Thursday, April 24, 2008

You Say Tomato. I Say THAT IS INCORRECT.

I got a new bathing suit the other day. After trying on approximately four skillion bathing suits. You know how that is. Just when you think you are surely going to find the perfect suit because you have chosen about one skillon to bring in the dressing room and they are all DARLING ON THE HANGER, they all look awful and show your white, cellulite-y thighs in the worst possible way. So you have to get completely dressed and go out and choose about one skillion more and start all over again. I wish someone would invent a store where women could just walk around naked, choosing bathing suits and nobody would be the least bit inhibited. But that's probably not going to happen. It would be slightly difficult to keep the men out, for one thing.

But I found the perfect one. Finally. It has a black bottom half and the top is polka dot. Darling. Of course, I just found out the other day that Liz has purchased a brand new polka dot bikini which would, more than likely, just possibly fit on ONE of my thighs, so she is probably going to show me up on the beach. But as long as I am alone, I will look fabulous.

But here's where I'm going with this. I was reading this post by Antique Mommy the other day and my first reaction was "Cool! I might win a new bathing suit!" and my second reaction was "Who calls them swimming suits??" I have always said bathing suit. Which, in hindsight, doesn't make as much sense as swimming suit because, really, you are not BATHING, you are SWIMMING.

Bathing sounds like something a delicate Southern flower did when they wore those old-fashioned wool bathing suits with the long legs and the matching ruffled caps. But of course, I AM a delicate Southern flower, so it TOTALLY makes sense to call it a bathing suit. My mom always called it a bathing suit. And she actually IS a delicate Southern flower, so maybe that's why we all call them that in my family.

So I started wondering. Always a dangerous thing. This can result in posts about buttered Pop-Tarts. I wondered who called it a swimming suit. And who calls it a bathing suit. And then I realized. I could TOTALLY create an online poll. Something I have been dying to do. But I never had an issue I thought was silly enough quite enough of a time-waster vitally important. So here it is. Let's just see how many people call it a swimming suit. And how many call it a bathing suit. What about you?





11 comments:

charing said...

I think bathing suit/swim suit is regional like sneakers/tennis shoes.

Sarah said...

I think I use both...I did vote with swim suit, because that is what I go with the most...I think...now I am completely confused...

Anonymous said...

I'm with Sarah.....i think i say both. vj

charing said...

I forgot to tell you that I only use bathing suit

Anonymous said...

In our neck of woods (beach, pool , deck) it's bathing suit. RSW

Mayberry said...

Bathing suit, for sure.

And sneakers.

Unknown said...

As you know, when I'm not being worthless (or very busy) I sell these things so this has been a big issue for me for quite a while. How to list them on ebay? Is it a bathing suit or a swimming suit or a swimsuit. I just try to cover all the bases with bathing suit/swimsuit in my listings. Personally, I'm a Southern Belle too, so it's a bathing suit in my book.

Chic Shopper Chick said...

I have never heard "swimming suit" though I have heard of a Swimsuit. However, I say Bathing Suit, which I had never really contemplated until your post. But now I'm stubbornly stuck on Bathing Suit, because, well, thats just what it is! Thats what my whole family has always said, and though I can handle it if someone says "I need a new swim suit", I might cackle, sputter, and snort if they said "Oh lookey, I just purchased a new Swimming Suit ". I just couldn't deal with that without making a scene. :) I'm going to poll all of my friends about this now. Thanks for the convo starter!

Nikky said...

We wear swimming suits in the land of 10,000 lakes, but I really think it IS a regional thing. Another example would be drinking soda or pop or soda pop... or (god forbid)isn't it just called coke (even if it's pepsi) in some areas?

btw, we sit on the beach in our swimming suits drinking pop here in Minnesota!
Great post, very interesting to read everyone's responses!

Heather said...

It would be slightly difficult to keep the men out, for one thing.

It would be very easy to keep the men away from any store in which I was walking around naked.

Jhianna said...

Hmm... I think we mostly used bathing suit but swim (no ming on there) suit too. :D