In Victorian times, women enjoying fun at the seaside wore jacket-like tops and three-quarter length loose-fitting trousers as swimwear. As the era wore on, things got only slightly racier with sleeveless bodices and slowly more ankle exposed.

Nevertheless, the ladies still had to wear corsets and remained furthermore modest by using a “bathing machine” to enter the water. Literally, the shy damsels would ride inside a cart that was pulled out from shore until it was safe for bathers to emerge without risking being seen by any members of the opposite sex.

It’s hard to imagine a world without the barely there peaks of fashion such as thongs and bikinis. That said, with obesity taking over in leaps and bounds, some folks cover up more than before. Board shorts and T-shirts over swim tops have replaced those teeny-weenie string two-pieces of the past. However, that’s still a long way from Victorian bustles over pantaloons.

Elsewhere though, styles do exist resembling those of the ultra-conservative century before last. The land of Turkey, may conjure up sensuous images of Turkish baths, Turkish coffee, the sweet jellied Turkish Delight or perhaps even Turkish prison.

Despite these experiences for the senses, a significant conservative Islamic population and government heavily influence life in Turkey. One may imagine all sorts of mischief happening in steamy bathhouses or dank prisons but these are merely fantasies fueled by repression. Back in reality, modesty, especially female modesty has inspired a successful business in Islam-friendly swimwear.

According to Emma Ross-Thomas of Reuters, Turkish businessman Mehmet Sahin has designed a Islamic swimsuit that covers from head to ankle for pious and well-off Muslims including the wives of some leading Turkish politicians. Picture a full-body cat suit with a knee-length tunic dress over it and of course, a head covering that reveals only the face while covering the neck and hair.

If he’s smart, he can reach a larger market thanks to that hole in the ozone by selling his outfits as the ultimate in sun protection. There’s as much vanity today in avoiding wrinkles as there once was in uncovering one’s flesh.