Sunday, July 11, 2010

Bikini FAIL

As I was recently reminded, it takes four things to successfully wear a bikini:

1. Good abs;
2. A tight tuckus (aka a firm derriere -- or bottom, butt, booty, moneymaker, or ass);
3. Boobs -- specifically ones that are bigger than your spouse's; and
4. A whole lot of self confidence (or be seriously in denial)

And apparently I possess just one of these attributes.

While I long ago realized I would never be a Victoria's Secret or Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, I had always harbored hopes of one day looking good or better than okay in a bikini. And I thought my moment had finally come after giving birth to my daughter, when I suddenly had breasts. (God, I loved nursing.) Sadly, I also developed a gut and hips from all the hot dogs and ice cream I hoovered down to keep up with her relentless nursing schedule. So I put my bikini dreams on hold.

Then a few years ago, due to illness and stress (as well as eating less and exercising more), a miracle occurred: I suddenly had abs. Really nice abs. I wouldn't go as far as to say I had a six-pack, but definitely a three-pack, and to reward myself, I bought a bikini. And man, I loved that blue bikini -- so much so that when the straps broke, I sewed them back on, by hand. But when they broke a third time, and then the elastic went, I had to send blue bikini to that big swimming hole in the sky -- and figured my days of wearing a two-piece swimsuit were over. After all, I was "a woman of a certain age," and suddenly felt self-conscious about exposing my midriff (and other body parts) publicly, as I discussed in this post.

But then several friends, as well as the spouse, told me that wearing a bikini had nothing to do with age and everything to do with attitude and that if Helen Mirren could rock a bikini, so could I. And so buoyed by this thought, and summer, I recently went bikini shopping (forgetting that although she is/was 63, Helen Mirren: a) still has great-looking breasts and b) a bottom that doesn't hang out of her bikini bottom).

First piece of advice re bikini shopping: Never ever shop for bikinis in the presence of lean, leggy, busty teenagers or twentysomethings. If you see these temporary freaks of nature (just wait until they've had a couple kids and are in their 40s!), just put down that suit you were planning on trying on and quietly leave. Come back another day when they are in camp or at work and the store is empty or filled with matrons or German tourists.

Second piece of bikini shopping advice: Be sure to wear seamless flesh-colored underwear, the skimpier the better. No matter what shape you are in, there is no way that bikini bottom is going to look good tried on over your granny panties, polka-dot hipsters, or lavender briefs.

And my third piece of bikini shopping advice: Take a good friend or someone who truly cares about you with you, if for no other reason than to give you a hug and tell you are still beautiful as you stand there weeping and wailing after having tried on, oh, at least a dozen swimsuits, all of which made your ass look big and flabby and your breasts look like ant hills someone just stepped on.

So no, I did not buy a bikini this weekend -- and doubt I will be buying one any time soon. And come winter, I will put those Victoria's Secret catalogs I keep receiving to good use, in my fireplace.

7 comments:

Sugar Daze said...

Hilarious! Though I say go for it!

Unknown said...

It is sooo hard to find a bikini that fits. Designers seem to make them for three basic categories of people: Boobalicious and bootylicious, flat-chested and flat-assed beanpoles, or "You shouldn't really be wearing a bikini, so here is a full-coverage swimsuit cut at the waist." If you can find a place that does "mix and match," that is your best bet. Then you buy a bottom that fits and a top that fits separately and have the right fit for you.

Ange said...

That's one of the things I love about South Auckland. Everyone wears board shorts to the beach (and pyjamas to the supermarket).

And I agree with LMC: Stuff the public and go for it!

Sarah said...

I totally sympathize with you although I am way out of bikini range. I found a suit last year that I kind of liked and wore it and wore it and wore it, and then when I put it on the other day and it was loose, I felt pretty good about myself. Turns out it was loose because it's totally threadbare and has lost all structural integrity. And also see-through. I had to get a new one and I found one I don't hate and when I got home I read the tag and it says, "Bust minimizing." Why on god's green earth would they ever make a swimsuit bust minimizing when that's the only thing that is currently differentiating me from a chunky teenage boy?

Anonymous said...

How about turning your back to the mirror in the dressing room when you take off your clothes and put on what you think you would like, and NOT turning around until you are ready to see how the potential outfit will look on you?

That's what I have been doing. Europeans really have the right attitude. The men and women both have no compunctions about appearing in bikinis, despite the love handles, the cellulite, the sagging breasts. But that's not I.

J. said...

@LMC, Glad you are enjoying my pain. ;-) So, do you own a bikini?

@Sarah Duane, Good advice. Unfortunately the place I went didn't have a lot in the mix-and-max department -- and all the tops I tried on made me want to run to the nearest plastic surgeon. Oh, and the average price of a bikini? $250. WHA?!

@Ange, I am so moving to New Zealand.

@Sarah Lindahl, I think we must have been separated at birth. Me? I want the bust maximizing top. Bring on the padding!

Fred Schneider said...

Here comes a bikini fail!!!

(screams)