Summer is here, finally. It’s time for tans (or burns), actually eating ice cream outside, and the beach. Along with tans and beaches also comes bathing suit season. Every year we hear it: “You better get in shape for bikini season!” “Don’t forget, you have to have your bikini body ready.” And that’s fine—I understand that it’s a marketing strategy for many fitness facilities and companies that advertise dieting. But what defines a ‘bikini body?’
I took to Twitter and searched for the term. I was actually surprised to find a lot of body positivity, but what I was not surprised to see was photo after photo of a celebrity in a bikini saying things like “flaunts her bikini bod,” “enviable,” and “racy photo.” First of all, if someone is confident enough to post a picture of themselves in a bikini, good for them. Second, most of these photos were clearly taken without the subject’s knowledge (i.e. paparazzi pictures). That’s not okay. JLo was literally just trying to go to the beach and probably get her tan on—she likely wasn’t trying to ‘flaunt her bikini body.’
I was also not surprised to find an account called @BikiniBody2016. Almost the entire page is dedicated to weight loss tips and workout routines. Clearly, it’s one of those pages that just posts links to things that you can buy; however, the fact that the account exists at all is problematic. The idea that you don’t have a bikini ready body if you’re not thin and have a thigh gap is ridiculous. We’ve all seen tweets or Facebook posts saying things like “if you’re over 130 pounds, don’t wear a bikini.” That idea is so absurd. Every time I see a girl in a bikini, no matter her weight, I love it. I don’t think about that girl’s weight or height or shape or skin color. I think about how cute that bathing suit is and I’m happy that she has the confidence to wear it.
Earlier this semester, I wrote a Facebook post in response to an article about skinny-shaming. I agree with the concept, but the article was written in the context of “you can call me anorexic, so why can’t I call you a whale?”—which is not the right way to make your point. The point that I made was that no one should be shamed for the way they look. Why does it matter what someone weighs? It has no effect on you whatsoever. I’ve heard people make the argument that it’s not aesthetically pleasing, to which my response is always “What the hell?” I hate to break it to you, but not everyone thinks you’re aesthetically pleasing. That’s true for everyone, no matter what they look like.
If someone, man or woman, is confident enough in themselves to rock a bathing suit on the beach or at the pool this summer, let them. Sometimes they may be self-conscious, and when you judge them or make comments—directly to them or not—it shatters whatever semblance of confidence they may have had.
I’m normally very confident in myself and the way I look, but the second I put on a bikini, I’m very self-conscious. I’ve had people comment on my ‘bikini body’—even if it’s a compliment, it makes me uncomfortable. And not for nothing, it’s usually a backhanded compliment. It’s none of your business what people are wearing. It’s hot out, let people wear their beach attire. Anybody that is wearing a bikini has a bikini body; it’s as simple as that.
