Jul 25, 2024
Lesbian Swimsuits
Finnegan Shepard
It’s definitely hot lesbian summer, and the ladies are out and about in all their lesbian glory. One of the most frequent questions we get asked is: what is a lesbian swimsuit? Is it the same thing as gender neutral swimwear, non binary swimwear, tomboy swimwear, or unisex swimwear? What are the best brands? The best materials? What is, let’s be honest, the coolest lesbian swimsuits out there?
Never fear. In this blog we will cover all of this and more. And yes, there will also be some thirst traps along the way.
Gender neutral bathing suits vs. tomboy swimsuits vs. unisex bathing suits. What’s the difference?
Let’s start with some definitions. These days, there are a lot of terms flying around. Historically, lesbian swimsuits have taken a lot of forms. When you type in something like ‘lesbian swim top’ or ‘lesbian swimwear’ though, you probably mean masc lesbian swimwear. You might mean something like this:
Source: Humankind Swim
Or this:
Source: Salt Gypsy
This definitely isn’t always the case, but if you identify as a lesbian woman and prefer a more femme swimsuit, you will probably just search for ‘women’s swimsuits.’ So the very fact that you are here, searching ’lesbian swimwear’ means that you are probably looking for something different. Maybe you’ve tried some related searches, like ‘butch swimwear,’ ‘masc swimwear,’ or ‘androgynous swimwear.’
So in general, we can conclude that lesbian swimwear tends to deviate from a binary gender presentation. It’s not your classic high-femme swimwear. Maybe it involves pairing board shorts with a bikini top. Maybe queer swimwear for you is a sports bra and tight swim briefs. Maybe you go full butch with a t shirt.
Roughly speaking, there are two different camps when it comes to gender inclusive swimwear. In one camp is what we would call gender neutral swimwear and unisex swimsuits, and in the other camp is transmasc swimwear, nonbinary swimwear, and gender affirming swimwear. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so let’s paint you a picture.
This is what the first camp tends to look like:
Source: TomboyX
And this is what the second camp looks like:
Source: Both& Apparel
The first camp tends to:
- Have more body coverage than traditional cis women’s swimwear
- Still be form fitting
- Use more traditionally femme cuts (like narrower tank straps)
The second camp tends to:
- Use more masculine cuts, but in proportions optimized for AFAB bodies
- Be less form fitting
- Focus on a cool, nonbinary or gender queer style
Neither camp is right or wrong. Both can help with making folks feel comfortable while swimming, and come in shapes for all body types.
Below, we are going to share some examples of different style expressions (and thirst traps). If you want to learn more about ftm swimsuits or transmasc swimwear, we highly recommend this article. If you are curious about packing while swimming, which is something some lesbians do as a fun way to play with gender, check this out.
Finally, if you want to hear some personal narratives from gender queer folks and lesbians talking about their swim preferences with tomboy bathing suits, gender neutral swim wear, and unisex one piece swimsuits, go here.
Swimwear Inspo Gallery
Let’s start with swimwear for butches. This is a more full-coverage classic swimsuit for butches style:
Source: AliExpress
Where as this we would categorize as a more neutral swimsuit, with some cool vintage vibes:
Source: Salt Gypsy
This would fall more under an androgynous swimwear look, pairing a more femme top with a slightly masc bottom:
Source: Free People
And then this would be trans masc swimwear or masc of center swimwear:
