Friday 18 July 2014

Bikini Bodies - A Misleading Farce!

Every year, before we even have had the time to source pain killers to help us through our New Year's celebration hangover, magazines already have their Spring issues in print. As Spring leads to Summer (which I'm hoping you already know) so many magazines, fashion/beauty blogs and online articles etc. are already talking about what to wear as the weather gets warmer, how to lose some of those pounds gained from eating your weight in mince pies and how to get the most amazing 'bikini body'. 

So, what is a bikini body? Surely if you have a body and put on a bikini, you are then the definition of a bikini body? On searching for a definition of this term, the description I repeatedly came across went something along the lines of 'a body that looks sexy in a bikini.' 

1. Feel good, look good.
First of all, if you have the confidence to strut your stuff in a bikini and feel happy in your own skin no matter what shape, size or colour your body is then you're sexy, you have a bikini body and I salute you! That's not an easy task for everyone and there are women in their thousands that actually work to get the 'perfect' bikini body and still end up feeling self conscious. Screw the saying 'Look good, feel good.' If you feel good then that shines through you and you look good.

2. It's not all on the outside.
However I know from experience, it's never just about yourself. In situations like this you will probably compare yourself to others around you and think 'Their bikini body is better than mine.' Now, it's important you note that what you see on the outside is not always important. Skinny Joe on the beach over there looking great is actually really unhealthy and can't run 100 meters without needing to take a break and have someone massage his ankles. Then you have Chubby Charlie over there who looks slightly overweight but could actually lift heavier weights than Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and easily outrun Skinny Joe! You see what I'm getting at?

3. You can't please everyone.
If you're working on your bikini body to impress others then I'm sorry to break it to you but you won't be everyone's taste. Some people aren't attracted to others with toned abs. Some people aren't attracted to people with love handles. Some people aren't attracted to people with an 'innie' bellybutton. So quit trying to please everyone or fit yourself into a worldwide farce of a perfect body because there is no such thing and it's impossible to make everyone happy. Just be happy with yourself!

4. Tan before you go where you're going to get a tan...wait, what?
The amount of work that lots of ladies I know out into their summer holiday body is crazy. One of them being to get a tan before they get there, usually via sun beds. Why? If you're going to a sunny country then surely you'll get a tan there? Won't it feel like you're cheating too? Plus that amount of concentrated UV light all over your skin is not healthy. Especially on fair, Irish skin! Plus you'll stick out like a sore thumb among us fair folk before you leave. If you can't tan and don't wan't to stick out of the crowd while you're over there then first of all, a tan probably wouldn't suit you anyway, and second of all, you might not be recognized in your passport photo if you look like a different nationality. Just saying!

5. Dieting could do the reverse of what you want it to.
On top of tanning there's dieting. Now there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with cutting bad food out of your diet and eating healthily. But just eating less food and not getting all the nutrients and calories you need daily is unhealthy. You might think it's great because you drop a few pounds and look great, but when you go on holidays, one of the things you'll be doing is eating. Well you should be anyway, food is a huge part of culture and your whole travel experience! So you'll probably be back to eating the same amount of calories (or more) from before your diet and the weight will pile right back on. (To understand why this happens click here.) Don't cut out food/calories that you need, maintain a healthy diet on top of exercise and you'll feel and look great!
-I would also just like to comment on Kate Moss' famous quote; "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels." I highly disagree with this. She's obviously never tasted my veggie lasagna, or the pizza in Naples or even had french toast with syrup!! Screw skinny. Food is great and makes me happy. I love food. You should too!

6. Let's exercise for Summer!! YEAH! Aaaand, rest... for the rest of the year...
Of course there'll nearly always be a work out regime created to get your bikini body ready for summer and one thing about this really bugs me. Why is there so much pressure to exercise for your image and only for Summer?! Why not constantly talk about exercising for health and do so All. Year. Round. This is why I extremely dislike the idea of a bikini body. Understandably people are aware that the weather will be warmer hence they'll be taking trips to the beach, going on holidays or just going on a good swim and quite frankly, if you were to wear jeans or jumpers to any of the above, not only will you get people thinking you must have grown up in a volcano but you will also probably get heat stroke. Most likely. So, you will be wearing less clothes and you might be wearing a swimsuit or bikini or any outfit with a bit more on show than usual and fair enough, you want to look good so you exercise in advance. Then when it gets colder and the layers of clothes compete with those of an onion, a lot of people stop caring about that body that very few are going to see hence reduce/stop the exercise. Bikini body leans towards getting fit and healthy just for summer. How about staying fit and healthy all year round? And heck if you want to go swimming in December then you put that bikini on and still feel and look great!

These are the main 6 reasons why I think the idea of a 'Bikini body' is a misleading farce, and I didn't even get to 'bikini bridges' or the waxing and plucking and shaving preparation! If you agree, awesome. If you don't, please tell me why!


My message to all you ladies who still think they are not worthy of wearing a bikini I say this; you're mostly worried about what other people will think of you. Realistically, no one cares! This is how I get past most insecure issues I have; realizing the only one who notices or cares about what I worry about is ME. No one else cares!! So just put that bikini on and walk with your head held high. And if you don't want to wear one, then don't! All I ask is that you be healthy, be happy and forget about what anyone else thinks or says. Focus on yourself and enjoy that sun.

This meme sums up how I think you get a bikini body:

Message!

Thank you for reading. Find me on Facebook or Twitter  and let me know what you think or if it's just me!

Grá,

Ceara

x

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