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Your beach bag is packed, and you are more than ready to hit the beach, but is there anything you have brought along that you should not wear to the beach? Giving some thought to this question and the answers will ensure that nothing will spoil your planned, relaxing, and fun-filled day ahead.
When visiting a beach, select your beach attire and personal accessories meticulously. Avoid wearing heavy and dark-colored articles of clothing and impractical shoes such as high heels. Leave valuables like jewelry at home and dress respectfully towards all cultures at your chosen beach location.
You wouldn’t want anything to ruin your day by preventing you from enjoying the refreshing water, the sand between your toes, and the stunning scenery. So, to prevent a day out from being wasted, let’s have a look at what should not be worn to the beach and why.
What Should One Not Wear To The Beach?
When picking a beach day as your leisure outing, you must avoid arriving at any beach destination unprepared. There are a few aspects that you need to ponder before you consider it a good day out.
Let’s look at some essential aspects explaining several things one should not wear to the beach. These aspects relate to practicalities, personal comfort, functionality, and protection.
You Shouldn’t Wear Impractical Shoes To The Beach
Never wear heels! Just don’t. Your poor feet need a bit of relaxation too. It is possible to wear high heels at the beach, but it is simply not a good idea. The heel will sink into the sand, making it extremely difficult for you to walk.
Although you could always try, you might look silly doing it. Being in heels will also make you less balanced on the sand. You could instead consider a wedge shoe as an alternative to heels, but they will also sink in the sand, allowing sand to get caught under your feet and between your toes.
Doing this is just not practical at all. Flip flops or sandals are a great and more beach-appropriate footwear option.
Don’t Wear Heavy Fabrics Such As Denim To The Beach
Thick, heavy fabrics such as denim don’t allow for good airflow and aren’t quick drying either. Denim also gets very uncomfortable in humid conditions and is not a refreshing choice of beach attire at all. Lighter, loose-cut fabrics such as cotton twirl would be better suited.
Denim is also very impractical to swim in. The fabric gets very heavy when wet as the water is held in the material. Denim remains heavy for an extended period. The additional weight in the water causes you to use extra energy when swimming.
Heavy denim will increase the drag as you swim through the water, thus hindering your ability to swim. The heaviness will tire you more, which could be dangerous if you aren’t a strong swimmer or even if the ocean water seems relatively calm. Nylon swimwear will dry better, is made of a lighter material, and are the safer choice.
You could face more challenges by wearing denim while swimming in the ocean. You could get your jeans or belt stuck on something underwater, which could have a disastrous effect if you are attached to an underwater rock or piece of seaweed, struggling to reach the water’s surface.
Many children are also drawn to the ever-so-popular swimming gadget known as a mermaid tail. It is a type of swimsuit that children place their legs into while swimming to mimic swimming like a mermaid. Children should not wear mermaid tails to the beach as it poses a frightening swimming hazard.
This mermaid tail creates drag and causes restricted leg movements. The swimmer could end up face down and drown as they won’t be able to right themselves.
By saying this, one can conclude that swimming in proper swimwear is the best option for everyone to avoid difficulties in the water.
Leave Your Fancy Jewelry At Home When Visiting The Beach
It is best to wear minimal to no jewelry to the beach so you don’t lose it. You can lose your jewelry if you take it off to go into the water. Instead, leave your precious stone safely at home.
Once your hands hit the cold water, your fingers tend to shrink. Many costly rings have been lost in this way. Take your rings off before you swim unless they are super tight, and you never take them off anyway.
Climate may also affect the jewelry. Salt air can rust metals, and this could hurt any jewelry. Sea salt is very corrosive to copper and wood, and these materials absorb sea salt and the sea air and will eventually rot.
Sweat and suntan lotion can also create chemical reactions. Although suntan lotions won’t harm any metal, they will rot any thread or string, so you must be very cautious with any strung jewelry.
Materials such as platinum, gold, diamonds, or precious stones should be fine to take along to the beach as they are more robust and durable. Just remember to take them off before heading out into the water.
Wearing heavy jewelry, such as neck chains, is also not recommended. The weight of the chain may also drag you down in the water, and the jewelry could cause a rash from being wet. A rash is a sure way of spoiling any beach day. No one wants a chafing rash.
Another reason not to wear shiny jewelry and accessories is one to which little thought or attention is given. Shiny or bright metals could give a shark the impression that you are a fish. A shark could mistake the glossy reflection for fish scales. No one would want this.
Avoid Wearing Darker Colored Clothing At The Beach
Dark colors absorb much of the sun’s heat and can make an already warm day feel much warmer. So don’t plan on wearing all black, thinking you’ll be able to enjoy a day outside in the sun.
Aim for lighter colors, such as whites and pastels, as they reflect the sunlight away from the body.
Cultural Considerations At The Beach
Unless you choose to visit a nudist beach, there are a few items of beach attire that one needs to give extra thought and consideration to when choosing to spend the day on the beach in a country whose standards may not be the same as yours.
What is considered acceptable to wear to the beach in your country may be deemed unacceptable and offensive in another. The best thing to do is to familiarize yourself with what the law requires at any specific beach you plan to attend and dress and act accordingly.
You should not wear anything to the beach that may offend your host country. For example, when visiting a Muslim country, one needs to note that Islamic laws are enforced, and residents and visitors should dress modestly when spending a day at the beach.
Saying this doesn’t mean you must be completely wrapped up at the beach. It just means respecting the country’s culture and the local community by avoiding unwanted attention. So maybe you should instead leave that thong or G-string at home.
Conclusion
A successful beach day is possible if one takes time for proper planning. When deciding what to wear (or what not to wear) to the beach, remember to choose items with a few things in mind: comfort, practicality, personal safety, and cultural considerations.
References
- https://www.expatwoman.com/dubai/guide/explore-dubai/what-to-wear-beach-in-dubai
- https://youtu.be/RUon4mZnkzw
- https://www.stoneandstrand.com/blogs/blog-list/the-do-s-don-ts-of-wearing-your-jewelry-to-the-beach
- https://youtu.be/Zmy39jB2lp4
- https://youtu.be/Ba4eEi68TVk
- https://www.quora.com/How-dangerous-is-swimming-fully-dressed-in-cotton-denim-clothes?top_ans=293060759
- https://www.quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-wear-high-heels-at-the-beach/log
