PUBLIC OPINION > Most People Have Had a Bathing Suit Malfunction

Poor Katy Perry! Sometimes being in the spotlight doesn't work out to your advantage. The "Fireworks" singer mooned an entire water park this weekend -- on accident, mind you. She was climbing out of a pool, and her bikini bottom didn't want to leave. Unfortunately, a keen observer got a few snaps of the action, and now Perry's derriere is all over the interwebs. Happens all the time, right? Well, we asked the public to find out.


The public feels Katy Perry's pain. Though most people probably don't have photographic evidence like Perry, they do admit that bathing suit malfunctions are a common occurrence. Swimsuits are flimsy; water is strong. It's a dangerous combination. Now we have to wonder how long it will be before Rihanna coincidentally follows suit.

Women Are More At-Risk

Bikinis aren't the only swim attire that tends to slip off. Nearly half of male voters (45%) say it's happened to them, too. Gotta make sure those trunks are tied tight! But as you might expect, the gals were far more likely to have experienced a swimsuit malfunction. A two-piece suit means twice the risk.

Middle-Age Miracle

There was actually a very strong correlation in the age breakdown -- some of it you might expect, other bits not so much. Well, to start, the 18-24 group was by far the most likely group to have accidentally slipped out of their swimsuit. Not that many are complaining. But when you start going up in age, the swimsuits become remarkably resilient -- until about 45. After that, swimsuits start falling off again.

Drinkers Don't Have Much Trouble

We wrongly suspected drinkers would have a harder time keeping their private areas private in the pool, but it turns out smokers are the ones having a tough time. They were actually 23% more likely than nonsmokers to have experienced a malfunction, while drinkers were only 7% more likely than nondrinkers.

If you'd like to vote on this question, dig deeper into the demographics, or engage in existing discussion about the topic, visit our poll about swimsuit malfunctions. We'd love to hear from you!