Gender neutral Swimwear

When you are searching for gender neutral swimsuits, you are really searching for something deeper. You are searching for something to help make the experience of swimming more comfortable, and to feel comfortable in your presentation.

For many people who are AFAB, non-binary, GNC, transmasc, or trans men, swimming is challenging. In fact, it can be so challenging that folks avoid the experience all together.

Fortunately, we live in a time where there are more options available for people who aren’t comfortable with the binary swimwear industry. But what exactly does comfort look like to you? To what extent is gender neutral swimwear a question of functionality versus identity versus style?

These are all important questions. In this blog, we will cover some of the top questions we receive and provide you with our honest answer. 

Of course, there is no single or definitive answer about any of this, so please don’t interpret our opinion as the ‘right’ one. Our opinion is simply formed through years of interviewing and discussing the topic with thousands of transmasc, enby, and gender expansive folks.

Without further ado, let’s jump in!

What is gender neutral swimwear?

To answer this question, we need to first discuss the term ‘gender neutral.’ The term is used in a variety of ways, but its most common usage or interpretation is to essentially mean ‘gender does not apply here.’ So when we talk about gender neutral toilets, it means anyone and everyone can use them. When we say gender neutral clothing or gender neutral swimwear, we mean that anyone can wear it.

In practicality, what this tends to mean in clothing is that it is oversized. Gender neutral clothing is oversized so that it can accommodate the areas of bodies that are larger proportionally. For instance, people who were assigned male at birth tend to have longer torso. People who were assigned female at birth tend to have wider hips.

If you are making a tank top that will fit both (regardless of how they identify) then you will need a tank top that is quite long and also wide enough to accommodate the hips. The result? Baggier or more oversized clothing.

With swimwear, there is a bit more nuance. Water adds drag to fabric, so companies have come up with different solutions.

Companies like TomboyX and Humankind have made gender neutral swimwear that is a compromise between traditionally masc swimwear (swim trunks) and femme swimwear (bikinis or revealing one pieces). The results are more form fitting trunks or shorts and a top that has more coverage but usually still reveals some of the back.

Image source: TomboyX

The gender neutral swimwear I’m finding still feels really femme. Are there other options?

As we've covered in our article on transmasc swimwear, swimwear is one of the most challenging categories for masc of center folks, because you have to deal with the external elements of water, drying time, and how silhouette is impacted when wet. However, Both& has designed a swimwear set that is slightly different from the other suits on the market, for anyone who wants a specifically masc look while swimming.

This nonbinary swimwear set is comprised of a pair of masc swim trunks, made in a vintage-style textured fabric that looks like a style choice rather than a choice based around gender presentation.

The swim shorts come in a square shape, with front pockets so as to minimize curve as the hips, and they also have an inbuilt packing pouch for anyone who wants to safely pack while swimming. If you are looking for swimwear for trans men, this added feature is a favorite. 

The trunks can be worn by themselves, paired with any top, or you can get a matching Both& tank, made in the same fabric. These swim shirts are not compression tanks. They are meant to be worn comfortably as a top by themselves, or to cover whatever makes you most comfortable underneath (sports bra, tape, compression top, etc.).

Paired together, they look like this:

If you want to make use of the packing pouch and pair it with the subtle, swim friendly packer that we commissioned a great trans creator on Etsy to make, this is what it looks like:

Packing is a very personal choice. We wrote a whole blog about packing while swimming. If you are curious, you can read it here.

Summary

Swimming can be a challenging and dysphoric space, but it doesn't have to be. A key tool to help make the experience comfortable and fun is finding gender neutral swimwear that feels good and looks good.

For more resources, we recommend checking out the following:

Read some personal narratives about swimming as a nonbinary person here. 

This is a great essay about lesbian swimwear styles.