FROM new mums to those with a little middle-aged spread, you’d be hard-pressed to find a woman who hasn’t had some bikini anxiety come summer.
But after years of being shunned in favour of the more conservative swimsuit by anyone with the slightest sign of podge or crepey skin, the bikini is back.
Yes, tiny two-pieces have been commonplace on Love Island and fitness influencers’ social media, but not so much within older or curvier demographics.
The unwritten rule was that your bikini should be hung up post-kids and certainly not worn after the age of 35.
It was almost as if the female torso suddenly morphs into a vomit-inducing horror show.
I had my first baby at 26 and immediately stopped wearing bikinis.
I put on weight and fell victim to the warped idea that the stretch-marked ring of flab around my tummy was repulsive.
Instead, I not only wore a swimsuit, but a baggy T-shirt over the top, too.
However, since lockdown — when we were all forced to hide away — there has been a quiet swimwear revolution among women in their 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.
Last summer, bikini sales were up 59 per cent year on year, with baby boomers switching to string bikinis at a higher rate than any other generation.
Leading the charge amid celebrities is Penny Lancaster.
The 53-year-old mum of two was snapped showcasing a string of itsy bitsy bikinis on holiday with husband Rod Stewart and their family on their super yacht in Sardinia last month.
While some on social media criticised the model-turned-special constable, claiming she is too old for a triangle bikini, most praised her for being body confident and happy in her own skin. She’s in good company.
From 61-year-old actor Demi Moore showing off her well-honed abs in a skimpy white number to fellow actors Sharon Stone, 66, and Salma Hayek, 57, and TV presenter Jenny Powell, 56, mid-life celebs really do appear to have ditched the all-in-one.
In contrast, it was headline news 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 aged 59 in 2017, it caused a similar stir.
This year, however, there is no such fuss.
According to some studies, 46 is the age we stop caring what others think.
I’m 40 and peers my age and slightly older are thinking, “Sod it, wear the bloody bikini. Life is too short”.
Recently, model Kelly Brook, 44, TV hosts Helen Skelton, 41, and Cat Deeley, 47, and actors Priyanka Chopra, 42, and Jessica Alba, 43, have all showcased their incredible figures in tiny two-pieces.
The majority of women I’m friends with are doing the same, regardless of their body shape.
At Boux Avenue, 86 per cent of swimwear sales are bikinis, compared to 14 per cent for one-piece costumes.
And on a Mumsnet thread asking whether to wear a bikini or swimming costume on holiday, women were overwhelmingly in favour of bikinis.
One user wrote: “Last year, most women regardless of age or shape were in bikinis.”
Another said: “A bikini is much easier to go to the loo in.”
While a third added: “I like to get my torso tanned and I hate the feeling of a wet, cold suit on my tummy.”
One commented how she had seen plenty of “DGAF [don’t give a f***] old, unfit grandmas” on holiday and remarked, “More power to them!”. I have to agree.
Bikinis are so much more flattering — and practical.
I’m not tall and skinny, I’m 5ft and a size 12. But after having my third child two years ago, I realised this is the only body I am ever going to have so why do I care what other people think of it?
Unlike when I went on holiday after my first child, I now only pack bikinis.
No one blinks an eye. Even my husband doesn’t notice.
I go for a high-waisted bottom and an underwired, padded top, while friends might opt for a smaller, triangle style.
While I’m still confident in my bikini, I’ll continue to wear it.
I’m not going to put a number on when I should revert back to a more covered-up style.
My husband has never looked at his neon-pink swimming trunks and thought, “Maybe I’m too old for these, should I switch to a more age-appropriate style?”.
Why should it be different for women?
