Every third woman in Europe feels uncomfortable in swimwear
This is shown by a representative survey conducted by YouGov Switzerland on behalf of Galaxus. Men, on the other hand, wear their swim trunks with comparatively little hesitation—especially the older generation.
The sun is beating down, the sweat is dripping. It's summer! For many, this means putting on their swimming gear and getting into the cool water. For some, however, the looks of other people at the sea or by the pool also trigger stress and self-doubt.
How comfortable do women and men feel in a bikini and swimming trunks? What clothing do they prefer when swimming? As part of a representative study conducted by market researcher YouGov Switzerland on behalf of online retailer Galaxus, 5,263 people from Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Italy and France provided information on this topic.
Happy on the Danube, uncomfortable on the Seine
The figures show big differences by gender: one in three women in Europe feels uncomfortable in swimwear. Only one in five men do. In contrast, one in five men feel "very comfortable" in their swimwear, but only one in ten women.
French women like the bathing costume the least. On a scale of 1 to 5 (1 = very uncomfortable, 5 = very comfortable), they have a comfort factor of 2.6. For young mademoiselles in particular, it seems to be a horror to wear a swimming costume or bikini: at 2.5, 15 to 29-year-old French women have the lowest score of all the groups surveyed. Monsieurs of the same age came in at 3.3.
Across all countries, it is clear that young men generally feel good in a swimsuit. In addition to France, young men in Switzerland also achieve a feel-good score of 3.6. However, it is the older generation that is ahead: In Germany, France and Italy, men over 60 are the generation with the highest feel-good score in a swimsuit. In Switzerland, it is the 45 to 59-year-olds.
The most self-confident people in swimwear come from Austria, with a score of 4.0 out of 5. And in a comparison among women, the Austrians are also at the top of Europe's feel-good rankings among 15 to 44-year-olds with a score of 3.4. This is followed by Switzerland, where all female age groups have the same satisfaction score of 3.1.
Less skin with every year
The above figures are also reflected in the choice of swimsuit: the proportion of women wearing bikinis decreases with age. In Switzerland, one in three women aged between 15 and 29 prefer to wear bikinis, in Germany it is one in four. In the 45 to 59 age group, it is still one in six or one in seven women.
Italy is an exception. There, too, the bikini rate falls with increasing age. Nevertheless, almost as many over-60s slip into a bikini on the beaches from Rimini to Capri as 15 to 29-year-olds in France.
When it comes to men's swimwear, fashion changes very little over the course of their lives: the majority consistently opt for classic swim shorts. Speedos are worn, if at all, by men over 45.
Boys in Italy have a peculiarity: compared to the rest of Europe, they are more likely than average to wear board shorts suitable for surfing. Every seventh young man opts for the slightly longer shorts, which often reach down to the knees.
It remains to be seen whether this trend from the fashion country Italy will also reach the rest of Europe. But perhaps Italians will inspire women all over Europe to simply wear whatever they feel like when swimming - regardless of age. After all, swimming against the tide of society is in right now.
