing suit.
Bathing suit wearers tend to fall into two categories. Competitive swimmers and those men who swim regularly for exercise usually swim indoors, in pools. The rest of us swim in the sun, at the sea shore or in lakes and other natural settings.
At this time of year, hundreds of thousands of people are fleeing winter for a week in the sun, and when unprotected winter skin is exposed to the sun, a painful burn usually follows. Getting badly sunburnt on the first day of a sun and sand holiday can ruin the rest of a trip. Sunburn is one of those things that cannot be cured and has to be prevented.
Sunburn prevention is a combination of avoiding over-exposure, wearing sunscreen, and proper clothing. Swimming is best done in the early morning or late afternoon, when the sun is not at its peak, and time in the sun should be limited. The tropical sun will burn unprotected skin in as little as an hour unless several days of careful limited exposure preceed full-on sun bathing.
Sunscreen also helps to prevent sunburn, however it cannot do the job on its own. Even the highest factor sun lotions only provide partial UV-protection, and none are suitable for two hours of exposure to strong sunlight. That said, they should be thoroughly applied on skin that will be exposed to the sun in or out of the water.
Dressing for the beach is the third leg of sunburn protection. Short sleeved polos may look appropriate with a bathing suit, but much better is a white, collared, long sleeved and baggy shirt, which is just as cool wearing but protects from the sun. The old, oversized Brooks Brothers oxford cloth shirts were perfect for the sunshine. Turn the collar upwards to shield the neck. And wear shoes, and a hat with a large brim.
In the photo, winter white skin and a Vilebrequin bathing suit. A tan has to start somewhere.
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6 comments:
At Oxford (England) there was a male nude bathing area on the River Isis until about a decade ago. It came as a bit of a shock whilst punting past, if you weren't used to it, particularly if ladies were present. I never understood the attraction - yet more parts to get sun-burnt.
A word about the sun and skin cancer. Melanoma is the most serious; it's 100% curable if it's caught early, 100% fatal if it's not. It tends to strike those of us with fair complexions, blue eyes, and northern European backgrounds, though nobody is immune. Repeated sunburns, such as those one might get annually on a winter holiday, put you at particular risk. Any odd-looking mole is suspect, and regular full screenings at a dermatologist are absolutely imperative. Other forms of skin cancer aren't as serious, but they can be disfiguring.
My father, who is bald and never wore a hat or sunscreen in his younger days suffers horribly. He is one of the most stylish men I have ever seen, and it saddens me to see him with the bandages, sutures and scars that are the inevitable result.
Surely a man like yourself wouldn't take a photo while wearing a bathing suit!
I wasn't wearing one.
Intriguing!
Another way to protect yourself from overexposure is to wear a UV-rated rashguard top. Long sleeves are better, of course, but short sleeves are better than nothing.
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