Bikinis were made for the male gaze so isn't it about time we stopped wearing them

@sparklychair
If you search online a number of companies sell long length swimsuits eg Next, Land’s End, M&S.
I was a swimwear Merchandiser in the early 90s and we sold long length swimsuits at Debenhams.

In 1980, I was a student exchange in Krasnodar, Russia. It was the height of summer and people used to go swimming in the Kuban' River.

The Russian women all wore bikinis - that included quite elderly women. Their thinking was that they wanted to get as much vitamin D as possible.

A few years ago, I was on holiday in Montenegro. Quite a few elderly Russian grannies were on the beach with their grandchildren. Again, the Russian women all wore bikinis. Nothing to do with the male gaze.

Hard agree. Men can walk around in public, naked from the waist up as soon as the sun comes out and that's fine. Women can't.

Many of them have bigger figs than I do. But they're not lady tits so...

Exactly the same here. When I discovered the joy of a well fitting, bra sized bikini top my holiday life was transformed. I'm never going to back to suffocating under a swimsuit in hot weather. Wish I'd been this confident in my twenties!

You're free to do what you want and admire who you like.
I'm assuming your 'admiration' wasn't as disgusting though. But woman can be disgusting too.

I don't think you're talking about the same thing

No point in going to the beach if you're just going to cover up.
I love having sun and air all over, but accept that I must wear one or both parts of a bikini sometimes. Would never want a clammy restricting all over costume.

Are men going to start wearing tops at all times or is it just women who are being told to cover up?

Actually I wasn't being completely truthful there. I don't only wear swimsuits. I do wear bikinis but the brigit Jones type big knicker type bottoms ..or swim skirts (they're great).
I can't stand small bikini bottoms ..but in the same way I can't stand small knickers that ride down and disappear under my belly hang. It's not just about looks, but comfort too.
But also it creeps me out the way man looks. And they perv at old woman too. They look at ALL woman..but maybe I just know creepy man.

Edited for typos a per usual

I wouldn’t wear a bikini as I think I look awful in them but I wish I could. They dry faster, and you can easily change, discretely, in the middle of a crowd in the beach without acting like you are stuck in a pipe or having to queue for ages to get changed in a disgusting public bathroom.

Not clicking on a silly TikTok link but nobody has any place telling women what they should or shouldn’t wear. What else should we ban incase men might look at them? Heels? Miniskirts? Anything showing skin?

Pffffft. Feminism indeed.

Me and my girlfriends have admired many a ‘fit’ man bod on the beach when we’ve been on holiday together. Should we not be doing this or is it just the other way round thats frowned upon 🥴. Ah well. My bad.

I don’t GAF why they were created it’s still up to me if I wear one or not.
Thanks to my shape & measurements, bikinis fit better & can hold everything I need to be held comfortably & practically in a way a swimsuit can’t. They tend to fit part of me well but the rest of me poorly.
It’s weird to try to stick up for women by saying they should stop doing something rather than advocating for their ability to make choices themselves.

It's about time some women stopped telling other women what to do - wearing bikinis, letting their hair go grey, wearing heels....the list goes on. As a strong, educated, independent woman, I despise other people telling me what I should be doing.

Interesting @latetothefisting- I used to go to the Sanctuary Spa in Covent Garden which was women only and wore bikinis - far more comfortable when you’re wearing it for a full day.

If I’m feeling uncomfortably conscious of the male gaze (at certain pools or times) I would opt for my very sensible Speedo swimming costume - definitely not a bikini.

I can’t be the only one but I think I Buck the stereotype here. I never wore a bikini when I was younger as I always felt too fat. Looking back of course I wasn’t but I was never particularly thin (at my smallest I was a toned size 12/14) and it’s how I felt.
About 10 years ago in my late 30’s when my fucks started to disappear I decided to embrace my fat and bought my first bikini and so loved the feeling of the sand and sea on my actual skin that I’ve never looked back.
Now I’m a short, flabby size 16, very nearly 50 and wear a bikini all the time! Deffo not for the male gaze as I’m almost invisible but I do hope i subliminally inspire some women & girls to be a bit more body confident than I was.

@sparklychair I think I may have just the swimsuit for you. I really wanted to buy it but it looked like it was meant for the torso of a 7ft tall woman! ,

Women can wear whatever individual women want to wear.

If that's a bikini that's okay

If it's a burka also okay.

Other people do not get to decide what you wear - not men, not women, not the government, not religious leaders

The only limit in the UK is indecency law - and that doesn't even prohibit nakedness in some circumstances

If you want freedom for yourself - on what you wear, what you say, then you have to tolerate other people's choices, even if you don't like them.

Not RTFT but to those who said bikinis are more practical than swimming costumes.
You must be wearing them better than me.

I've had two embarrassing incidents in water parks and diving into a pool. Both times the top flew up and the bottoms down.

Additionally, my body is now falling all over the place. Therefore I find swimsuits far more practical. They keep everything together whereas my old lady/weight loss overhang just drapes over bikini bottoms.

And I have to say women wear what you want. But I find thongs uncomfortable to see. There's nothing wrong with a naked body but I find a full arse inches away from my face a bit eww.

As for the male gaze...I have the 'pleasure' of my male housemates company on holiday sometimes. Along with his creepy friends. The way they look and talk about woman who are wearing 'barely there' bikinis/thongs is vile. Like they're watching a free live strip show

Od course that doesn't mean woman shouldn't wear them.

I find a lot of fashion ( eg very revealing clothes that expose breasts/bollocks) questionable. I hear women say it's not about men or other women , but themselves. But I don't understand how exposing your body to such a degree on a night out is empowering. I'm probably just an old fart but I felt like this in my youth too.

You rarely see men walking around in skimpy clothes (thank god)

I have a long body and short legs so I find swimsuits don't fit very well, they are too low on the chest and the leg holes are stretched right up. Maybe longer length ones are available but I have never come across one.

I do hope he's not sitting naked from the waist down getting his sweaty bollocks all over the car seat.

I've often wondered what's the point of a tan on the belly, when on return to Blighty it's rainjackets again. 😊

I wouldn't wear a bikini since I'd even scare the whales.

Women's clothes are designed to appeal to the target market ie women not men, otherwise they would not sell

I've almost exclusively worn bikinis ally like. Yes, I have a swimsuit, but more to change it up rather than any other reason. I love bikinis. Sun on your skin, water lapping around your body, dry quickly, easy to pee in. Nothing worse than peeling off a full swimsuit on a beach.

I am 59, still in bikinis....... With my flabby tummy, big tits, scars and sun damage. Definitely not inviting the male gaze.

I wear a bikini at 51 because they are more comfortable for me.

I get a better tan and often take the top off when laying on my front.

If men want to look at my size 14 body then they can crack on.

so what would we wear if we were on a female only beach/pool (or planet?)
considering all the available options I'd probably still go for something pretty similar to a bikini - in fact I'd probably feel happier about wearing one in a female only space than in a mixed one!

Wouldn't want to go completely naked for hygiene and because I've got big boobs so running/jumping about/wakeboarding etc (which is what I like to do in the beach) would be uncomfortable.

swimsuit, fine, but it's harder to change in and out of, doesn't feel nice to have wet, sandy material all over you when you're sunbathing, etc.

anything more covering (rashvest/swim burka etc)- same disadvantages as a swimsuit but worse!

I think a bikini is probably peak in terms of comfort and practicality tbh.