Thursday, July 29, 2010

No Swimming Over a Size 16

Okay, I'm furious. Let me tell you why.

This morning I picked up one of my three sports swimsuits to put it on. Although I bought it only last November, it's had a lot of use and it simply fell to bits - the material has perished because of so much exposure to chlorine in the water.

I swim so much that I really need three swimsuits - and what if they all fell to bits, eh? So I thought I'd buy another one.

The ones I have are all the same style - they are a Scoop Sports Swimsuit from BHS, or British Home Stores as they used to be called.

And now they're all sold out in my size.

So I tried everywhere else. Everywhere else I could think of. M and S (shame on you), Debenhams (shame on you) various sports shops (shame on you) Speedo (yes, well obviously everyone who wants to swim is really skinny - shame on you, you idiots). And so on and so forth.

Anywhere that does sell them, has sold out (amazing! Does that tell them anything?) But most places don't sell swimsuits that will fit me at all.

Because I am a size 18 round the hips and a size 20 on the top. Not even the euphemism "curvy" that the shops use to describe "women with massive knockers". I'm just broad, with average-sized breasts - or, to use a technical term, according to swimsuit manufacturers - "curves". I have broad shoulders. Partly caused by - - you guessed it - - swimming!

We "larger ladies" (as we're called) do not, apparently, actually swim. We sunbathe. We lounge around on a beach in so-called "swimsuits" whose main feature is "tummy control" (a phrase that makes me so angry I want to find whoever invented it and punch them).

Swimming is really good exercise for everyone, and especially for people who are overweight - wouldn't you think that swimsuit manufacturers would have got that into their thick skulls?

This morning I swam seventy-four lengths (a mile and then ten extra lengths) in sixty-two minutes. Just because I'm large, doesn't mean I'm unfit. And hey, I'm not THAT large - - there are thousands of women who are much larger than me.

And, if they could find a proper swimsuit that fits, to swim in, it might just help them to get smaller. It would certainly help them to get healthier.

If you happen to find a source of a women's sports swimsuit - I stress, a sports swimsuit, with cross-over straps or similar, because otherwise they slip off my shoulders - in a size 20, do please let me know.

8 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

try here:
http://www.bhs.co.uk/mall/productpage.cfm/bhsstore/23045
Lucy

8:58 pm  
Blogger Daphne said...

Hi Lucy, That's the one I've got and it's great - but they only have size 20 long left in it! Sighhh - - but thank you!

9:05 pm  
Blogger Yorkshire Pudding said...

Here's a helpful suggestion Daphne. When I was little my mother used to knit our swimsuits. To get the perfectly sized swimsuit may I suggest that you do the same. Mind you if we were Finns or Swedes, sprinting from our saunas to ice cold lakes, we wouldn't need swimsuits at all. Why not start a Scandinavian revolution in Ilkley?

12:34 am  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, I thought long might be too long. Speedo do lots if you google it. L
Verification: follysie... as if.

9:06 am  
Blogger Ailbhe said...

If it helps any, one isn't allowed an arse below a size 12, either - size 8 with a bum just means bumflossing.

9:28 am  
Blogger Jennytc said...

Nobody seems to be able to cater for anyone except underweight teenage girls these days, Daphne. (PS. I note YP is lowering the tone again...! Hilarious though. ;))I do hope you manage to find something suitable though.

2:36 pm  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Well, don't know if these will help, because they're all US sites, but maybe they'll ship to you across the pond...
http://www.junonia.com/home.htm,
http://www.swimsuitsforall.com/prodshelf.asp?dept_id=100840, http://www.speedousa.com/home/index.jsp
Good Luck and thanks for the swimming encouragement!

6:02 am  
Anonymous Ruth said...

Ridiculous and outrageous that media stresses need for exercise, healthy eating etc but someone like you who practises both can't get one of the most basic necessary items. Have you tried whereever you got your wetsuit from?
Websearch found this:
http://www.freemans.com/H.I.S-Padded-Swimsuit/productdisplay.stm?An=681&A=778000%5F10&N=0&Au=P%5FMasterItem&Nu=P%5FMasterItem&Ns=P%5FColour%7C0%7C%7CP%5FSize%7C0795145
Available in size 20 and apparently not padded at all despite description!

7:07 am  

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