In the 1960's the bathing suit for a mature figure was boned, trussed and reinforced, not so much sewn as engineered. They were built to hold back and uplift and they did a good job. Today's stretchy fabrics are designed for the prepubescent girl with a figure carved from a potato chip.

The mature woman has a choice- she can either go up front to the maternity department and try on a floral suit with a skirt, coming away looking like a hippopotamus who escaped from Disney's Fantasia or she can wander around every run of the mill department store trying to make a sensible choice from what amounts to a designer range of florescent rubber bands.

What choice did I have? I wandered around, made my sensible choice and entered the chamber of horrors known as the fitting room. The first thing I noticed was the extraordinary tensile strength of the stretch material. The Lycra used in bathing costumes was developed, I believe by NASA to launch small rockets from a slingshot,which give the added bonus that if you manage to actually lever yourself into one, you are protected from shark attacks as any shark taking a swipe at your passing midriff would immediately suffer whiplash.

I fought my way into the bathing suit, but as I twanged the shoulder strap in place, I hasped in horror as my boobs had disappeared!! Eventually I found one boob cowering under my left armpit. It took a while to find the other. At last!! I located it!! It has flattened against my 7th rib...

The problem is that modern bathing suits have no bra cups. The mature woman is meant to wear her boobs spread across her chest like a speed bump. I realigned my speed bump and lurched toward the mirror to take a full view assessment.

The bathing suit fit alright, but unfortunately it only fit those bits of me willing to stay inside it. The rest of me oozed out rebelliously from top, bottom, and sides. I looked like a lump of play dough wearing undersized cling wrap.

As I tried to work out where all those extra bits had come from the prepubescent sales girl popped her head through the curtain "Oh, there you are!" she said admiring the bathing suit.

I replied I wasn't so sure and asked what else she had to show me.

I tried on a cream crinkled one that made me look like a lump of masking tape and a floral two piece which gave the appearance of an over sized napkin in a serving ring. I struggled into a pair of leopard skin bathers with ragged frills and came out looking like Tarzan's Jane, pregnant with triplets and having a rough day. I tried on a black number with a midriff and looked like a jellyfish in mourning. I tried on a bright pink pair with such a high cut leg I thought I would have to wax my eyebrows to wear them.

Finally, I found a suit that fit....a two piece affair with a shorts style bottom and a loose blouse type top. It was cheap, comfortable, and bulge friendly, so I bought it. My ridiculous should had a successful outcome I figured. When I got home I found a label which read...."Material might become transparent in water"

So if you happen to be on the beach or near any other body of water and I'm there too, I'll be the one in cut off jeans and a T-shirt!!

Wish I could take credit for this, but it was an email from my aunt!! Now you all know where I get my odd sense of humor!! It's inherited!

Bless, and don't we all know how it feels

PMSL , sorry not at the situation but laughing at the way it has been wrote, it is fab, that should definatley be published somewhere and can i adopt your aunt she sounds just brill