Difference Between Leotards and Bathing Suits

Leotards vs Bathing Suits

Different activities involve the use of different types of clothing or garments. There are clothes for parties, for school, for the office, and there are those that are only fit to be worn at home.

There are clothes for sleeping, and there are clothes for swimming, sports, and other activities. Two similar-looking clothes items which have different uses are bathing suits and leotards.

A leotard is a tight-fitting, one-piece clothing garment that covers the body. It is worn by dancers, gymnasts, acrobats, athletes, and other performers. It got its name from the French acrobatic performer Jules Leotard who created it and named it the maillot.

It is usually worn with tights or shorts, and there are leotards with short sleeves as well as long sleeves. To wear a leotard, one has to put his legs through the neck of the garment and pull it up while inserting the arms into the sleeves.

Originally designed to be worn by males, it has evolved through the years and is now being worn mostly by girls and women who are engaged in gymnastics, skating, and other sports and performances. It is made with various materials some of which are also used for making bathing suits. In fact, bathing suit designs were influenced by leotards, and they look very similar although they have different functions.

Bathing suits are garments which are used when engaging in water activities such as swimming, surfing, diving, water skiing, or just plain sunbathing. They are also being used in beauty pageants to display a contestant’s figure. Unlike leotards, which have a distinct one-piece style, bathing suits can be a one-piece (like the leotard) or a two-piece suit (bikini or tankini). They may also be sleeveless, short-sleeved, or long-sleeved such as the wetsuit.

Bathing suits are also designed to be skin tight to provide ease in movement while in the water. The materials used in bathing suits depend on the kind of sport or water activity which the wearer is going to be engaged in. There are separate designs of bathing suits for men, women, and children. Women’s one-piece bathing suits have a bra-like lining which is not featured in leotards. Although the one-piece bathing suit and the leotard may look the same, leotards are not appropriate for swimming.

Summary:

1.Leotards are tight-fitting, one-piece clothing garments that were initially designed for use by male acrobats while bathing suits can also be tight-fitting, one-piece clothing garments which are designed for use by women.
2.Leotards are used in sports, the performing arts, exercise, dancing, and gymnastics while bathing suits are used in water activities.
3.Leotards may be sleeveless or with short or long sleeves while there are many designs for bathing suits such as a one-piece (the one that resembles a leotard), two-piece, or a bikini or tankini.
4.The material used in leotards is not appropriate for swimming while the material used in bathing suits is fit for use in the water and for swimming.

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