FROM new mothers to those a little middle-aged, you’d be hard-pressed to find a woman who hasn’t had some bikini anxiety over the summer.
But after years of being shunned in favor of the more conservative swimsuit by anyone with even the slightest hint of wrinkled or wrinkled skin, the bikini is back.
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Yes, skimpy two-pieces have been common on Love Island and fitness influencer social media, but not so much in older or curvier demographics.
The unspoken rule was that your bikini should be hung up after your kids and certainly not worn after age 35.
It was almost as if the female torso suddenly transformed into a vomit-inducing horror show.
I had my first child at 26 and immediately stopped wearing bikinis.
I gained weight and fell prey to the distorted idea that the ridged flab ring around my belly was repulsive.
Instead, I not only wore a bathing suit, but also a loose t-shirt over it.
However, since lockdown – when we were all forced into hiding – there has been a quiet revolution in swimwear among women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
Last summer, bikini sales increased 59% year on year, with baby boomers switching to string bikinis at a higher rate than any other generation.
Leading the charge among celebrities is Penny Lancaster.
The 53-year-old mother-of-two was pictured sporting a series of teeny-tiny bikinis on holiday with husband Rod Stewart and their family on their superyacht in Sardinia last month.
While some on social media criticized the model-turned-special police officer, claiming she is too old for a triangle bikini, most praised her for having body confidence and being happy in her own skin. She’s in good company.
From actress Demi Moore, 61, showing off her chiseled abs in a skimpy white number, to fellow actors Sharon Stone, 66, and Salma Hayek, 57, and TV presenter Jenny Powell, 56, middle-aged celebrities really appear to have abandoned the multifunctional.
In contrast, it made headlines in 2008 when Helen Mirren wore a red bikini days before her 63rd birthday.
And when former Vogue editor Alexandra Shulman shared a bikini selfie at age 59 in 2017, it caused a similar stir.
This year, however, there is no such fuss.
According to some studies, 46 is the age at which we stop caring about what others think.
‘More power to them’
I’m 40 years old and colleagues my age and a little older are thinking, “Screw it, wear the damn bikini. Life is too short”.
Recently, model Kelly Brook, 44, TV presenters Helen Skelton, 41, and Cat Deeley, 47, and actresses Priyanka Chopra, 42, and Jessica Alba, 43, showed off their incredible figures in tiny two-pieces.
Most of the women I’m friends with do the same, regardless of their body shape.
At Boux Avenue, 86% of swimwear sales are bikinis, compared to 14% for full suits.
And in a Mumsnet thread asking whether they should wear a bikini or swimsuit on holiday, women were overwhelmingly in favor of bikinis.
One user wrote: “Last year most women, regardless of age or shape, wore bikinis.”
Another said: “In a bikini it’s much easier to go to the bathroom.”
While a third added: “I like tanning my torso and I hate the feeling of cold, wet clothes on my stomach.”
One commented how she had seen a lot of “DGAF [don’t give a f***] old, inadequate grandmothers” on vacation and commented: “More power to them!” I have to agree.
Bikinis are much more flattering – and practical.
I’m not tall and thin, I’m 5’1″ and a size 12. But after having my third child two years ago, I realized this is the only body I’ll ever have, so why do I care what other people think? this?
Unlike when I went on vacation after my first child, now I only pack bikinis.
Nobody bats an eye. Even my husband doesn’t notice.
I opt for a high-waisted bottom and a padded underwire top, while friends can opt for a smaller triangle style.
Although I am still confident in my bikini, I will continue to wear it.
I’m not going to put a number on it when I should go back to a more covered up style.
My husband has never looked at his neon pink swim trunks and thought, “Maybe I’m too old for this, should I change into a more age-appropriate style?”
Why should it be any different for women?
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
