Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Summer is officially here. That means weekend beach trips, poolside lounging, and–in cities like New York, where open spaces are hard to come by–lots of public tanning in the parks. It’s all very nice and fun. But for women, there’s more to these activities than just doing them. There’s the dreaded anxiety-inducing odyssey of finding a good bathing suit to wear at them–a suit that looks nice, is comfortable, trendy, and does not require a month-long crash diet of 1,000 calories/day followed by three lemonade “cleanses.” Ah–bikini season and its discontents.
For the, say, under-forty crowd, these discontents arise from the social pressure to sport a specific type of suit at the beach: a bikini. More specifically, for the last decade, the trend in bathing suits has been to bare it all with string bikinis. Most women, disciples of the fashion industry and the magazines that parrot its ideas, have followed the trend blindly, and it’s really too bad that they have. The trend was, and continues to be, objectionable for two reasons. First, string bikinis are so revealing that they leave nothing to the imagination. I’m reminded of something Emma Watson said recently about how, when it comes to what women wear, bearing less can be more. Put another way, more modesty is sexy:
I find the whole concept of being ‘sexy’ embarrassing and confusing. If I do a photo-shoot people desperately want to change me—dye my hair blonder, pluck my eyebrows, give me a fringe. Then there’s the choice of clothes. I know everyone wants a picture of me in a mini-skirt. But that’s not me. I feel uncomfortable. I’d never go out in a mini-skirt. It’s nothing to do with protecting the Hermione image. I wouldn’t do that.
Personally, I don’t actually think it’s even that sexy. What’s sexy about saying, “I’m here with my boobs out and a short skirt . . . have a look at everything I’ve got”? My idea of sexy is that less is more. The less you reveal the more people can wonder.
Second, string bikinis–and the general fashion trend of bearing it all–is often aesthetically offensive.
If you’re a model, a size zero, or have a body-fat percentage of zilch, you can pull off a skimpy bikini. In other words, if you have the body of a fourteen-year-old boy, then string bikinis are for you. Click here to see the famously waif-ish Kiera Knightley in one.
If you’re everyone else–that is, if you are a normal-sized woman–string bikinis won’t look good on you. And yet, every year at the beach, there are women wearing bathing suits that are too tiny for their bodies, even if their bodies are fit. It’s an unflattering look. Just because something is in vogue doesn’t mean that all women should wear it.
Jersey Shore‘s Deena Cortese proves my point.
As does Donatella Versace. The point is not that we all should lose weight so we can look good in a certain type of suit. Obviously Versache is very thin. The point is that we need to work with our bodies to find a suit that looks good on us (and this point, of course, applies to our clothing choices more generally).
So the question is: What looks good? Women’s fashion, like during the golden age of Hollywood, used to be about making women look feminine. Again, revealing less is more sexy, as you can see in these pictures of Marilyn, Liz, and Betty. But recently, fashion has trended toward making women look unfeminine, as I’ve written about before.
With that in mind, I want to sing hallelujahs to two recent articles that have pushed string bikinis off the bathing suit pedestal for women. The first one, from the Wall Street Journal, points to a new and better trend in beachwear: the pin-up doll look of the 1950s. The piece contrasts the skimpy look of recent times . . .
…the hard-body look with high-cut legs and plunging V necklines—launched in the 1980s but long-surviving—or the teeny bikinis of recent years. “That high-rise leg is so sexy, but it’s very hard to pull off,” says Jenny Pyle, designer of the 1 Sol swimwear brand. Her customer, she says, is much like herself: “We’re in our 30s. We have kids. We don’t want to have our butt hanging out,” she says.
. . . with a new look, which is actually old:
With summer comes the dreaded season of swimwear shopping. But this year’s retro-glam looks may ease some of the angst.
The latest suits hark back to the relatively chaste looks of Hollywood’s heyday, with low leg cuts, high-waisted bikini bottoms, shirred and gathered fabric, and tops that offer fuller coverage . . .
Ultrafeminine details such as sweetheart necklines, ruching, and ruffled skirts on suits are hot sellers, she says. “The more feminine styles that we put into the line this year, the customer has really gravitated to,” Ms. Bryant says.
Over at Cafe Mom, we have a second piece about the demerits of bearing it all on the beach. Mary Fischer explains women are not the only ones who prefer a more modest look. Men prefer regular bikinis and even one-piece suits to the overly vaunted string bikini:
After reading the results of a poll conducted by Marie Claire based on what types of swimsuits men most like to see women wearing on the beach or at the pool, I’ve gotta admit that I was a tiny bit shocked. I mean, it wasn’t a surprise that out of the 100 men who were surveyed, 93 percent of them preferred a standard two-piece, but the fact that a regular bikini fared higher than a string bikini? Yeah, that surprised me a bit. I guess men aren’t as into the whole dental floss thing as I thought?
And another type of suit on the list that had me scratching my head a little bit? The chic, ’50s-style retro looking suits. Men aren’t exactly fans of those, considering only 21 percent found them to be attractive. (What would Marilyn Monroe say about that?)
And while one-piece bathing suits did better than I expected, with 65 percent of men preferring them, tankinis only pulled in a 53 percent approval rating. Hmm. Guess I’d better think twice about ditching regular two-pieces all together and going for a sportier look this summer.
Judging from these results, it seems as though men prefer suits that are feminine and show off a woman’s best assets without being too terribly revealing. They like skin–but they don’t like too much skin. Huh. Interesting.
Does this mean that we can kiss the string bikini goodbye, in favor of a more feminine and elegant look? I hope so. What makes me even more hopeful is that young women, as well as old, are rallying around the retro-glam look that accentuates our natural hourglass figures, rather than an unnatural and boyish androgyny.
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Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
As a prematurely uptight scold who grew up without sisters, I'd like to thank you all for making me profoundly uncomfortable ;)
Enjoy the beach. I'll be at the bar.
Edited on June 15, 2012 at 7:07pmApr '12
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Midget Faded Rattlesnake:
The number of adult women who can sport an entirely natural full bust flatteringly with nearly no support is rather small.
For some of us prone by nature to being fatties, sagginess is the price we've had to pay for staying slim (or at least slimmer than nature apparently intended) since our teens. · 32 minutes ago
INSANELY so. My sister in law is the only one I've ever met-- and she's been blessed with my husband's crazy genetics where they have to eat half again as much as I do just to hold steady.
I am solidly in the solid lines, even before I had kids; I can do without as much support as most, but see no reason to. I'm one of those crazy women wearing swim trunks, a T-shirt and a swimming halter top under the shirt. Of course, I've also got a hydrophobic toddler trying to strangle me and a shrieking happy baby trying to empty the pool in front, so I don't need fashion!
Love the idea of classic looks being back, though.
Apr '12
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
Why aren't corsets, etc, more popular? Honestly, I don't know. People think they're uncomfortable, but are they really less comfortable than your average bra, which requires you to bear the weight of your, ah, femininity on your shoulders? · 1 hour ago
Expense is part of it; after a blog-friend raved to high heaven about how a woman she'd envied for ages finally told her that her "secret" was a girdle/support-wear/corset, I started searching for some. I can't drop $100+ on one that's good enough to be worth the price (odd body type; I suspect someone that's not a square runt would have an easier time).
When I finally did a girdle-knockoff that works, I noticed it really helped with my back. I suspect a lot of women that need support but can't stand underwires would be pleased with better "foundation garments."
May '11
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
As I said, some gals have it -- fat breasts, skinny everywhere else. Many don't, and do themselves no favors by dressing like they do. · 1 hour ago
No, it's more a factor of being 18 to 21 years old, maybe a few more years if you're lucky. Complaining that others are more beautiful really does come off unseemly. If you're not in that age and beauty range, then just let it go. If you are, then stop being jealous.
Jun '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Tom Meyer: This was going around the Interwebs a few months ago. Though I don't think the top row shows today's varsity team, the point was obvious and agreed upon by nearly everyone I saw comment.
Also, who knew Bettie Page was so darned cute!? · 53 minutes ago
Edited 53 minutes ago
I thought that "a picture is worth a thousand words" was just an empty cliche. I take it back. And I agree with you.
Also, when you show everything, you leave nothing to the imagination.
Edited on June 15, 2012 at 12:26amFeb '12
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Skyler
No, it's more a factor of being 18 to 21 years old, maybe a few more years if you're lucky. Complaining that others are more beautiful really does come off unseemly. If you're not in that age and beauty range, then just let it go. If you are, then stop being jealous. · 1 hour ago
Skyler, I couldn't wear a string bikini even when I was 16. Even among the target demographic, most women can't wear them and look good in them.
It's not about jealousy ... it's about having to look at the gobs of flabby sagging flesh and cellulite on women who ought to realize that the look is not flattering.
Feb '11
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
I don't know if this helps, but there is a certain age past which women should never wear the plunging V neckline or a bikini. There's nothing grosser than being forced to see a wrinkled cleavage. And the capper is luggage-skin from too much sun worship when she could carry off a bikini. Ugh!
Edited on June 15, 2012 at 1:53amRe: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
I am a big fan of the less-is-more school of sexy. My favorite look of all time? Grace Kelly in the film Rear Window.
Oct '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Nothing looks better on a woman with a good figure than a single color one piece with high-cut legs (French cut?). If a woman is past her prime, the same with the straight cut legs that look like short shorts (don't know the term). Simple is better.
Sep '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
I see your Grace Kelly and raise you an Audrey:
Nov '11
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
i like where this thread is headed...
dogsbody
I see your Grace Kelly and raise you an Audrey:
· 27 minutes ago
May '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
In the past couple weeks I've had a week in Maui and a weekend at the beach in Santa Cruz, just down the hill from UCSC. I can count on my fingers the number of women I saw that looked outstanding in a bikini. I saw none that looked outstanding in a string. I vote for Marilyn and the old cover girl look. But Audrey tops the list. Class is classic.
Aug '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Skyler
Complaining that others are more beautiful really does come off unseemly. If you're not in that age and beauty range, then just let it go. If you are, then stop being jealous.
But who's complaining? Who's jealous?
I've never resented people who looked good in string bikinis. More power to 'em, is my opinion! I was just never fool enough to think that I might be one of them, even in my teens. That was my point.
As far as I'm concerned, there are more than enough guys out there who think I'm a looker. One reason they think that is that I know better than to dress in a fashion unflattering to me simply for the sake of showing a little more skin.
Edited on June 15, 2012 at 4:58amMar '11
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
A dozen or so years ago, I was at my brother and sister-in-law's home in San Diego. Something about bathing suits came up and my brother exclaimed that his wife has spent $40 on a bikini, "$40? For a bathing suit?!?"
After he left the room, my sister-in-law turned to me and said in a low voice with a smile, "And that was just for the top... although he doesn't need to know that."
Apr '12
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Skyler
No, it's more a factor of being 18 to 21 years old, maybe a few more years if you're lucky. Complaining that others are more beautiful really does come off unseemly. If you're not in that age and beauty range, then just let it go. If you are, then stop being jealous. · 5 hours ago
Good gods, if you're able to believe that you've been blessed.
It is NOT a matter or being "that age and beauty"-- most humans don't get it at all, and shove your presumption. If you think it's "jealous" to notice something that you are biologically unable to have, then you're pretty clueless.
Not all men can have a six pack. Not all women look good in a (implication yours) borderline pedophilia outfit .
Not exactly a newsflash that modern fashion is sick.
Aug '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Just poking my head up to say, there is a List of No-Win Questions which no male in his right mind will respond to when asked by a female, regardless of relationship. "Which swimsuit looks better on me?" is one of those questions I categorically refuse to answer. "Do you think that swimsuit looks good on her?" is even more perilous.
This thread is already too dangerous. Running away now...
Aug '10
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Amy Schley
... it's about having to look at the gobs of flabby sagging flesh and cellulite on women who ought to realize that the look is not flattering.
It doesn't even have to be gobs of flesh that makes certain styles unflattering on you. For example, if you're prone to a conspicuously rashy bum or shaving boils in the bikini zone, why would you wear a string bikini, no matter how lean and perky you are? Why put such unappetizing imperfections on display in public when a bit more coverage would have left the public none the wiser about them?
Acknowledging your own limitations -- in physical beauty as in everything else -- tends to make you less resentful of others, not more, I think.
Dec '11
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
dogsbody : I see your Grace Kelly and raise you an Audrey
I agree with both of you gentlemen; these two have always been serious icons of style, particularly Hepburn. I still shop for clothes asking WWAW (What Would Audrey Wear)?
Edited on June 15, 2012 at 7:02amFeb '12
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Midget Faded Rattlesnake
It doesn't even have to be gobs of flesh that makes certain styles unflattering on you. For example, if you're prone to a conspicuously rashy bum or shaving boils in the bikini zone, why would you wear a string bikini, no matter how lean and perky you are?
I just figured everyone else had some magic solution to that problem, like not being descended of German peasant stock.
Now, the biggest innovation in swimwear I like is the advent of tops with underwires! Sure, the breasts are actually buoyant, so one doesn't need support while in the water, but it's nice to not be flopping around while on land.
May '11
Re: Pin-Up Girls & Our Summer of Modesty
Foxfier
Good gods, if you're able to believe that you've been blessed.
It is NOT a matter or being "that age and beauty"-- most humans don't get it at all, and shove your presumption. If you think it's "jealous" to notice something that you are biologically unable to have, then you're pretty clueless.
Not all men can have a six pack. Not all women look good in a (implication yours) borderline pedophilia outfit .
Not exactly a newsflash that modern fashion is sick. · 11 hours ago
See? This is jealousy. There is no reason why "fashion" must conform to the lesser forms. If your body can't look good in a swimsuit of whatever design, then please don't wear it. But for those that do look good in any design of clothing, please leave your puritanical, or jealous, attitudes out of my viewing area.
Tossing out the pedophile slur is beneath contempt. I'd appreciate an apology for that bit of nastiness.
Edited on June 15, 2012 at 5:18pm