[Bede735]

I was holidaying in Corfu, Greece, last week, and I took three items of swimwear with me. The first one I wore was at the hotel pool. It was a black Kiniki Andre micro, unlined, with 3 cm sides. On the next day I wore my favourite holiday suit, which was a navy blue Aussiebum 1.5 classic (4 cm sides), nylon, unlined at the back. I was the only man at the only pool wearing briefs. All of the other guys wore knee-length shorts. I was a bit surprised at that, as it was an adult-only hotel, and I thought that gave opportunities for wearing Speedos and thongs. Wrong!

My first swim in the sea was during a cruise. Apart from one other man, long shorts were worn by all. The women, of course, all wore bikinis. Even those who were obese. How did we get the point of such rigid gender conformity? Again, I went against the flow by wearing the Kiniki Andre.

At my own beach resort I considered the ‘nuclear option’ of wearing the black ‘Clothes to Pose’ g-string I’d packed. 1 cm waist with a 1 cm wide string at the back. However, my wife dissuaded me on account of it being such a public place, so I stuck with the Kiniki. It was probably the right call as the sea level was low, and I had to walk a long way out before I could start swimming. However, later that day, I discovered a secluded cove, away from the sunbeds, and this was a possibility.

On my final day, I walked to the place. There was only one other person there, a woman practicing yoga in her bikini. It was probably a good thing my wife was with me, so the woman wouldn’t feel threatened. When I reached the shoreline she started swimming. I started my preparation. Shoes and socks removed first. Then my t-shirt and then my shorts. I waded into the water up to my thighs, then splashed water onto my body to acclimatise. It was quite a buzz to know my bare bottom was visible to my wife and any other passers-by for some time. The swim itself was great! I was in the water for quite a while, swimming around rock outcrops and looking at fishes. The suit was so comfortable, with no fabric separating my bottom from the water. Just a pity I only wore it once.

For the record I had four swims in the Kiniki and two in the Aussiebum.