Guess what; It’s not a coincidence we are feeling this way.
That sound you hear? It’s the avalanche of “summer is coming” content flooding the airwaves, internet searches, magazines, tv shows, store shelves and every other nook of the advertising world.
You know the type of stuff I’m talking about. It’s the “how to get your body beach ready in time for summer” articles. The dozens of beauty brands pedaling cellulite-busting and fat-melting creams and potions. Friends posting status updates about their “bikini body” weight loss progress accompanied by the obligatory before and after shots.
It's a thing. And it's not new.
Bo Derek in 1979's 10. Pamela Anderson in 1992's Baywatch. Kate Upton in 2014's The Other Woman. Each time you see a woman jogging on a beach, there are two consistent realities: She is always in slow motion, and she is invariably slim. The former is hilarious, while the latter is more harmful. Presenting any body as the only desirable type of body may sell, and it may also be pretty darn dangerous.
The Rise of the Bikini Body
The concept of the bikini body is simple: In order to wear a bikini, and have it be deemed socially acceptable, you should have a specific type of figure. This includes but is not limited to: a thin waist, round butt, full-but-not-too-large breasts, and long legs. There should be no cellulite, no body hair, no stretch marks, no blemishes. In short, you should have the body of a heavily Photoshopped celebrity that fits the profoundly narrow definition of beauty in Western society.
According to The Cut, the term "bikini body" was initially popularized as a result of a weight loss chain's ad campaign in 1961. The name of the company was Slenderella. "Summer's wonderful fun is for those who look young," one ad read. "High firm bust — hand span waist — trim, firm hips — slender graceful legs — a Bikini body!" The message was loud and clear: Want to look good in a bathing suit? You have to look like this. And you know those weird videos of women in the '50s and '60s lying on vibrating tables that supposedly "shook off" fat? That was what Slenderella specialized in. While it wasn't exactly an effective workout, it did usher in a phrase that would be used to aggressively shame women's bodies for years to come.
This theme has continued throughout the last six decades, both in advertising and in entertainment. Most of the most iconic scenes in films featuring women in swimsuits reflect this — just look at literally any Bond girl ever. Onscreen and off, the term "bikini body" has become synonymous with tall and lean. A quick Google search of the term shows exactly what it's associated with: Again, the images almost exclusively depict thin, able-bodied white women in their twenties and thirties with medium-sized breasts, narrow waists, zero cellulite, hairless skin and toned stomachs. The framework for having your body considered bikini-worthy is clearly narrow.
And no matter what your weight is, there's always a label somebody wants to slap on it: pear-shaped, skinny, hourglass, top-heavy, fat, whatever. You're "supposed" to dress according to your body shape, as though humans neatly, naturally fit into these categories.
Bo Derek in 1979's 10. Pamela Anderson in 1992's Baywatch. Kate Upton in 2014's The Other Woman. Each time you see a woman jogging on a beach, there are two consistent realities: She is always in slow motion, and she is invariably slim. The former is hilarious, while the latter is more harmful. Presenting any body as the only desirable type of body may sell, and it may also be pretty darn dangerous.
The Rise of the Bikini Body
The concept of the bikini body is simple: In order to wear a bikini, and have it be deemed socially acceptable, you should have a specific type of figure. This includes but is not limited to: a thin waist, round butt, full-but-not-too-large breasts, and long legs. There should be no cellulite, no body hair, no stretch marks, no blemishes. In short, you should have the body of a heavily Photoshopped celebrity that fits the profoundly narrow definition of beauty in Western society.
According to The Cut, the term "bikini body" was initially popularized as a result of a weight loss chain's ad campaign in 1961. The name of the company was Slenderella. "Summer's wonderful fun is for those who look young," one ad read. "High firm bust — hand span waist — trim, firm hips — slender graceful legs — a Bikini body!" The message was loud and clear: Want to look good in a bathing suit? You have to look like this. And you know those weird videos of women in the '50s and '60s lying on vibrating tables that supposedly "shook off" fat? That was what Slenderella specialized in. While it wasn't exactly an effective workout, it did usher in a phrase that would be used to aggressively shame women's bodies for years to come.
This theme has continued throughout the last six decades, both in advertising and in entertainment. Most of the most iconic scenes in films featuring women in swimsuits reflect this — just look at literally any Bond girl ever. Onscreen and off, the term "bikini body" has become synonymous with tall and lean. A quick Google search of the term shows exactly what it's associated with: Again, the images almost exclusively depict thin, able-bodied white women in their twenties and thirties with medium-sized breasts, narrow waists, zero cellulite, hairless skin and toned stomachs. The framework for having your body considered bikini-worthy is clearly narrow.
And no matter what your weight is, there's always a label somebody wants to slap on it: pear-shaped, skinny, hourglass, top-heavy, fat, whatever. You're "supposed" to dress according to your body shape, as though humans neatly, naturally fit into these categories.
How This Affects Us
At least 20 million women and 10 million men suffer from a "clinically significant eating disorder" during their lives. The median age of eating disorder onset is approximately 12 to 13 years old. Forty-two percent of girls in first, second and third grade say they want to be thinner. The fact that many folks, particularly young women and girls, have negative feelings toward their bodies is nothing new.
Eating disorders are not always the direct result of poor body image — many folks cope with trauma by controlling their food intake, for example, while others develop eating issues in response to familial relationships, such as a parent who's constantly nagging their child to lose weight or to eat less. It is not so simple as seeing a tabloid making fun of, say, Kelly Clarkson for gaining weight — and poof! Suddenly you've got an eating disorder. Still, the messages telling you over and over and over that your body is inadequate, unsightly, disconcerting and unacceptable are grating — and borderline impossible to avoid.
The concept of the swimsuit body is nothing more than a societal myth constructed to tear away at self-esteem. In a culture that profits from our insecurities, the bikini body traps consumers into believing they must change something about themselves in order to be deemed socially acceptable. Although striving to be healthy isn’t necessarily a bad thing, health is not the end goal in the “bikini body challenge.” Our obsession with looking “beach ready” just shows how normalized objectification and self-hatred is: we merely accept this fear of looking fat on the beach as something completely normal.
While this is typically associated with women, men struggle with this same issue: all genders are impacted by low self-esteem when it comes to body image (particularly relating to swimsuits). In a recent poll on Twitter, 63% of respondents said they had avoided going somewhere in public due to self-consciousness regarding their body in a swimsuit (the demographics of this poll were primarily college and high school students).
Rejecting the Ideal
In the past few years, people — particularly women — have been pushing back against this impossible-to-meet standard. Models, bloggers and prominent celebrities like Mindy Kaling, Amy Schumer, Jennifer Lawrence and Mo'Nique have outspokenly rejected the traditional notion that their bodies need to match one specific appearance, lest they resign themselves to a life of floor-length dresses and knee-length swimsuits. Model Tess Holiday, for example, runs the popular Eff Your Beauty Standards page, posting photos of gorgeous folks of all sizes rocking crop tops, bikinis, short skirts and more. You name it, they've worn it, and worn it beautifully. Another loud and proud promoter of body positivity is YouTube star Meghan Tonjes, whose #BootyRevolution campaign invites people to share their figures as she celebrates her own — and refuses to let anyone make her feel like her body is somehow not acceptable or worthy of being seen.
So how can we fix it? We can start by abandoning the idea of the “swimsuit body.” We, as a society, must be more accepting and loving of not only others, but ourselves as well. We must look for happiness and satisfaction within ourselves as opposed to attempting to find happiness by emulating the girl on the cover of Sports Illustrated (yes, she is beautiful, but so are you and everyone else, in a unique and radiant way).
Remember, there are only two steps to getting the perfect swimsuit body: buy an awesome swimsuit and put it on YOUR body, just as it is.
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