Time for the Pool! What to bare?

Swimwear.  What do I bare?  I like to use common sense about things, but a middle-of-the-road conclusion from this topic has consistently alluded me.  I tend to get lost in the deep end really quick.  My new summer hobby of hanging out at the pool with my kiddos has given me a renewed desire to understand my own choices when it comes to covering up—or not. 

For this series, Part 1 will be me rambling on about some situations and thoughts.  Part 2 will look at specific facts and questions to consider.  We’ll see if there is a Part 3…maybe I’ll get enough feedback or figure out some answers before then.

I wore a bikini at the beach in Florida this year with my family.  My husband and family were the only people around that I knew and I didn’t really think about much except that I was getting a lovely winter tan—though it turned out to be a nasty, painful, sunburn instead. Dang!

I also wore the same bikini to lounge around the luxurious hotel pool in Italy.  There were three other people at the pool.  First, there was the Italian masseuse/pool boy who had already seen me in much less than a skimpy two-piece during my massage (yikes…that’s another story).  Second was my new English girlfriend who was nursing a hangover.  Third was a husband of one Eric’s (my dh) co-workers attending the same conference. 

#3 posed my problem.  I chit-chatted a tad about their continuing European vacation plans while basking in the sun, but I felt the desire to cover up with a towel.  Hmmmm.  He was completely benign in his conversation, speaking to me as a respected acquaintance, but seriously, I was basically in my underwear!  How can I expect any man to not at least take mental note of my lack of clothing.  Images are powerful!

Obviously, the ball is in my court, and the issue isn’t so much what I wear, but how I think and what I perceive others around me are thinking.  I chose to feel uncomfortable that a man, other than my husband, was observing most of my unclad body.  Had I been wearing my one-piece, I don't think there would have been an issue.

To prevent that situation from reoccurring, I have to change.  My clothes.  I don’t think I need to change my mind.  I want to save the intoxicating power of my bare mid-drift for one pair of eyes only.  I want only one man to be thinking of my curves or lack-thereof. 

If I were to instead just change my thinking and not be concerned when another man sees me in a bikini, would it be socially responsible from a Christian point of view? 

Do I want my husband to see my friends or just other women in general sporting bikinis at the family-friendly public pool?  What do they think when my husband makes conversation with them?

What do I think when I see a woman running around the neighborhood in 2” inseam running shorts and a sports bra?

What do you think about all this?  Does it need to be thought about?  

I'm on the wagon that says everything matters.  So I guess I'm going to think about it.