At the Intersection of Fit & Presentation

I think the authors points were more personal hang-ups.

Maybe I’m wrong, but my impression of things is that women wear bikinis based on their level of comfort and confidence. Comfort being based on fit and how much skin they are OK with showing and Confidence based on a combination of body image and the setting. One might be able to argue her points fit into the Confidence area, but from my read of her thoughts, I felt like she was projecting her own internal issues onto others. I don’t think anyone feels like a woman has to earn the right to wear a bikini or that if a fat person is confident in a bikini they can’t be judged. I routinely see people wearing clothing they probably shouldn’t (like fat people in bikinis), not shouldn’t because they aren’t comfortable in it, but shouldn’t because the whole point of clothing (aside from covering certain areas) is to express ones personality while also highlighting ones strengths and minimizing ones flaws.

As such, a short waisted individual shouldn’t wear high waisted or high rise jeans as it will give the appearance that they have no torso, a short man shouldn’t wear his suit with a full break on the trousers and his jacket at a normal length as it will create the illusion that he has no legs. Likewise, an obese person shouldn’t wear most bikinis because a bikini, for the most part, highlights their obesity. However, supposing one doesn’t care about their appearance, I don’t care if she wants to wear a bikini, and I don’t think most people care, either. That doesn’t mean that even if she wears a bikini confidently people aren’t going to judge her. For example, if I saw her, I’d probably be thinking, and maybe even commenting to those I know that she shouldn’t have worn what she’s wearing, and why; the same way I criticize nearly every wardrobing decision I encounter that doesn’t fit the setting or the person. I don’t care what she wears or why, and my criticism has nothing to do with attractiveness, but in presentation and context.

That said, if someone genuinely doesn’t care about how their clothing presents, I don’t care if they wear a bikini, and I don’t think most people actually do either. That doesn’t mean confidence shields anyone from being silently judged on the choice. If I saw it, I’d probably be thinking — and possibly commenting to people I know — that the outfit wasn’t a great choice and why, the same way I critique nearly every wardrobe decision I encounter that doesn’t fit the setting or the person wearing it. The critique isn’t about attractiveness. It’s about presentation and context.

Going back, a woman doesn’t earn the right to wear a bikini anymore than she earns the right to style or cut of dress. She wears a dress based on how it fits her body (if she’s hippy, she’s not going to wear a dress that flares at the hips, making her hips look even larger). Bikinis, with few exceptions, highlight the waist and belly, so generally speaking, someone who has a large belly is going to want to try to minimize, not highlight. This isn’t an attractive issue, it’s a fit issue.

It’s clear with her focus on attractiveness and her referencing attractive people judging her, she’s the one hung up on attractiveness and judgement based on looks rather than fit and presentation. And shame on the people she was talking to for not being blunt with her, but also shame on her for fishing for controversy by framing her statements in such a way as to intentionally draw people into talking about her weight.