Anonymous wrote:

Hmm. Americans are prudes and always associate skin-showing with sexual risk.
THAT's what's weird!

Not that I advocate make-up (hate the stuff) or heels (bad for posture) or showing cleavage and bottoms (vulgar).
However, for the swim team party, I couldn't care less.
PP's remarks about girls' fantasies in a safe place is spot on.

Hmm, not really. I always thought all the pep rally's, dress up themes, organized cheers etc were weird. I grew up playing soccer and basketball and we did not do any of that stuff. Strange culture. To each his own, I guess.

Hmm. Americans are prudes and always associate skin-showing with sexual risk.
THAT's what's weird!

Not that I advocate make-up (hate the stuff) or heels (bad for posture) or showing cleavage and bottoms (vulgar).
However, for the swim team party, I couldn't care less.
PP's remarks about girls' fantasies in a safe place is spot on.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The swim team subculture is weird. My son was involved for a few years, and I was relieved when he moved on to other sports.

So true

Very true. My college swim team had naked parties. Just the boys typically but some years some of the women joined in. Too weird. A lot of drugs too. This was a division 1 school that is tough academically but I think swimmers are the wildest bunch at most schools.

ours is great, we go off site, people dress up, not liek hookers but it is a nice event without the pool and all that.

Anonymous wrote:The swim team subculture is weird. My son was involved for a few years, and I was relieved when he moved on to other sports.

So true

The swim team subculture is weird. My son was involved for a few years, and I was relieved when he moved on to other sports.

Dressing up for Halloween, a costume party, or play, etc. is appropriate. A 10 year old dressing like a 20 year old (and a slutty 20 year old) to a social event is not appropriate. Parents are afraid to say no to their kids these days. No dear, you are too young to wear heels and I don't care if so-and-so is, I am not her parent.

Anonymous wrote:Was this in Loudoun County?

No, Montgomery County (mid-upper County). But maybe it happens a lot of places? It seemed like the girls that were the tenured swim team members were the most outrageous, so maybe it is more normal than I think. It was just weird. DD had a nice time and hopefully next year she will not ask to wear heels.

Was this in Loudoun County?

OP here, btw, all the boys (I do not have any) looked adorable -- collared shorts and dress pants and hair combed. And PP is correct, it is only the swim team parents and the kids from 6-18 on the team, so not a lot of exposure but still so strange.....

too much affluence.... decent average people will turn up decently....

Our kids boys and girls do dress up for our banquet. Heels are often worn by 10 and 11 year olds (like wedge sandles their aunt loaned them) but I didn't notice any make-up on that age grop and certainly didn't see anything that looked revealing. My own 11 year old wore a dress that made her look more mature than she typically does but tweeny, not hookerish. I think the tradition you speak of is a fun one perhaps gone aray for a few kids.

What swim team has a dress-up gala? Our pool has a year-end dinner catered at the pool where they give out awards and do a slide show. I think most kids wear their bathing suits since they're at the pool.

Some parents think this is a safe place for them to act out their harmless fantasies of "dressing up" They do not know that they look like hookers, or that it is inappropriate. But its swim team, so who is there but swim team parents?

DD first year on swim. Recently attended season-end gala banquet. What an eye opener. Girls as young as 10 with make-up caked on, fake eyelashes and 3 inch heels. I am not exaggerating, many of the girls looked like hookers -- chest showing as if there was cleavage, and shoes they could barely walk in. So is this normal, is it just one night so no big deal to play grown-up? It was such a turn-off to me and I cannot believe the parents allowed it. One 13 year -old had a "dress" that was so tight and short that you could see her underwear along with high heels. How did her parents, who I know and thought were sane, even let her out of the house, weren't they embarrassed for her? Or am I just out of it -- what do you think?