Bikinis are for everyone

Posted by Marisa Crous on May 30, 2012 in body politics & sex | 4 comments

In this month’s issue we talk about the Vogue feature which became so popular, when a member of staff wrote about putting her young daughter on a strict diet. In relation to this, I find this recent campaign very interesting.

I just love this project by xoJane and Gabi, called the Fresh Fatkini Gallery. These are basically photos of women, size 14 and up, in their bikinis. Challenging the idea that only size 6 girls, and lower, can wear and look good in bikinis. I think this is wonderful!

How are we as women (size 10 and up) supposed to feel confident wearing a bikini, if we never see other women donning bikinis for fear of being laughed at? We need these images to surround us, i.e. women who are big, small, short, tall – that is what the world is made up after-all. Look around you, is everyone tall, skinny and gorgeous? I highly doubt that.

This is a real confidence booster for all women who have made excuses like: “I forgot my swimsuit at home,” or “No, I like swimming with my T-shirt on.”

This is not a campaign that is anti-skinny or pro-fat. It is merely an initiative which hopes to represent different bodies within the media. Being bombarded with images of one ideal body has definitely not been good for everyone’s self confidence and has created the notion that there is in fact bodies which we should find desirable and bodies we shouldn’t.

More body politics?