It’s
that time of year again. We’ve finally seen the end of the winter months, we
can put the granny chic alpine knits, knee high boots and oversized furry
bobble hats that we’ve been wearing all season away and finally enjoy summer.
And hey, if we’re lucky we may even have some sunny days this year. Beer gardens,
strawberries and cream, Wimbeldon, the Olympics, long summer evening strolls
and enough fake tan to make us appear that we’ve been on holiday even though
everyone knows we haven’t, summery vibes are in full force. Alongside sunny days at home you’ve booked yourself that
much needed sun holiday to finally get some well deserved Vitamin D- you’re off
to Santorini, naturally... All is well, harp music is playing in the background
and you’re transported to a summery carefree daydream then oh shit, #BIKINIFEAR sets
in.
Now I love summer. I love BBQ’s in the garden, taking Babs on walks through buttercup littered fields, being able to leave the house without actually needing take an oversized jumper with me and knowing that I’ve got a holiday in only a months time. One thing I do not like however, is #BIKINIFEAR. It’s no secret that every woman in her lifetime- unless, of course, you have the body of a Victoria’s Secret angel- fears that one moment. That one moment we have to remove that billowing floaty kaftan and stand in a crowded place surrounded by complete strangers in essentially glorified waterproof underwear. What’s worse is that when you’re wearing a bikini you know you’re half naked yet you're expected to be full of self-confidence and really you're like....
It probably wouldn’t come as a surpise that only 11% of women feel confident in bikini. I’ve never really had any massive issues with my body before, of course when I was completing my Final Major Project at uni I ate so much ice cream and unhealthy snacks I knew that I resembled a tub of lard, but who doesn’t experience weight guilt in their life at some point? It’s only natural but we seem to get on with it every other day of our lives. But put the combination of a beach, sun, half naked bodies and hot heat together you come over in a rush of anxiety and fear that yep, you’re gonna have to take that dress off and join the club.
In our defence companies absolutely play into our insecurities of #BIKINIFEAR. From the dreaded Sports Illustrated magazine cover we see smothered across WH Smith Stands featuring goddess like human mannequins to the latest Boots ad featuring a packed beach falling quiet and watchful as a woman strips to her bikini. When realistically for women it’s a stark, gritty and unnerving moment when the whole worlds seems to stop what it’s doing and check you out, assess you, and inevitably, judge you. 60% of women think that other woman are in better shape than they are and 53% of us feel insecure when we’re next to someone with a dynamite body. All in all this entire situation just screams insecurities and there's no wonder why there is a lack of confidence.
But why should this moment be so absolutely gut wrenchingly awful? We’ve worked hard all year, tackled numerous work deadlines and to be fair, we fucking deserve to led on a sun lounger beautifully bronzed in a foreign destination. But realistically everything about getting to that moment seems stressful- before you even get to the beach you’ve got to get something to wear and the entire experience is exhausting. Going into a store and finding a bikini, taking it to try on in a changing room that is cramped, boiling hot with awful lighting that highlights all the areas of your body you hate then finding that while the size ten top fits perfectly there’s no way that the size ten bottoms are being able to be pulled up. Even after having that awful experience in the first store you go to another with the last bit of perseverance you have to find that the sizing’s are completely different, you’re still overheated and end up going home, empty handed and empty of any confidence you had before you left. Do these typical and well-documented experiences that we’ve all had at one point pollute and ultimately destroy that feeling of complete joy we should feel prior to going away?
Now I love summer. I love BBQ’s in the garden, taking Babs on walks through buttercup littered fields, being able to leave the house without actually needing take an oversized jumper with me and knowing that I’ve got a holiday in only a months time. One thing I do not like however, is #BIKINIFEAR. It’s no secret that every woman in her lifetime- unless, of course, you have the body of a Victoria’s Secret angel- fears that one moment. That one moment we have to remove that billowing floaty kaftan and stand in a crowded place surrounded by complete strangers in essentially glorified waterproof underwear. What’s worse is that when you’re wearing a bikini you know you’re half naked yet you're expected to be full of self-confidence and really you're like....
It probably wouldn’t come as a surpise that only 11% of women feel confident in bikini. I’ve never really had any massive issues with my body before, of course when I was completing my Final Major Project at uni I ate so much ice cream and unhealthy snacks I knew that I resembled a tub of lard, but who doesn’t experience weight guilt in their life at some point? It’s only natural but we seem to get on with it every other day of our lives. But put the combination of a beach, sun, half naked bodies and hot heat together you come over in a rush of anxiety and fear that yep, you’re gonna have to take that dress off and join the club.
In our defence companies absolutely play into our insecurities of #BIKINIFEAR. From the dreaded Sports Illustrated magazine cover we see smothered across WH Smith Stands featuring goddess like human mannequins to the latest Boots ad featuring a packed beach falling quiet and watchful as a woman strips to her bikini. When realistically for women it’s a stark, gritty and unnerving moment when the whole worlds seems to stop what it’s doing and check you out, assess you, and inevitably, judge you. 60% of women think that other woman are in better shape than they are and 53% of us feel insecure when we’re next to someone with a dynamite body. All in all this entire situation just screams insecurities and there's no wonder why there is a lack of confidence.
But why should this moment be so absolutely gut wrenchingly awful? We’ve worked hard all year, tackled numerous work deadlines and to be fair, we fucking deserve to led on a sun lounger beautifully bronzed in a foreign destination. But realistically everything about getting to that moment seems stressful- before you even get to the beach you’ve got to get something to wear and the entire experience is exhausting. Going into a store and finding a bikini, taking it to try on in a changing room that is cramped, boiling hot with awful lighting that highlights all the areas of your body you hate then finding that while the size ten top fits perfectly there’s no way that the size ten bottoms are being able to be pulled up. Even after having that awful experience in the first store you go to another with the last bit of perseverance you have to find that the sizing’s are completely different, you’re still overheated and end up going home, empty handed and empty of any confidence you had before you left. Do these typical and well-documented experiences that we’ve all had at one point pollute and ultimately destroy that feeling of complete joy we should feel prior to going away?
Realistically, and as
corny as it sounds: don’t fear the bikini, fear the myth.
When
it comes down to that one moment that we’re in a tranquil location, a world away from
work, deadlines, priorities and everyday stress and that sun dress needs comes
off, I don’t know about you but I just think, ‘oh fuck it.’ Take it off, chuck it in
your bag and think about how much you deserve to enjoy every second of this
wonderful escape. Who cares if you’ve just drunk a large boozy mojito and
you’ve got the standard after bev bloat? Who cares if you were doing well on
your health hype before holiday and you accidentally (on purpose) fall in to Burger King at
the airport and scoff a double bacon cheeseburger? Holidays are designed as a
tranquil escape and we shouldn’t be contaminating the experience with negative thoughts,
that in the great scheme of things, are somewhat irrelevant. You can bet every
other woman littered around the pool that has a glossy layer of sun cream
lathered on their bodies has experienced that same negative experience you have,
but is that stopping them? It doesn't appear so.
Confidence is more than what is seen in a bikini. Confidence is self-love and accepting that yes I may not look like Candice Swanepoel but who gives a shit, pass me another mojito and let me read my rubbish rom-com book while I live and breathe every awesome moment of being on this holiday. If you’re on a bit of a detox prior to your summer adventure, go for it and tuck into your salads and coconut water at lunch instead of your usual Pret hot meatball wrap but don’t stand on the scales before you leave to justify your progress: nothing will start a holiday off worse than standing on a set of scales and having any pride or accomplishment taken away by an unreliable number. Similarly if you’ve still got to find that dreaded bikini- take a mate and have a laugh while you try and tackle some of the somewhat complicated strappy bikinis that are littering the high street at the moment when you accidentally put your head in the pouch designed for your boob. Worse comes to worse whack on Beyoncé and strut to that pool and have a Crazy In Love sassy moment- that's always a safe option when you're in need of a pick-me-up. Make those pre-holiday little negatives become positives- enjoy it! Afterall, we bloody deserve it.
Confidence is more than what is seen in a bikini. Confidence is self-love and accepting that yes I may not look like Candice Swanepoel but who gives a shit, pass me another mojito and let me read my rubbish rom-com book while I live and breathe every awesome moment of being on this holiday. If you’re on a bit of a detox prior to your summer adventure, go for it and tuck into your salads and coconut water at lunch instead of your usual Pret hot meatball wrap but don’t stand on the scales before you leave to justify your progress: nothing will start a holiday off worse than standing on a set of scales and having any pride or accomplishment taken away by an unreliable number. Similarly if you’ve still got to find that dreaded bikini- take a mate and have a laugh while you try and tackle some of the somewhat complicated strappy bikinis that are littering the high street at the moment when you accidentally put your head in the pouch designed for your boob. Worse comes to worse whack on Beyoncé and strut to that pool and have a Crazy In Love sassy moment- that's always a safe option when you're in need of a pick-me-up. Make those pre-holiday little negatives become positives- enjoy it! Afterall, we bloody deserve it.
Long story short what I’m trying to say is that don’t make that pre-fear overtake the excitement. Make those pre-holiday little negatives become positives- it’ll make you feel ready for that moment when you have to slip into that new bikini you've picked up because you would have been actually looking forward to it. Don't let #BIKINIFEAR get in the way. Enjoy every second of your sunny escape, whether its staying closer to home or off somewhere fabulous, and remember that all us ladies share the same initial fear and we're supporting one another every step of the way. I'll be keeping that in mind when I'm like a beached whale in Samos soaking up the sun while eating vast quantities of halloumi and supping on umbrella decorated alcoholic beverages. #sorrynotsorry.
Bikini ready or not, summer I'm so ready for you.
A x
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