A recent article from Discovery Girls magazine featured an article titled “What Swimsuit Best Suits You?” and then defined different body types and the swimsuit styles that best ‘fit’ that shape based on drawing the eyes away from their curvy areas. There’s been kickback both on Twitter and Facebook, especially from mothers, in response to the content in this article.
People are drawing attention to the fact that the magazine is geared towards girls ages eight to nine-years-old and that a magazine spread like this will only perpetuate earlier self-doubt and self-consciousness. Some find contention with the negative message in that any appearance should be embraced, though others don’t want appearance to be the focal point at all. Other mothers in Facebook comments have asked why the summer and beach themed article couldn’t have involved what girls do on the beach. For example, an article like which swimsuits best fit the activities you do on the beach (volleyball, surfing, etc) or swimsuits that offer the best protection from the sun.
Reading the pieces already about this topic and perusing the opinions on Facebook, I found myself conflicted between the idea that a girl’s magazine shouldn’t be all about appearance, but I also grew up fascinated with fashion and design. To completely remove appearance-based topics out of girl’s magazines supposes that all girls will be interested in those active, more sporty activities cited, but what about the girls who do want to study fashion and design and style their beach attire? Those girls too should be embraced.
Additionally, while it’s a nice idea to think if we just remove all the content out there that tells women how to dress for their body types and embrace the idea that a bikini body is just a body with a bikini on it, it’s a tad naïve. There’s a difference between ignoring an issue with society and combating it.
For anyone, any gender, understanding how different cuts, patterns and style affect your appearance empowers you to design yourself and informing girls how to do that doesn’t indefinitely put them down, but insinuating that they have to hide ‘flaws’ does.
My real issue with this article is not that it’s about appearance or that it’s about how different styles affect your body, but with the tone it presents in saying “here’s how to draw the eyes away from your ‘problem area.’” Eight-year-old girls do not have problem areas. 18-year-old young women do not have problem areas. 34-year-old women do not have problem areas. 24-year-old men do not have problem areas. We all have a body. We all should embrace and understand and respect our body. To do that, we should be empowered with information about dressing that body.
Clothing and fashion have power and that shouldn’t be taken away from girls, but we should perpetuate the power in their fashion. We should never tell a girl if she has a curvy upper portion to draw the eyes away, but she should have the information of style to make a choice if she’d like to draw the eyes down or up or anywhere. Society doesn’t get to have an opinion on an individual woman’s body, but she sure does.
A magazine about beach attire should cover all the bases.
Teach girls about which cuts provide the smoothest swim if they want to be faster. Teach girls which ones offer the best support if they have growing breasts. Teach girls which swimsuits move best athletically, which are best for lounging. Teach girls about color schemes. Teach girls as much as they might use in their unique interests and lifestyle. Knowledge is the true power for all these issues.
Knowledge and positivity will empower them to make conscious choices about however they want to enrobe their bodies for the summer because undermining the power of clothing is not the right answer, but empowering the girls who choose those clothes is.
