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

[Hadmysay]

https://www.tiktok.com/@ddp8792/video/7509271473366830378

They were created for the male gaze.

Don't you people need to cover up for all the midges?

Depends in the straps, but just under the bum sounds close to the toilet seat - and then what about all your clothes if you have to strip?

Much easier if you are just wearing the equivalent of a pair of pants.

Maybe. I just pull mine to one side.
Ok I never thought I'd be discussing this today 😁

Anyway if nothing else, the thread demonstrates that women dress primarily for their own comfort and are not going to allow concerns about the male gaze to compromise that.

I'm surprised you don't feel the male gaze on you.

Not everybody cares enough to notice.

Ermm I happen to spend a lot of time on beaches in various parts of the world. I do see them. Often . They're probably not the norm in Brighton or Blackpool though

Anyway, OP, I think full nudity is not only frowned upon but there are also practical and hygiene reasons for wearing clothes.

Not where I live. It's just cold!

Or where I holiday in the Med or the southern hemisphere.

She probably was but she honestly didn’t care. She was a bit of a trailblazer….she had a “big” job back in the day when women, particularly “working class” women, really didn’t and, after my grandad ( who she adored and who was, unusually for the times, very supportive of her career) died, she’d had enough of men via her work to last her a lifetime. She was the woman who taught me I could do and be anything and to not build my life or my self worth around men. So yes, I probably do get the “ male gaze” on me but I don’t care or even notice. If I feel comfortable, then all is well.

I have a 12 inch scar on my torso thanks to cancer and wear bikinis. I find them more comfortable than a swimsuit.

Well that's fantastic. just because you haven't experienced it doesn't mean it doesn't exist..
You clearly travel to classier parts than me

You know when you get out the sea and you have this cold wet fabric flapping against your abdomen - awful. Give me bikini any day.
men look at women whatever they wear. so irrelevant

I think several things can simultaneously be true.

There are lots of practical reasons to wear a bikini.

They make it possible to have a different size top and bottoms, aren’t wet and clingy when you’re on the beach, allow you to get a fuller tan, and are easier in the toilet.

So many women will choose a bikini for one/several of those reasons.

However, women who say they feel sexier in a bikini or the other clothes mentioned on this thread are absolutely being influenced by the male gaze. The whole point is that it’s a subconscious influence, you’re not deliberately choosing bikinis thinking “the blokes at the beach are going to love my arse in this.”

We are bombarded with images of what attractive women look like from childhood. Today it’s social media and celebrities, but before that it was magazines and the golden age of Hollywood. All of us have been subjected to the social conditioning that tells us what looks good. And it’s always about what men like. All of this messaging says you can’t look sexy unless you’re revealing lots of your body and squeezing into (usually) uncomfortable clothing.

You might think you’re just dressing for you, but the influence of the patriarchy is there. It’s short-sighted not to acknowledge that.

Having said that, I 100% support every woman in deciding to wear what they want. It doesn’t matter if the male gaze has influenced you subconsciously; if you enjoy wearing it then crack on.

I just think it’s important that we recognise preferences around what “looks good” almost inevitably have their root in male gaze, whether we realise it or not.

And women aren't being targeted with clothes that will appeal to them because it make them attractive to men?
Do woman really like short shorts that expose half the buttocks? Tops that only just cover the nipple area? And I'm not talking about bikini on the beach but general attire.
I refuse to believe that some women are wearing these clothes for themselves ..and not because they know men will find it sexy and so on.

Imo it's just as bad, not liberating, to cover from head to toe, as expose yourself from head to toe.

Two extremes both engineered by men.

I've asked for this to be marked sensitive because I don't want images of naked women on my phone.
And this is the point: these bikinis in the picture are string with tiny triangles of fabric covering the nipples. The "pants" appear to take the same theme. (Image is cut off).
I disbelieve any woman who claims she wears such a garment for "comfort". The idea that it's feminist act to wear exiguous clothing is straight from the voyeur's charter.

I’m not convinced this is true. After all men swim in attire that is often smaller and more revealing than underwear, for practical reasons - hydrodynamics and ease of drying. I can think of plenty of things women are expected to do with no counterpart for men (shaving, wearing high heals, wearing tiny clothing), but bikinis do have an equivalent male counterpart.

Maybe the problem is just the male gaze, and there should be higher expectations on how men treat women, rather than seeing us as objects to drool over?

@SaltPorridge Yes. Should I report my post and ask for the images to be removed? Sorry about that but I was trying to get it through to some posters that the (extreme) male gaze and certain types of clothing is real and not just about woman being told what to wear

Yep. An admiring look in my direction by the opposite sex makes my day. Long may it continue.

Yes, topless for everyone and ban bras too 😂

There are many reasons why a woman might wear a bikini, sometimes simultaneously.
Let's not forget about the different types of bikini and practicalities or lack of.
I also do not like to be told what to wear by anyone inclother women.

I have the same issue. Not to mention needing the underwire and support a bikini can offer. Very few swimsuits come with adequate breast support or large enough cup coverage. Plus if you need the toilet it's much easier to be in a bikini than a swimsuit.

I do have a swimsuit for when I go to leisure centre type pool in the UK but I hate wearing it and find a bikini or tanking far more practical.

@Zebedee999 By absolutely anyone from the opposite sex ? Some people are easily pleased 😁

Point of feminism is choice. If a woman wants to wear a bikini, she should. If a woman wants to wear a burqini, she should. Or anything in between. And not be judged. By man or woman.

I like the appearance of my body in a bikini and I feel less hot if the sun is out if I wear one.