The Burqini

Herald Sun: Bikini? No, burqini

Itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bikinis are common -- but now multicultural Australia has head-to-foot "burqinis".

Designer Aheda Zanetti calls the outfit an "Islamic bikini" because it has pants and a top.

She said the costume, marketed under the name Ahiida and available on the internet, covered everything except hands, feet and face.

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Comments

[Sonnabend]

I will be very interested to see how a lifesaver can wear this monstrosity, and then not need rescuing herself.

The surf is dangerous,lifesaving is a serious, dangerous job, and this is rank stupidity.

Rule number one of the emergency services "don't become the next casualty".

For Gods sake.....GET REAL.

[Wanderer]

Where do you get the idea that this person is a lifesaver?

[George Johnson]

It might be fine for mom going to the beach, but come on! There is no way a life saver is going to be able to wear that thing!

It simply has too much drag. It'd be like a regular "life saver" trying to do their job in a sweat shirt and blue jeans!

This is just like the political correctness in the US. Lower the requirements for firefighters so blacks and women can now become fire fighters, only now, those people can't do their jobs!

[Randomaction]

Yeah George Johnson. I hate it when a black woman in a Burqini carries me out of a burning building.

[Mike]

maybe people shouldnt be so ignorant and jump to conclusions.. i mean its only a couple of paragraps. first of all its in australia, and second who said this is life savers uniform..

also being a lifeguard my self.. i was trained to do my job in my jeans and sweat shirts.. why, cause you never knwo when you might have to jump in the water wearing everything..

[Who with the what now?]

But would it be easier to do it in something with less drag? Would you rather be wearing jeans and sweat shirts, or swim trunks?

[Sabrina]

Does'nt this remind you all of the swimwear at the turn of the century? .... Let change occur slowly ...

[Fahd Rafi]

How does calling this hooded sweatshirt and pants a bikini make it a bikini?

So if I call apples oranges, they will become oranges?

[Azalie]

Fahd Rafi,

It's not a BAKINI, it's a BURQINI. It's a mixture between the Burqa that Islamic woman wear and a Bikini. Essentially it's a Burqa that doubles as swimwear.

For a country that has a hole in the ozone layer hovering over it, it's not a bad idea. It will reduce the chances of skin cancer.

[Azalie]

bikini* even. I should've checked my spelling before posting.

[Kirana]

in the navy, i was trained to swim in overalls over suits. the cadet swimming test was conducted with all swimmers wearing overalls. of course it's bloody heavy when wet, and sure there's greater drag, but i guess a) it makes for strong swimmers, and anyway if you need to you can strip the overalls in the water (also in the test) and b) most cases you may not have time to strip down to save somebody. of course, despite being muslim, if i gauge i have time and i think i need the advantage of less drag, i'd strip anyway. especially if nobody else around can swim. person's life trumps my modesty.

i've not tried a burqini, and wonder if the shirt part's not a bit too loose not to buoy up in the water, which is not good (see, overall's a single piece which skips this problem), and i wonder if it doesn't cling when wet anyway, in which case one mights as well wear a normal full swimmer's suit, but other than that, looks all right. could solve the problem of long hair flapping about in your face if the victim pulls apart your ponytail, and certainly lighter than overalls, i think. and, easier to go to the bathroom while nobody's drowning, compared to the one-piece suits. and, as somebody pointed out, less likely for the lifeguard to die of skin cancer 20 years later after a sterling career of saving other people's lives. and saves money on the sunblock, seeing as you only need to put it on your face and feet.

[Paul]

I guess one positive is no sun damage to your skin, otherwise it is awful.

OnA Party Rock !

[Jan]

It is the new lifesaving outfit for the Muslim trainees. See latest Yahoo! article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070109/wl_csm/oburqini

[devil's advocate]

For starters, I believe this uniform will be used to allow women to become a lifesaver. Meaning, a women will be able to go into the water to warn swimmers and others when it is not necessary to in fact save someone. When the need arises to save someone, the lifesaver can then perform her lifesaving duty. Anyone that knows anything about the Koran, would easily recognize that the lifesaver is easily permitted to remove any articles of clothing when there is an emergency situation, i.e. someone is dying, to save someone, to avoid putting her own life in danger, etc. In those life saving situations, the lifesaver can make that decision, and it is reasonable to assume her training will prepare her for this.

[Sali]

Why is it called a burqini, I don't see any connection at all with a bikini (I guess because its two pieces). All I see is long shirt with pants and head cover. Shouldn't it be called burqasuit or swimburqa?

[Rachel Young]

Sali, you are correct - the creator named it the burqini because it comes in two pieces.

I don't think this is a problem after years and years of tankini's and stringkini's from other designers.

To others who are making parallels to swimming in jeans and a sweatshirt you would find that while not giviing as much free motion as a regular swimsuit but looks to be roughly equal to the wildly popular sun protection shirts and pants with the addition of a head cover.

The Burqini website is http://www.ahiida.com/

[nadia]

it was never designed to be used for life savers, twit, it is for women who want to swim for fun, and iv seen plenty of people at teh beach wearing shorts and Tshirts that puff up....and stretch makining it hard to swim in and what do you think a rashy is, sometimes i wonder if the people that post some of these comments even think before they reply, all you do is make yourself sound stupid.

[meanie]

Look if people want to wear and design anything let them after all there was an inventor who made tank tops rite?No one asked whether it looked like a tank! some people have just got to accept that in this world there are people with different ideas and they may not like it,its life DEAL WITH IT!be a bit open minded cumon

[G.Gailis]

The Burqini - I think we are a bunch of berks for humoring this crap.
Let them paddle in their beach tents.
So much for assimilating.
What about the veil?
Fashion designers eat your hearts out.

[Mieja]

Thank you for designing this Burqini, it's for the ladies to enjoy the beach like others without exposing themselves. Nothing like enjoying the fun of life with God's blessing.

[Professor Teeth]

Is the Burqini made of pig skin?

[ellie]

now we know who's cruel and who's not..

[John Doe]

Personally I think god has much better things to do than check to see if the creatures he/she created naked have come up with a "modest enough" covering, if he/she/it wanted us covered wouldn't we have fur, or feathers like many other creatures? I'll keep swimming naked, and suntanning that way too, cancer, may be my punishment, but I will have enjoyed my time here... as fleeting as it is! I think god will be happy with me for doing so!

[lola]

Who said God created us naked. Might be all a myth. Ever considered that?

[luke]

this burqini is missing the veil and also once it gets wet and cling to the body and reveal the shape, then it won't cover your aurah anymore. nice try but i don't think it solves the problem (or is there a problem?)