Scarleteen

capablehippie wrote:Hi KittyPink!
It seems from what you've said before that you don't/can't wear feminine clothing in public (true?). Do you think you could wear a bikini bottom under your swim shorts? Can you say what is bothersome about the swim shorts? As a cis person, I might be overstepping my bounds by trying to answer, so just let me know if that's the case, and if it is, I'm sorry.

Mo wrote:If you'd feel better wearing some sort of top as well, you could look into a rash guard (sometimes marketed as a swim shirt); maybe there would be a color or style that would feel feminine enough to keep you happy without being super obvious if you're worried about safety.

Jacob wrote:Alongside this... I'm wondering if the context of where and with who you swim could help make things easier.

Do you have any freaky geeky queer friends you can go swimming with? Or pools where there is a vibe you feel more comfortable with... that might make 'what to wear' feel a lot better.

I have to admit, I was so put off swimming by going to my university pool... I felt so much gaze, there was glass everywhere, I felt weird about my body, my gender, my sexuality... lots of people in the 'zone' doing exercise and seeming to me to be doing the exercise/body as a lifestyle thing... it was terrifying for me.

A more family friendly and community centred pool suddenly makes me feel really comfortable. 2 year olds don't care what I wear, young parents are too busy worrying about their 2 year old, to care what I look like. Elderly people don't care how I look, and there is a much wider general diversity of self-expression, body types and reasons for using the pool.

Could any of that be helpful too? I know it's not what you were initially asking, so no worries if not!

capablehippie wrote:What if instead of being a bikini bottom, it was a speedo or speedo-like bottom? Something that looks masculine enough for your mom, but might still feel better than swim trunks?

Frida wrote:Hi, I'm AMAB but transfemme or genderfluid I'm not sure. And I understand what you mean by a masculine fit they're large and boxy and reach your knees and they look absolutely ridiculous. What you can try is buying swimming shorts from the women's section which are often much smaller in length and have a better fit or you could go into the kids section and section and search for something that fits. Hope this helps

Sam W wrote:Hi Kittypink,

I recently learned about this etsy shop that makes swimwear specifically for trans women. It might be worth a look to see if you can find what you need.

Sam W wrote:Yep! This is the one: https://www.etsy.com/shop/LeoLines?ref= ... -info-name