Anthropologists, for one, have long been uncomfortable with the way in which the notion of ‘culture’ has been used in pernicious or problematic ways which can result in racism, essentialism, ‘othering’, exotification or simply a lack of precision. This discomfort is captured in James Clifford’s often quoted phrase in the introduction to The Predicament of Culture that, ‘culture is a deeply compromised idea that I cannot yet do without out.’ While this scepticism is valid, there are times when culture does seem to be a good starting point for a nuanced consideration of human practices. This is the case for the multiple ways in which people approach what to wear around pools, lidos and other swimming spots and how judgments will similarly be made about what others are or are not wearing often at the same pool. https://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/splash-a-century-of-swimming-and-style

Way back in 1993, Brian Street stated that ‘culture is a verb’ and Splash! A Century of Swimming at London’s Design Museum displays people not only ‘doing’ swimming, but also offers a curator’s eye on all the surrounding cultural choices that accompany the act, primarily what to wear while doing it. This includes costumes ranging from the outlandish to the staid, depending of course on your perspective. My personal favourite is the ‘luxury modest swimwear’ below.

The political, gendered and racial aspects of swimming are at the fore of the exhibition and the historical tensions and social changes are clearly on display. Despite all the delights of the exhibition, what I loved the most was the conversations I overheard from two women reminiscing about the swimming costumes on display that they had actually worn as children. ‘Look Mabel, I remember wearing one just like this!’