Why being ‘ bikini ready ’ is absolute rubbish.

By NICKY CHAMP

It’s that time of year again, the one where the female population descends down a clean eating, juice cleansing, crash dieting, waxing, tanning rabbit hole all in the name of getting a ‘ bikini ready ’ body.

Amiright?

Feel free to kick the kale to the kerb and spit out the spirulina because (it tastes bad and) we’ve all been brainwashed by the cleverest marketing scheme in decades.

Just as an FYI, you should know that this post is sponsored by Swimwear Galore. But all opinions expressed by the author are 100% authentic and written in their own words.

The end of winter hardly has to hit before we see a slew of promotions for gym memberships, weight loss products and magazine cover lines pedaling the latest advice on how to get ‘ bikini ready ’.

And it’s complete garbage.

From an early age, we’re bombarded with messages about how we can make ourselves look better, thinner, prettier, etc and this pressure to fit into a narrow ideal only amplifies with the warmer weather.

Don’t get me wrong, this post isn’t about healthy bashing. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to be fit and healthy or even losing a healthy amount of weight if that’s what you want, it’s the term ‘bikini-ready’ I have an issue with.

The idea that one has to be ‘ bikini ready ’ implies a process and one that doesn’t just involve digging out your cossie from the back of your undies drawer and pulling it on. It implies that there is only one successful, no, acceptable, outcome, and you in your natural state are not it.

It’s that fear of not being ‘ready’ that is sending a collective ripple of panic across the southern hemisphere right now, but it’s a complete farce. Every body is a worthy body. No one should feel shamed into covering up or avoiding the beach altogether because their body isn’t up to an unrealistic standard. Whole bodies of water shouldn’t be exclusionary just because they require less clothing.

Tabloid magazines that detail the rise and fall of celebrity weight gain and pit the ‘best and worst beach bodies’ against each other profit on perpetuating this unhealthy culture of negative body image and self loathing.

Inside the pages of these celebrity beach body issues, normal human conditions like cellulite, stretch marks and saggy skin are deemed unacceptable and freakish. The body policing, humiliation and encouraged judgment only contributes to the bitchy narrative that so often punctuates the female vernacular.

We’ve all been guilty of judging someone else’s face, body, height, weight, make-up, clothing, and so on but wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t? Because let’s not forget our role in all of this, tabloid glossies definitely would not be publishing celebrity weight stories with such regularity if they didn’t sell issues.

This summer I implore you to forget the tabloid magazines, the 6 week bikini-ready plans, the boardshorts, skirted swimmers, sarongs, kaftans, compression shorts or any other measures you’ve previously employed to hide your body and go ahead and rock what you got.

 What do you think of the notion of being ‘ bikini ready? ‘

At Swimwear Galore we believe that every BODY is different and every BODY is beautiful.

We guarantee that you will find a swimsuit that fits perfectly to rock what you’ve got! Come and check out our Mix n Match separates section or try our Shop by Shape feature and design which combo works for you! Or pick your favourite trend and let us create your summer look. With over 90 brands, like your favourites Seafolly, Jets and Baku you won’t be disappointed!

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