17 Strong Reasons Why Not To Wear a Bikini
After a long winter, swimsuit season is finally upon us. It’s time to pull out our favorite swimwear and head to the pool. However, you may not be looking forward to putting on some of your previous favorites — like your bikinis.
While bikinis can be fun to wear, they have a few downsides. If you’re feeling pressure to stick with these suits or don’t know if you want to switch suits this summer, here are a few reasons why other suits may be a better choice.
Easy Wardrobe Malfunction
Have you ever been splashing around in the surf, dipping your head underwater, when an unexpected wave suddenly hits you –– and it takes your bikini top right with it? Nobody likes accidentally flashing strangers at the beach. However, the tiny fit of a bikini and haphazardly secured strings make these suits prone to mini-disasters like this one.
Sun Exposure
Unless you’ve got a lot of help, ensuring every inch of your body is covered with sunscreen is not easy. With all the skin a bikini leaves exposed, the job becomes doubly difficult.
It’s essential to protect yourself from UV rays. This can prevent all kinds of sun damage and reduce your risk of skin cancer. The large amount of exposed skin that comes with bikinis sometimes isn’t worth the risk.
Little Support
Bikinis might appear to support the athletic models posing on magazine covers, but let’s be honest –– the average woman needs to feel a bit more secure. Stretchy, flimsy, small strips of material don’t provide sufficient tummy or bust support. We prefer swimsuits with molded cups or tummy control for a more comfortable, flattering silhouette.
Not Enough Coverage
There are many valid reasons to prefer some extra coverage from your swimsuit, whether it’s to preserve modesty, disguise some insecurities, or simply because of style preferences. Many women find that more coverage equals more confidence. In these cases, bikinis just don’t fit the bill.
Poorly FItting
While bikinis can come in all shapes and sizes, we often still find it challenging to find one that accommodates us all around. Bikini manufacturers frequently neglect wider ranges of cup and rear sizes. This can make it hard for many women to find a size that keeps them covered.
Inadequate for Sports
While a bikini may do okay for lounging poolside, some of us are eager to get active this summer. Whether it’s surfing, swimming, playing water polo, or scuba diving –– there’s no shortage of water-based sports and activities.
While one-piece swimsuits are sleek and designed for active wear, bikinis tend to need too much attention and adjustments to fare well with lots of movement.
Feeling Self-Conscious
In a perfect world, we would all feel comfortable in our own skin –– but unfortunately, that isn’t always a reality. Social media and TV pressure women to feel that they must look a certain way in a bikini.
The idea of the ideal summer body is so pervasive that we forget that clothes are supposed to enhance our looks and make us feel good about ourselves. Rather than stressing out about every inch of our body that shows in a bikini, we should simply wear swimsuits that are flattering and comfortable without strings attached.
Lots of Other New Options
Most of us are familiar with the basics of women’s swimwear: bikinis, one-piece suits, and tankinis. However, have you ever stopped to think about how many diverse options exist in women’s swimwear? From the return of swim dresses to skirtinis and even bandeaukini, you may be surprised with what you find.
If you’re looking for a new swimsuit, this is a great time to experiment with a fresh style you haven’t tried before!
It’s Hard To Relax
As we’ve mentioned before, many women struggle to feel truly confident in a bikini. You may end up checking your posture and your figure all day, totally distracting you from the fun you’re supposed to be having! Swimsuits with more coverage, thicker material, and built-in tummy control allow you to worry less about whether or not your bikini looks just right.
They Don’t Provide Much of a Silhouette.
A lot of fashion and style is about playing with your silhouette. From dramatic lengths to curvy hourglasses, there are many flattering silhouettes that you can achieve — even in swimwear!
With swim dresses or skirtinis, for example, you can achieve a fit-and-flare look. On the other hand, certain one-pieces may draw in the waist. Bikinis do very little for a person’s figure in terms of shaping.
They’re Expensive
We’ve all had this thought before. You go to the store, pick up a bikini, check the price and think: This much money for such a small piece of fabric? Plus, you often have to buy your tops and bottoms separately — which starts to add up!
For something that is likely to end up lost in your sock drawer, you could be getting more bang for your buck with a different suit.
They’re Hard to Mix and Match With
While some bikinis come in sets, most need to be purchased separately as tops and bottoms. Combining different pieces can get overwhelming. Pairing bikini tops and bottoms with colors, style, straps, and patterns can quickly become a styling dilemma. One piece suits have an advantage of being all-in-one, rather than a piece of a puzzle.
They Are Only Appropriate for One Occasion
Going to the pool or beach often involves more than just swimming. Stopping for food, playing cards on a picnic blanket, shopping on the boardwalk –– there are plenty of activities that will require a change of scenery. It’s not always appropriate to walk around in a bikini.
Other swimsuit options (for example, a tankini top with a pair of board shorts) can transition much easier from one activity to the next.
Unwanted Attention
For better or for worse, a bikini is certainly an eye-catcher. While most people on the beach are more concerned with catching some rays than staring at others, we’re all familiar with feeling a bit watched when our skin is particularly exposed. You can avoid that feeling and the attention that comes with it by avoiding wearing a bikini altogether.
Post-Picnic Bloating
It happens –– you brought a tasty lunch with you to the beach. You took a break from swimming to enjoy it and now your belly is twice as bloated as it was this morning. While your stomach expanding after eating is totally normal, it may not make you feel confident.
Looser fit or higher coverage swimsuits can ease your mind about the extra bloating; bikinis, on the other hand, can do the opposite.
They’re Not in Fashion
We know, we know –– you’re probably a bit skeptical right now. While the bikini has enjoyed a long run in popularity, and will likely continue to do so, other swimwear trends are challenging it. High-cut tankinis, leggy one-pieces, and rash-guards are beginning to garner traction as more sought-after items. It’s about time to try a new swimwear trend, don’t you think?
You Just Don’t Want To
Finally, here’s the real kicker! If you really want to wear a bikini, more power to you. However, you’re likely reading this article because you’ve already got your doubts about whether a bikini is really right for you. Sometimes the only reason you need not to do something is quite simple: you don’t feel like it!
The Takeaway: What You Can Wear Instead
Whether you want to wear a bikini or not is ultimately your decision. If you’ve decided to keep your bikini tucked away in the back of your closet, as many of us have, hopefully this list of reasons will help you feel validated.
If you’re looking for some alternative options, you’re in the right place! Here are some other great swimsuit choices:
- One-Piece Swimsuit: Classic, sleek, and great for an active lifestyle!
- Swimdress: Feminine, flattering, and full coverage!
- Tankini: The bikini’s close relative, the tankini offers more coverage, shape support, and tummy control –– all while offering the benefits of a two piece!
- Skirtini: Take a tankini and add extra rear coverage––plus a flattering flare at the hips!
- Faux Tankini or Faux Skirtini: The faux tankini or skirtini may look like a two-piece, but the connected follow-through allows for more activity with less possibility for wardrobe slipping!
- Sarong Swimsuit: The sarong swimsuit is a breezy and chic one-piece that offers just a bit more coverage in the front!
- Bandeaukini: The bandeaukini provides tummy control and an even tan across the shoulders with removable straps!
With the endless variations of these styles, you’re sure to find the perfect swimsuit!
Sources:
Skin Protection from Sun Damage | Cleveland Clinic
That Swimsuit Reveals You: Body Image and Bathing Suits of Florida Women | NFJA