Summer Sizzle Survey Responses

Here are the results of the summer sizzle survey I posted last week!

Temperature

At what temperature do you think it’s just totally inhumane not to have air conditioning?

• 25º C (77º F): 11%
• 30º C (86º F): 39%
• 35º C (95º F): 22%
• 40º C (104º F): 11%
• AC is for wusses: 3%
• Other:
  • Depends on the humidity levels.
  • If I had central air, I’d be using it at 30C (86F). However, I live in a shitty apartment with noisy window unit air conditioners, and the noise from the air conditioner makes me crazier than the heat, so I won’t put on the air-conditioning until absolutely desperate.
  • No to air conditioning, although l use a fan, we have exceedingly high humidity in UK, island surrounded by water and heatwaves after heatwave, l think air con is a bit lethal with the ability to spread virus pores.
  • at least 45 degrees C – or for immune-compromised/suppressed people at least 25
  • 68 at our house lol

I think AC is nice to have at 25º+ and a must-have at 30º+. I’m a bit surprised by how many people were okay with going higher than that. If it was 40º+ outside, I’d be spending the whole day in the bathtub with cold water running.

Will Americans ever be sensible and switch from Fahrenheit to celsius?

• No – you can’t expect sensible things from a country that elects people like Marjorie Taylor Greene: 28%
• No – too many Americans are too dumb to figure out a new system: 14%
• No – I’m weird and I think Fahrenheit is a better system: 14%
• Yes, I have hope that they’ll come to their senses: 8%
• I really don’t give a rat’s ass: 28%
• Other:
  • Americans are already used to Fahrenheit.
  • I am Cuban so I always think Celsius and do the conversion mentally.
  • Neither make any sense at all so it’s all in what you’re used to.
  • I grew up using Fahrenheit. Im 52 years old and don’t plan on changing it now.
  • As an American, I believe that our election system is worse than the Fahrenheit system. Our justice system, education system, and healthcare system are also worse. I’m not saying that Fahrenheit is better than Celsius (honestly, I have no idea. See flawed American educational system.) But I think the Fahrenheit system may be the most functional system we have in America. Obligatory patriotic chant time: USA! USA!
  • No: change costs money. We have a wall to build 🙄
  • No – you can’t expect sensible things from a country that elects people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Yes, I have hope that they’ll come to their senses, Ticking two because the options are funny. Maybe half the country will use C and half F, the way they are going.

Who are these people who think Fahrenheit is better? Celsius is just so reasonable—water freezes at 0º and boils at 100º. I wonder if Alex Jones has done any InfoWars videos on a metric system conspiracy theory…

Where have you peed?

As an adult, have you ever peed in a body of water? Check all that apply.

• Ocean: 43%
• Lake: 57%
• Pool: 29%
• Hot tub: 14%
• No, that’s gross: 26%
• No, and I’m in denial about the fact that other people do it: 6%
• Shower: 9%
• Other:
  • I do not immerse myself in ‘bodies of water’
  • I only did it back in my drinking days.
  • Fun fact: Did you know that if you pee in a bay populated by bioluminescent algae at night, your pee will be bioluminescent?! [For the record, I did not pee in the protected bioluminescent bay; I was holding the kayak steady while my kayak partner peed into the protected bioluminescent bay. Then I pretended not to know my kayak partner. This was difficult because I was married to my kayak partner. We have never kayaked in a bioluminescent bay again.]
  • I just remembered trying to in a pool/lake as a kid, and couldn’t, maybe because of the water pressure or not being used to it…
  • In the sea that is not an ocean
  • Someone once when they said they had been stung by a jellyfish, then when l peed on them, they said they were only joking??

That 9% of people who pee in the shower was all people who added it as an “Other” response, so the actual number of people who’ve peed in the shower would be higher.

I’m okay with grossness, but I’ve never peed in a hot tub, although I probably would if I was drunk.

Bioluminescent pee—wow!

According to Scientific American, the peeing on a jellyfish sting business is a myth popularized by Friends.

Nudity

Have you ever been to a nude beach?

• Yes, and I was nude: 6%
• Yes, and I was covered up: 6%
• No: 64%
• I would refuse if given the opportunity because naked people are not a pleasant sight to behold: 6%
• Other:
  • Yes but by accident
  • The beach was clothing optional by day and clothing required by night. Not everyone got that memo. It was awkward. (I refuse to disclose whether or not I’d gotten the memo)
  • No, But I would love to go to one
  • Topless beach
  • The sand really does get everywhere!
  • I really want to because of Miriam Margoyles and her trip to South Australia during THE FAIR GO – there was a great nudist beach and COMMUNITY there.
  • Not sure

WhenI was in university and living in student residence, a bunch of us trekked down to the nearest beach for a school year kickoff party kind of thing. The nearest beach was a nude beach, and the naked people were not happy with a bunch of clothed people suddenly showing up. They were quite adamant that we either take our clothes off or leave. We opted to leave. I’ve been down to that beach a few times, and my observation was that the people who went naked were very much not the kind of people one would want to see naked.

Do you think the average person looks better naked or clothed?

• Naked: 0%
• I think everyone should walk around naked all of the time during the summer: 3%
• Some assets on display but something left to the imagination: 44%
• Fully clothed: 25%
• Fully clothed, because the vast majority of people look frightening naked: 19%
• Other:
  • Only a fraction of people look good naked, the majority do not.
  • People with penises look better with artful draping, but people with vaginas look rather nice fully naked. I’m down with penis-owners being mostly naked, however.

I’d split it down the middle and say half of people look scary naked, and the other half look better with some assets on display. I’m not really surprised that no one answered naked.

In general, do you think the male or female body looks better naked? We’re talking average body, not 15/10 on a hotness scale, and aesthetic value rather than sexual attractiveness.

• Male: 6%
• Female: 51%
• Both are aesthetically pleasing: 31%
• Both are ugly: 3%
• Other:
  • No. But then I don’t really look at myself or want to and don’t want anyone else to.
  • I wouldn’t go so far to say ALL are ugly, certainly some average bodies are, but in general? Everybody should keep their damn clothes on.
  • Females hands down look better naked, men just look odd.

I find it interesting that so few people answered male, although I’m firmly in the camp that females look better naked. Without horny goggles on (kind of like beer goggles but without the beer), I would agree with the person who said men just look odd. And for anyone who may not be familiar with beer goggles, Google offers us this definition: “used to refer to the supposed influence of alcohol on one’s visual perception, whereby one is sexually attracted to people who would not otherwise be appealing.”

Swimwear

Multiple people didn’t know what a mankini was, so here you go. You’re welcome.

What is your swimwear of choice?

• One-piece for bodies with boobs: 28%
• Tankini: 14%
• Bikini: 25%
• Trunks: 14%
• Other:
  • I don’t own swimwear
  • Why are we only allowed to write comments for “Other”? I vote that Australia has the best slang ever! Note that I am a woman and I would not personally wear a Speedo.
  • Short shorts and a spaghetti strap
  • All in onesie with rabbit ears ..
  • Swim dress

We had no monokini, burkini, mankini, or Speedo/budgie smuggler wearers.

I’m a tankini-preferrer, and one of the reasons is that if you want to pee in the bathroom rather than the ocean/lake/pool/hot tub, that’s much easier to pull of in a tankini than a one-piece.

Would you be seen in public with a dude in a mankini? (Let’s assume for the sake of this question that said dude is less than a 15 on 1-10 scale of hotness.)

• Yes, proudly: 14%
• Yes, but only if I had a big floppy hat that could hide my face: 8%
• Maybe, but I’d pretend I didn’t know him: 17%
• Hell to the no: 42%
• Other:
  • I don’t think that I have any friends that wear mankinis.
  • I’d almost rather be seen in public with a dude who’s completely naked and peeing into the bioluminscent bay, than with a dude wearing a mankini. I’d still pretend I didn’t know him, but it would be less embarrassing.
  • Who in their right or even left mind wears a damn mankini anyway?
  • Haha

I’m in agreement that completely naked and peeing into a bioluminescent bay probably makes for a less embarrassing companion than a mankini-wearer. I wonder how Isla Fischer felt about Sacha Baron-Cohen rocking the mankini. I couldn’t find a freely available pic to include here, but The Guardian has one if you’re curious.

Skin

Chafing can be an issue when you get hot and sweaty, so let’s ‘fess up and normalize this. (Select all that apply.)

• Underboob area: 19%
• Between the thighs: 47%
• Underarm: 3%
• Groin: 14%
• Butt crack (clearly Ashley thinks there’s no such thing as TMI): 14%
• I don’t get chafing: 33%

Someone commented that I said but crack was TMI but groin wasn’t, which is a good point. I suppose it was 2 TMI items in a row that warranted a mention. 🤪

I’m a pretty heavy sweater, so I’m chafing all over the place, especially when my weight is on the heavier side. I wear skirts a lot in the summer, so between-the-thigh chafing gets really uncomfortable if I’m doing a lot of walking.

If you get sunburned and your skin starts peeling, how do you handle that situation?

• If it’s peeling anyway, I might as well join in the fun and peel away: 39%
• I use a loofah-type thing so I don’t look quite so piebald: 8%
• I leave it alone and let it do its own thing: 19%
• I don’t get sunburns: 19%
• I stay covered up because I’m as white as a ghost and burn at the slightest hint of sun: 8%
• Other:
  • moisturize, moisturize, moisturize
  • I do my best to avoid getting sunburns

There’s something that’s just so satisfying about peeling off sunburned skin, and I’m glad I’m not the only gross one. I can tan to quite a dark colour, and when that’s peeling off and leaving white skin underneath, it looks totally ridiculous.

Do you end up with tan lines in weird places? (Select all that apply)

• Around my eyes from my sunglasses: 23%
• The classic farmer tan from short sleeves: 39%
• Triangle boob tan from a bikini: 10%
• Sock tan: 19%
• Watch or jewellery tan lines: 48%
• No: 13% (half of these specified that it’s because they don’t tan)
• Other:
  • Hands (always wear long sleeves)
  • Probably around my forehead

I don’t go outside that much anymore, but I used to get really silly-looking sunglasses tan lines.

Socks

Do socks make an appearance when you’re out and about in the summer?

• Yes, with sandals: 3%
• Yes, flip flops and flip flop socks: 6%
• Yes, with shoes, with plenty of sock visible (like a crew socks and shorts kind of situation): 8%
• Yes, but they’re either ankle socks or worn with pants that keep them covered: 36%
• No: 39%
• I don’t, but someone else in my life does socks+sandals and it embarrasses me: 3%
• Other:
  • Depends on the shoes – certainly NOT with sandals; flip-flops are an abomination in and of themselves.
  • Only if the summer activity requires shoes that require socks, etc. going hiking , treadmill in an air-conditioned gym, working at a job that requires closed-toe sneakers for safety reasons, etc. But honestly, I struggle to think of activities that require non-sandal shoes in summer. I met a guy recently who went running outside every day of July; I think he must be a criminal on the run from the law. Seriously, who would do this voluntarily?
  • Sandals should be condemned they freak me out, eeek yawk no ways! Thongs [flip flops are marginally better, but l freak with open exposed toes! Way too clumsy. Anyone who wears sox with anything of this nature needs to be tarred and feathered.

I love people’s “Other” responses to this question!

If you’re a socks and sandals person, which of these best describes you?

• Gen-Z: 67%
• Gen-X: 33%
• Other:
  • Fashion-forward, which is why I would never wear socks and sandals.
  • I had a teacher at school (pre 2009) who wore socks and sandals and it was like a school punchline even among staff

The running shoes + white crew socks + shorts look will always remind me of my parents, particularly my dad.

It’s totally bizarre to me that socks and sandals are back in style for Gen-Z-ers. It was never a good look. I wonder if they just don’t realize how ugly it looks, or if they like it because it’s ugly.

I don’t like wearing flip flops, because I don’t want a toe wedgie, but I remember seeing a lot of flip flops and flip flop socks when I was travelling in India.

Thanks to everyone who participated! I’m currently out of survey ideas, but if you have any topics you’d like to see, feel free to suggest them.