Muslim Swimwear versus The American Dream

I suppose that, somewhere within the deep recesses of my brain, I knew that this existed; but, it wasn't until I read the most recent "Opus" cartoon that swimwear for Muslim women came to the forefront of my consciousness.

As I pointed out in previous blog entries ( Comic Censorship and Comic Censorship 2 ), two of Berkeley Breathed's comic were censored on consecutive Sundays by a few U.S. newspapers because those papers felt the cartoons would be offensive to Muslims. In the 2nd comic, the female character gets ready for the beach by putting on a "Burqini". At the end of the comic, a character holds a sign that reads, "Check out more styles ! www.ahiida.com." The photo on the left is of an actual swimsuit sold on the website.

My first reaction when I saw the swimsuits was one of shock and dismay. Obviously, the suits are very different from the type worn by American women. Our idea of bathing suits are more on the line of Victoria's Secret or, something out of a Girls gone Wild video. These are the swimsuits and bikinis of The American Dream.

But, let's be realistic.Most American women do not fit the ideal model. The vast majority do not look at all attractive in a skimpy bathing suit.But, American women, for the most part, have no sense of shame or modesty and have no qualms over "letting it all hangout" as they used to say. Fat? Flabby stomachs or bulging buttocks? Rather than cover up, they'll try to accentuate it all with an ugly tattoo or two. It's more like the American Nightmare.

Maybe, the Muslims are on to something in this case. Leave something to the imagination........Please.