Hoodies in High School

by Aiden and Friends

Hoodies are my favourite swimwear. I used to wear them all the time back in high school. They were something I couldn’t live without.

Hooded sweatshirts and jeans seem to be the ultimate teenage staple these days. They have been officially deemed acceptable, even for swimming. There is no need to get changed on the beach and leave your kit behind. Just walk in as you are an enjoy.

Bright Colours

My friends and I often go to one specific department store just for a special brand of plain hooded sweatshirts we enjoy for swimming.

The beach lifeguards said that we should be visible when we swim in the sea. So we pick hoodies in red, orange and yellow for fun on the beach.

We often wear hoodies for swimming in the pool and going to the beach. When we want to go swimming after school, we wear one of these hoodies in the morning, so our friends know what was up.

Swimming after School

After school we often go swimming in the clothes we had on all day. We leave our bags in the school lockers and run down to the beach to go swimming. We don't bother with swim shorts, but jump into the water in our jeans and hoodies. This is way cool in our school, and soon more kids jumped in with their clothes on.

Wading in slowly is the real kicker for me. Watching how the jeans and then the hoodie get wet, feeling the water creep up inside, is way cool.

After our swim we head back to the school's sports complex for a hot shower to rinse our clothes, change into dry sports kit and run home. Great fun.

Fashion

I’ve often wondered about why so many kids wear hoodies, sometimes also for swimming. Even in rain and snow you are more more likely to see a teenager donning a hoodie as opposed to a rain coat. Why is that? What is it about hoodies that teenagers love so much? Is there something wrong with real coats and hats?

I’ve come up with two reasons why I think hooded sweatshirts are so prevalent among teenagers as opposed to things like rain coats and hats.

If there’s one thing they care about during the teenage years it is fitting in. Buying or wearing a coat brings in so many different variables. What style? What length? What fit? What material?

Hoodies come mainly in cotton, as pullover or zippered. Sure they can have various decorations on them but all in all they are relatively uniform.

The other reason is that they feel so soft and cosy, even when wet. So for some they are the best clothes for fun on the beach and in the water.