where does this concept that we turn our backs on come from?

Tired of the self-esteem-destroying bikini body chopper and summer bikini body challenges that are supposed to make us “good enough” to show off in a swimsuit this summer? U.S. too ! We explain how this totally outdated concept appeared, which continues to impact our lives, and why it is better to be happy in your body than to let yourself be bullied by it!

As every year, the pre-summer vacation period is conducive to the famous slimming advice and the promotion of a perfect body, but also to the complexes that result from it … Bikini bodysuit or summer body, same fight: the quest for a slim body, rather athletic, but with advantageous curves in strategic areas (buttocks, hips, chest) is at the heart of the concerns, even if it means leaving more than one in the face of its loss self-esteem. And, a string tied on the bikini: it is clear that once again, this devastating concept mainly targets women.

But if we have all heard of this concept of “ideal body suitable for a two-piece swimsuit” at least once, even if we have not been directly the victim because we are feels good in his body, his origin remains quite nebulous for many of us. So where does this incentive to display a slender and muscular body come from as summer approaches? And can we really blame the famous two-piece swimsuit consisting of a bra and tie-up panties?

The bikini, the swimsuit of discord

Already, a word on the invention of the bikini. We owe it to the Frenchman Louis Réard (an automotive engineer) who had the idea of ​​creating a small swimsuit that reveals more skin by dint of seeing women roll up their swimsuits with more coverage to get a better tan. Presented in Paris during a fashion show in 1946, the two-piece swimsuit caused a scandal, before being banned on French beaches three years later, and better returning to the front of the stage a few years later. on the advantageous curves of Brigitte Bardot in Cannes. After which, we can say that the sulphurous swimsuit has become popular over the years.

The birth of an oppressive concept

If the bikini existed as early as 1946, the concept of bikini bodysuit meanwhile, only appeared in 1961 according to the magazine The Cut who looked into the issue in 2014. The term was originally used in an advertising campaign for a chain of weight loss salons called Slenderella International, as the magazine reports. This campaign, which ran in the summer of that year in newspapers such as the New York Times or the Washington Post, promoted:

A high and firm chest – an hourglass figure – thin and firm hips – slim and graceful legs – a bikini body!

Bringing the image of a lean, athletic body into the public imagination, Slenderella promoted vibrant tables that one only had to lie down on to benefit from the beautifying effects… but that is another story.
In all cases, we therefore learn that from the start, the concept of bikini bodysuit was attached to that image of a slim, firm and toned body, which still endures today. We therefore also better understand the avalanche of diets and sports programs that today overwhelm us with their advice and stand out as the ideal means to finally obtain the much sought after. bikini bodysuit.
Obviously, it didn’t take long for other companies specializing in weight loss and firming to pick up on this terminology and thereby install the concept a little more in our minds. But it was ultimately a little later that we were able to witness the perpetuation of the term, in particular via magazines such as Sports Illustrated, which published in 1964 its first issue dedicated to swimsuits.
It didn’t take much more for, slowly but surely, this body concept adapted to the two-piece swimsuit to be fully integrated by the general public, and to become an (impossible) goal for women.
From slogan to oppressive concept for many of us, one thing is for sure, the concept of bikini bodysuit that promotes an idealized body is, originally, not only sexist but also thought to make us feel bad about our body as it is.

Bikini bodysuit vs Body positivity

It is clear that in 2021, when the body positivism is king and incites us – finally! – to love ourselves as we are, the concept of bikini bodysuit is completely overwhelmed although it continues to dominate the relationship that some unfortunately have with their body. We can also count on some celebrities to remind us, such as singer Selena Gomez who recently unveiled the unretouched photos of her collection of swimsuits where she reveals her real body in one and two-piece. Recently, even sports guru Kayla Itsines, an Instagram fitness star, changed the names of her now famous sports programs. Bikini Body Guide (BBG).

It was in an Instagram post dated May 5 that the personal trainer announced that it was renaming its programs whose name – which is no longer in line with the emergence of a more positive and true vision of beauty – could infuriate more than one activist for the feminist cause:

In this post, she explains: “It’s been almost 10 years since I created BBG with the positive intention that every BODY is a bikini body. As a co-founder of Sweat, so I think it’s time to change our approach to BBG, to evolve and use more positive language for women today.

So I made the decision to rename my BBG programs and replace them with “High Intensity”. As you can imagine, this is a big time for me personally as my programs with the BBG name are very well known and have played an important role in creating one of the largest female fitness communities in the world.

Since having Arna, I have become even more aware of the importance of using language that empowers women. I want to use totally positive and inspiring language for all women and this is the world I want Arna to grow up in. Over the past ten years, I have learned that the way we communicate with women and the language we use matter a lot.

I feel SO good about this change. I’m proud that as a @sweat company we can look at something and think “it’s not good enough” or “it’s not good anymore” and make the necessary changes.
[… ]
I want to reassure all those who follow my programs: absolutely NOTHING will change in the programs themselves. If you follow the BBG program, you will see that it is now called High Intensity with Kayla on the Sweat app, but the program remains the same. ”

All bodies are bikini bodysuit (if we really want to name them that way)!

No more squats and diets, it’s high time to put an end to the bodyshaming constant to which we are subject. There is no need to flaunt rock-solid abs, slim thighs and waist, or a firm, toned body to wear a bikini and feel great in it. It is high time to stop promoting this form of self-shame that arises when you do not meet the criteria of the idealized body that is the famous bikini bodysuit. Let’s stop wasting our lives by stigmatizing natural forms and the diversity of bodies. The main thing this summer is to take advantage of our vacation, to relax after the trying period that we have known and which continues, and to fully enjoy the joys of summer regardless of the morphology that we have. Instead of trying to have a bikini bodysuit at all costs, look instead for a swimsuit in which you feel good and ready to fully enjoy the beach. All bodies are beautiful and worthy of showing off in swimsuits!

Victim of body shaming, Selena Gomez defends herself!

Video by Laetitia Azi

Elodie Le Gall

Passionate about writing and beauty, Elodie swaps her lipstick for her laptop to find the best in makeup, hairstyle and skincare trends, and professional tips …