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Australian politicians in New South Wales have banned thongs and g-strings at local pools and many swimmers are “outraged” by the decision. Many see this as some sort of double standard because men don’t have their attire regulated at the pools.
The Guardian reports that “a council in Greater Sydney has announced it is banning G-string bikinis at its public pools without providing further details about how the rule will be policed, sparking debate about gender standards.”
Blue Mountains Leisure Centres (BMLC), part of Blue Mountains City Council, posted news of the ban in a since-deleted Facebook post.
That post read, “We’ve seen there’s been some confusion about what’s appropriate swimwear when you visit a Blue Mountains Leisure Centre pool. Much of (the confusion) focused on a poster showing the kind of swimwear that is and isn’t appropriate. It’s important to remember that these images are indicative only.
“In particular, the image of ‘revealing swimwear/thongs’ has raised some eyebrows. This image refers to thongs and G-strings – not bikini tops and bottoms. Thongs and G-string swimwear is not acceptable for males or females when visiting our leisure centres.”
They added, “Thongs and g-string swimwear is not acceptable for males or females when visiting our leisure centers. Bikinis are acceptable and considered recognized swimwear.
“The terms and conditions of entry to our pools state ‘All patrons are encouraged to shower thoroughly before entering the pool and recognized swimwear must be worn. Recognized swimwear does not include g-strings.'”
Many area residents responded with vitriol at the thong and g-string ban.
“As a Blue Mountains local I’m outraged, this is so disgusting!” read one comment, the New York Post reported.
“Shouldn’t people go to the pool to SWIM and not to worry about what other people are wearing?” another person asked.
“This is absolutely ridiculous, the people that’s eyebrows are being ‘raised’ shouldn’t be at a public pool if u can’t control yourself,” read another comment.
Sky News reports that in an Instagram story about the ban, Jess King, a body confidence model, wrote, “Such a ban implies that the human body – specifically the bum, (which we all have!!) – is inherently inappropriate or sexualized, reinforcing shame rather than promoting acceptance.”
Australian TV host Georgie Tunny said on her show The Project, “I just don’t care what people are wearing. If they feel confident enough to wear that, then I am happy for them to do it.”
Cultural expert Lauren Rosewarne told The Guardian, “The undercurrent of these stories is that somehow women are doing something with their bodies to distract men in ways that make men feel as though they’re being tempted, and it’s up to women to sort themselves out … Somehow, the responsibility is on women not to stir desires in men, because then men might act badly and be punished, so we have to put the responsibility of morality on to women’s shoulders.”
She added, “Not everything is sexual just because you see it as such.”