Burqini
Encyclopedia
A burqini swimsuit is a type of swimsuit
for women designed by Lebanese Australian
Aheda Zanetti under the company name Ahiida.
The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet (enough to preserve Muslim modesty
), whilst being light enough to enable swimming. It was described as the perfect solution for conservative Muslim women
who want to swim but are uncomfortable about "revealing" bathing suits.
It looks rather like a full-length wetsuit
with built-in hood
, but somewhat looser and made of swimsuit material instead of rubber.
In August 2009, a woman in France
was prevented from swimming in a public pool wearing a burkini. This was due to a long-standing law requiring swimwear in place of street clothing in public pools, for hygienic reasons, rather than the result of any specific political position on the garment, despite controversy in France over Islamic dress.
"Burqini", a portmanteau of burqa
(body
) and bikini
, is a registered trademark.
There are other styles of Islamic swimwear such as the veilkini
and mycozzie which was the actual garment worn in the France incident. Aheda Zanetti criticized the mycozzie suit, claiming it used lycra and was unsafe. This was refuted by the designer of the mycozzie swimsuit.
Notable wearers have included Nigella Lawson
.
Swimsuit
A swimsuit, bathing suit, or swimming costume is an item of clothing designed to be worn by men, women or children while they are engaging in a water-based activity or water sports, such as swimming, water polo, diving, surfing, water skiing, or during activities in the sun, such as sun bathing.A...
for women designed by Lebanese Australian
Lebanese Australian
A Lebanese Australian is an Australian citizen or permanent resident of Lebanese descent. The community is multi-religious, and includes a Christian, mostly Maronite Catholic, majority, as well as a large Muslim minority of both the Shia and Sunni branches of Islam, and various other Christian and...
Aheda Zanetti under the company name Ahiida.
The suit covers the whole body except the face, the hands and the feet (enough to preserve Muslim modesty
Modesty
Standards of modesty are aspects of the culture of a country or people, at a given point in time, and is a measure against which an individual in society may be judged....
), whilst being light enough to enable swimming. It was described as the perfect solution for conservative Muslim women
Women in Islam
The study of women in Islam investigates the role of women within the religion of Islam. The complex relationship between women and Islam is defined by Islamic texts, the history and culture of the Muslim world...
who want to swim but are uncomfortable about "revealing" bathing suits.
It looks rather like a full-length wetsuit
Wetsuit
A wetsuit is a garment, usually made of foamed neoprene, which is worn by surfers, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports, providing thermal insulation, abrasion resistance and buoyancy. The insulation properties depend on bubbles of gas enclosed within the material,...
with built-in hood
Hood
-Apparel:* Hood , type of head covering** Article of Academic dress** Animal hood, something used in costume play or part of an animal transformation fantasy** Bondage hood, sex toy-Anatomy:* Hood , flap of skin behind the head of a cobra...
, but somewhat looser and made of swimsuit material instead of rubber.
In August 2009, a woman in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
was prevented from swimming in a public pool wearing a burkini. This was due to a long-standing law requiring swimwear in place of street clothing in public pools, for hygienic reasons, rather than the result of any specific political position on the garment, despite controversy in France over Islamic dress.
"Burqini", a portmanteau of burqa
Burqa
A burqa is an enveloping outer garment worn by women in some Islamic religion to cover their bodies in public places. The burqa is usually understood to be the woman's loose body-covering , plus the head-covering , plus the face-veil .-Etymology:A speculative and unattested etymology...
(body
Body
With regard to living things, a body is the physical body of an individual. "Body" often is used in connection with appearance, health issues and death...
) and bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
, is a registered trademark.
There are other styles of Islamic swimwear such as the veilkini
Veilkini
The veilkini is an Islamic swimsuit similar in style to the Burkini . It consists of a pair of pants and a long sleeved tunic type shirt with a hood attached. The pieces are clipped or tied together. This feature prevents the shirt from riding up in the water. Additionally, it has a drawstring...
and mycozzie which was the actual garment worn in the France incident. Aheda Zanetti criticized the mycozzie suit, claiming it used lycra and was unsafe. This was refuted by the designer of the mycozzie swimsuit.
Notable wearers have included Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lawson
Nigella Lucy Lawson is an English food writer, journalist and broadcaster. Lawson is the daughter of Nigel Lawson, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Vanessa Salmon, whose family owned the J. Lyons and Co. empire...
.