Bathing Dresses & Thong Bikinis

“Why should souls who are made alive with Jesus wear the graveclothes of worldliness and unbelief?” – C.H. Spurgeon

I am about to get into deep trouble, but here goes anyway…

Charles Spurgeon lived from 1834 to 1892, and all but the first three years of his life were spent during the reign of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom. Queen Victoria – and the Victorian Age – were famous for the modest dress code of that era, especially for women.

For instance, if a woman wanted to go swimming in the ocean, she would wear a bathing dress made of wool or cotton. Bathing dresses had high-necks, long-sleeves, and a knee-length skirt, sometimes with a belt. Under the bathing dress, women would wear bloomer-like trousers to maintain their modesty, as well as stockings.

Some women even used “bathing machines” when getting in and out of the sea. Bathing machines were little houses on wheels that would be drawn in and out of deeper water by horses. They provided women with a place to change in privacy before making their way directly into the ocean.

An alternative female swimwear, popularized towards the end of the Victorian era, was the Princess suit. This was a one-piece garment where the blouse was attached to the trousers. On top, women wore a mid-calf length skirt which diverted attention from the wearer’s figure. The garment tended to be a dark color, which meant onlookers could not tell if it was wet.

Now, I am not suggesting that women should wear woolen bathing suits that cover them from their neck to their ankles when they visit the seashore. However, I am strongly advocating for much more modesty than is commonly seen at the beach these days. Skimpy – even thong – bikinis are everywhere, displaying for anyone and everyone what only a woman’s husband should see. Sadly, some of the ladies who “advertise their assets” this way are professing Christians.

OK, critics, call me hopelessly old-fashioned and I will plead guilty as charged. I just think that if we are truly God’s children, we should dress and act like it.

Let’s leave the immodest dress and the outrageous behavior for the rest of the world.

“Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control…” I Timothy 2:9 (ESV)

- Rev. Dale M. Glading, President