Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Cote d'Azur update - forget the burkini furor it's time to outlaw Speedo's

At least that's according to recent UK newspaper articles and Twitter storms. The Speedo in question is a figure hugging skimpy nylon attire worn - in this incarnation - by middle aged portly white men which is deemed offensive and should be 'outlawed' on the French Riviera. Zut alors! I may side with that call. It's actually the regulation in public pools in Paris for boys and men to wear Speedo's. A hygiene thing. When my son was eight years old he wasn't allowed to swim in the fantastic public pool near Bastille is his baggy swim shorts. "C'est interdit." And no way around it. We ended up buying a pair of Speedo's there - conveniently for purchase - and he almost refused to come out of the locker.
He said he was too embarrassed to swim. Well, all the other males - young and old - wore them so eventually he jumped in the pool. Ok, so here's some of the Twitter Speedo storm. Twitter users have been inspired by the controversial ruling to highlight a more offensive issue (than burkini's) plaguing beaches the world over.
So on Twitter In Wake of Burkini Ban, Muslim Women Demand Criminalization of Fat White Men in Speedos - People are asking France to ban 'pasty' fat men in Speedos instead of burkini's ...
Instead of banning the #burkini ban fat pasty guys in #Speedo ... Clearly, if there are now "Burkini Talks," there must also be a "Speedo Summit. And in the UK The Sun says ‘Speedos are 100x more offensive’: Following France’s burkini ban, scores of people are calling on men to ditch their skimpy swimwear
This headline from the Daily Mail: Oh no! It's the return of the Speedo: Those tiny pouches of straining nylon are all the rage again. Look away now ladies with Rod the Mod Stewart sporting one
Cara - Tuesday who says you be the judge, Mesdames et Messieurs PS There are more important issues in France than this...
at

10 comments:

  1. Annamaria AlfieriAugust 30, 2016 at 8:02 AM

    From the photos above, Cara, this controversy looks like a metaphor for the world at large today: too much of a bad thing and not enough of a good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Everett KaserAugust 30, 2016 at 1:05 PM

    Let's ban banning. No, wait, is that sort of like a double negative? Or a different article of grammar for oxymoron? To paraphrase Nancy Reagan: Just look away. Or to paraphrase the bible: If your eye is offended, turn it inward.

    Or something.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jeffrey SigerAugust 30, 2016 at 2:00 PM

    I saw my first burkini here on Mykonos the other day, but frankly it's more flattering than the wet suits we wear to go free diving. As for the Speedo crowd (best worn under a wet suit)--and less--let's just say that the EPA should bring out the HAZMAT suits to stomp out what I've heard best described as VISUAL POLLUTION.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeffrey SigerAugust 30, 2016 at 2:04 PM

    PS. On the subject of "public hygiene" (yes, I left in the "l") as the reason for speedos in pools, I once belonged to a well known private club in Manhattan where men were required to swim naked--for the alleged same reason. The only exception being on the one day a week women were allowed to swim there.

    Okay EvKa and AA unleash the hounds on that one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Everett KaserAugust 30, 2016 at 2:20 PM

      Where to start? With you belonging to a club where only menu were allowed to swim 6 days out of 7? Or the picture of you sans speedo? And I can certainly understand the women not wanting to see a bunch of nude men running around... although that would provide a fair amount of levity...

      Best not to start at all, methinks.

      Oops. Too late.

      Delete
    2. Annamaria AlfieriAugust 30, 2016 at 5:30 PM

      Bravo, EvKa. I have seen many NY men in that financial bracket. I am surprised any women wanted to see them in bathing suits, much less in birthday suits.

      Delete
  5. Cara BlackAugust 30, 2016 at 2:39 PM

    Clearly, a Speedo Summit is called for!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AnonymousAugust 31, 2016 at 4:55 AM

    Omigod! My eyes are burning from the sight of the speedo-bedecked wearers.

    Ban speedos, not burkinis! is a slogan I could support. The women look beautiful, the men not so much.

    Maybe French legislators could enact an age limit for speedos.

    ReplyDelete
  7. UnknownAugust 31, 2016 at 11:37 AM

    Cara, I forget his name, but there was an incredibly funny guy on the old AOL boards, who then I think migrated with us to the forum Patricia started--anyway, he referred to theses suits as "butt floss." (--Bonnie using my pen name)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cara BlackAugust 31, 2016 at 11:41 AM

    Age limit, definitely Kathy D - no one over twelve!
    Bonnie love it :)

    ReplyDelete