The Japan Swimming Federation is cracking down on athletes who think they're rock stars. In addition, male and female swimmers are not supposed to sneak into each others' rooms.

It seems like whenever uniforms are involved, it's human to try and stand out — assert your own identity. Basketball players sometimes get heavily tattooed; Catholic schoolgirls often tweak their skirts.

The question is: Is it more important to play by the rules? Or be yourself? In Japan, at least, it seems that representing the country respectfully is the ideal… But who doesn't want to root for the rebel?

Japan Pours Cold Water On Fashionista Swimmers [Reuters]

[Rome, July 29. Image via Getty]

Italy's Federica Pellegrini celebrates after the women's 200m freestyle final on July 29, 2009 at the FINA World Swimming Championships in Rome. Pellegrini won gold and set a new world record with 1:52.98. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAU (Photo credit should read MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)

According to a survey taken by the Water Quality and Health Council, 17% of Americans—that's roughly 1 in 6— admit that they've peed in a public pool. Perhaps these people weren't terrified into holding it by a lifeguard who told them that the water would turn bright purple and everyone would know if they peed while swimming. Or, perhaps, the fact that 78% of all swimmers believed that their fellow pool patrons were using the water as a giant toilet led 1 in 6 adults down F-It Highway, thinking that they weren't alone in their unsanitary habits.

Of course, chlorine helps kill off some of the germs spread by sneezing, spitting, urinating, and sweating in the pool, but it's probably best to follow the CDC's recommendations and avoid swallowing any pool water. Or maybe, in light of such nasty revelations, we should all just switch the ol' lifeguard standby around and start swimming in our toilets instead. At least we'd know who was peeing in the water.

One In Six Adults Admit Urinating In Pool [UPI]

Adlington, a 5 foot 11 Olympic champ (video of one of her wins, here), tells the Daily Mail:

Do you know why I like shoes? They make me feel feminine. My shoulders stand out and people always say, "Aren't they broad?" And I think, "Thanks! You are really making me feel better about myself." I don't hate them, but I'd like to be more petite.

Without them, though, I know I wouldn't have the power I have – they are what makes me go so fast in the water – but out of the water, they definitely look better with a nice pair of shoes.

How heartbreaking is it, that in this era of "dainty" size 0 celebs, a strong, amazing woman — who is tapping into the potential of her (female) body — thinks of herself as unfeminine? What does "feminine" mean, anyway?

Here's the Merriam-Webster definition:

1: female
2: characteristic of or appropriate or unique to women {feminine beauty} {a feminine perspective}

But in our culture, it seems like "feminine" means dolled up, ruffled, manicured, wearing Louboutins. It doesn't mean getting dirty, or exerting yourself, or getting sweaty. Adlington says:

"I think there is a problem in that girls don't think it's cool to be sporty. I had that feeling when I used to trudge into school after training with my hair wet, smelling of chlorine, with no make-up on and thinking, 'Oh God, all the other girls look fantastic.' We need to change the view that you can't be a sportswoman and be feminine. I am certainly feminine outside the pool.'"

Of course, to prove that she is most certainly female, the paper shot Adlington by the pool in heels and a frilly dress. But she seems to have some sort of peer-induced ideal in her mind that she just can't shake: The reporter suggests she is bringing glamour to swimming, and Adlington responds, "Me? Bring glamour to the sport? I don't think so. I looked dreadful at the end of my 800 meters when I pulled my hat off and the wet hair was flopping in a face bare of make-up. Awful!" That is how she describes the moment in Beijing when she won the gold medal. Why?

Olympic Champion Rebecca Adlington: 'Girls Don't Think It's Cool To Be Sporty' [Daily Mail]

Earlier: British Swimmer Rebecca Adlington Has World Record, Good Friends

The experience set off a lifelong dream of swimming the seas, which Figge, 56, completed on Thursday, becoming the first woman to complete a swim across the Atlantic Ocean. She set out from the Cape Verde Islands on January 12, and touched land in Trinidad, having spent roughly a month at sea keeping in touch with her friend, David Higdon, by satellite phone. Figge was accompanied by a crew who provided her with pasta, peanut butter, and fresh water; she spent anywhere between 8 hours and 21 minutes in the water at any given time. As for sharks, Figge claims she never saw any: "I was never scared. Looking back, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can always swim in a pool." [MSNBC]

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[Image via AP.]

Natalie du Toit, of South Africa, center, removes her prosthetic leg before the start of the women's marathon swimming during the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. Portugal's Daniela Inacio, left, and Italy's Martina Grimaldi, right, look on. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, IOPP, Pool) — AP

Read more coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Spanish Andrea Fuentes and Gemma Mengual (R) perform in the synchronized swimming duet free routine final event at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 20, 2008. Russians Anastasia Davydova and Anastasia Ermakova won the Olympic synchronised swimming gold medal here ahead of Spain and Japan. AFP PHOTO / MARTIN BUREAU (Photo credit should read MARTIN BUREAU/AFP/Getty Images)

BEIJING - AUGUST 15: Lisbeth Trickett of Australia reacts to her second place finish after the Women's 100m Freestyle Final held at the National Aquatics Centre during Day 7 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 15, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

BEIJING - AUGUST 14: Natalie Coughlin of the United States competes in the Women's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay Final held at the National Aquatics Centre during Day 6 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 14, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

[Image via Getty.]

Guinea's Mamadou Cisse (C) competes during the men's 50m freestyle swimming heats at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 14, (TIMOTHY CLARY/AFP/Getty Images) — Getty

Read more coverage of the 2008 Olympic Games.