Playboy and Speedo FastSkin – Perfect Match

In a nutshell - Playboy playmates slip into Australian manufacturer Speedo's controversial 2008 Fastskin swimsuit; plus twenty more years of Speedo Olympic swimsuits.

Professional athletes wearing FastSkin swimsuit broke many world records. As a matter of fact, pundits speculated that we had never seen the NASA-researched swimsuits in action at the Olympic Games level. Well, we have. What’s more, even Nike, a fierce competitor of Australian manufacturer Speedo, is allowed its sponsored swimmers to wear them at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games.

Once Australian swimsuit manufacturer debuted its revolutionary LZR Racer Elite (the brand's most hydro-dynamically advanced swimsuit to date) suit back in 2008, it created a huge wave of controversy. This swimsuit reduces drag while swimming and compresses the muscles in order to reduce fatigue.

But what about Fastskin and Playboy; not actually a perfect match made in heaven - this is definitely not the likely duo, nonetheless, it slightly increased sales of both the swimsuit and the magazine giant because of the collaboration. Also, the truth is that professional athletes are well known for the toned, beautifully sculptured bodies that always are highlighted by their sleek swimsuits.

No stranger to the stunning beauty of professional athletes, Playboy magazine previously featured 100-meter backstroke swimmer Haley Clark in September 2004's "Women of the Olympics" cover story and 7-time breaststroke medalist Amanda Beard who posed nude in July 2007, also nude. Additionally included in this Playboy issue were 7 other professional athletes including United States high-jumper Amy Acuff and a pole-vaulter Mary Sauer.

So, on August 7, 2008, Playboy.com launched a new pictorial featuring Playboy models wearing these innovative suits, in celebration of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. The new feature reveals a 12 picture slide-show of Australian producer's official Olympic suits over the past 6 Olympic Games - dating back to late 1980s - shot poolside at a fitness club in Chicago. Speedo United State’s vice-president Craig Brommers spoke to WWD (the authority for breaking news, comprehensive business coverage as well as trends in the worlds of beauty, retail, and fashion) concerning the LZR Racer Elite, the Speedo’s top-performance competitive suit. “Interest in the LZR Racer has transcended traditional sports media and is receiving coverage in every media category out there, including fashion, business, science, celebrity and lifestyle”.

The Speedo Fastskin LZR Racer, (basically developed by using the National Aeronautics and Space Administration research) caused a huge media stir, since many claimed the swimsuit gives super-human advantage to athletes wearing the swimsuit. Manufacturer, needless to say, never objected to the media stir, however faced investigations from the international governing body of swimming (FINA) into the buoyancy level of the suit. Because the swimsuit first introduced back in February 2008, forty eight out of fifty world records set thus far have been by athletes wearing the LZR Racer Elite. The Playboy models show no nude, despite the fact that the swimsuit usually takes around ten to thirty minutes to squeeze into.

In the pictorial, the suits are worn by twenty four year old Sharae Spears 24 from Knoxville, Tennessee and an eighteen year old Cassie Keller from Greenville. Sharae is the August 2008 Cyber Girl of the Month and Cassie is a Playboy "Special Editions" supermodel who featured on the "College Girls" cover released on December 2nd 2008. The buoyant beauties wear the suits: Speedo LZR Racer (2008), Fastskin FSII (2004), Fastskin Speedo (2000), Speedo Aquablade (1996), Speedo S2000 (1992), and the Speedo Star Axcel (1988).

Although both playmates wore the 1-pieces, Sharae (who sports the latest Speedo) took around thirty minutes to squeeze into hers, as also is the case for professional athletes.

Controversy - Should Fastskin Swimsuits Have Been Allowed?

As with any innovative or technologically advanced product, there’re 2 sides to Fastskin swimsuits. Some consider that swimming is nothing but athlete vs. water. Also, many believe that high-tech technology shouldn’t interfere with this widespread concept. Some others want to obtain and use anything that will give them an added edge and raise the level of excitement in the competition. In case the claimed benefits are completely true, should these revolutionary swimsuits be allowed?

FINA rule SW 10.8 goes: “No swimmer shall be permitted to use or wear any device that may aid his speed, buoyancy or endurance during a competition (such as webbed gloves, flippers, fins, etc.). Goggles may be worn.” Interpreting this general rule is where the potential problem really lies. Reducing coefficient of friction to a value below that of bare skin obviously “aids his speed.” On the other hand, isn’t a direct source of propulsion (unless the “Gripper” concept is true). Reducing the density of the legs unquestionably “aids his buoyancy” by altering the body’s position inside the swimming pool, however the swimsuit itself is the same density as water.

The decision of the international governing body of swimming to approve these swimsuits is believed to be rushed because of the producers’ late debut of their swimsuits, as a matter of fact, United States Swimming (USS) had banned them from the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games trials since just one producer met a USS deadline in order to ensure all swimmers equal chance to have the swimsuit. This ban was lifted because of the pressure from the producers and to avoid a potential grievance. Swimming purists claim that the innovative Fastskin swimsuits have to be considered gear and not clothing. In accordance to the interpretation of The International Governing Body of Swimming rule SW 10.8, these swimsuits could not have been approved prematurely.

The FastSkin appears to help performance; what’s more, the level of that help is quite clear. How many of this year’s world records are directly because of this swimsuit is not quite clear, on the other hand. There’re three distance-swimming records that this suit should have helped break, however, didn’t. 10-year-old distance records weren’t even approached. Obviously, there’re factors other than the swimsuit such as fast pools, exercise and technique.



Should One Get This High-Tech Suit?

Now that the 2000 Sydney Olympics are long over, these new swimsuits are widely available to the public. Are these swimsuits just for top-class athletes, or should far less elite professional swimmers or those who swim just for fun and exercise get one? When you get down to the point, it all depends on how much an athlete is willing to pay to get the latest and very expensive technology in the pool, such as LZR Racer Elite. These swimsuits will make sense for serious professional athletes because it really gives them an advantage. It makes little or no sense, on the other hand, for someone who actually has no intention of competing and swims for fun, recreation and exercise. Actually, the performance doesn't really matter when swimming is for fun, recreation and enjoyment; so finding a less expensive alternative such as Aquablade or FastSkin II is fine.