Recently, an article was written regarding high-waisted bikinis and why women shouldn't wear them. It is filled with sexist reasons for why women should just give these bathing suits up. Originally, I had decided not to read this article, because even from the title, I could tell it was a jerky, frat-boy article that was sure to offend me. However, against my better judgment, I clicked on the article link and began reading. Oh, how I wish I had refrained. As I read, it seemed to get worse and worse. I wish I could permanently delete this article from my memory. But, like a nightmare, it is burned into my brain.
The author begins his article by bashing all high-waisted bikinis, claiming that they are ugly and unflattering on all women. He states that they look like something his mom would wear. Apparently, high-waisted bikinis are repulsive because they remind the author of his mom, and all he wants to do is objectify women. He states that he wants an image of a hot girl to add to his “image bank” so he can save it for “later.” This is his problem, not ours. The fact of the matter is, when a woman buys a bathing suit, she buys it because she likes it, not because she wants to add to some guy's "image bank".
He goes on to say that normal women do not look good in them. What is a “normal girl”? Women come in many different shapes and sizes, all of which are beautiful. The author backs up his claim by stating that unless you are a supermodel or work out 24/7, you cannot pull off this look. This is a not-so-sneaky way of body shaming women, as it basically claims that we're not good-looking enough to wear a certain type of bathing suit. Whether or not women look good in this style is beside the point. The author still seems to be operating under the delusion that women dress to impress men. He is wildly incorrect. When I'm at the beach, I don't wake up and put on a bathing suit thinking “I can't wear a high waisted bathing suit today because men won't think I'm hot.” I put on whatever bathing suit I like, because it is comfortable and cute .
The author finally states that a woman's “assets” disappear in these bathing suits. According to the author, we worked so hard on making sure our butts look good, and these bathing suits just don't do them justice. Apparently, our image is wasted if it isn't objectified by a ton of guys at the beach. Even worse, a man's beach trip might be ruined if, heaven forbid, we wear something he doesn't love!
The biggest issue with this article is that it operates under the delusion that women exist solely for men to objectify. How this author's editor thought it was a good idea to publish this article, I will never understand. It seems to have offended every woman who has read it, and rightly so. It reeks of an entitled, whiny man-child who believes that women should dress to please him, with no care for themselves. Women dress in certain ways because it makes them feel good and confident about themselves, not because they want men to like them. This article is sexist and disrespectful to all women, as it furthers the assumption that women exist solely for men to objectify.
