In 2004, the modest fashion industry came up with a solution: The burkini — a play on the words “burka” and bikini” — was invented by Australian Aheda Zanetti , but the garment didn’t gain mainstream attention until 2016, when some French cities banned the full-body beachwear , citing secular principles, hygiene, and safety concerns.The idea that a piece of clothing could be seen as a threat is absurd to me. Why can’t women just wear whatever they want while enjoying a day in the sun? Frankly, my biggest problem with modest swimsuits is that most of them are just plain ugly. For years, I’ve opted for tights and a T-shirt over a swimsuit while vacationing, covering my hair with a swimming cap or wrapping my scarf into a turban. But my bootstrap burkinis have often left me feeling awkward and out of place next to the bathers in barely-there bikinis, not to mention how impractical swimming in a T-shirt is, with it constantly ballooning underwater.