BIKINI @ THE BEACH!

The summer holidays are not complete if I don't go to the beach..it’s a culture I grew up in. Sometimes I find myself craving the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves crashing vengefully against the rocks and the snow white colour of the waves. The excitement of the looming beach visit is unfortunately marred by the recurring dreams I'm having about the dreaded bikini. In my dreams I mostly just curse the French for inventing this so called "emancipated swimwear"..

Every year I buy a cute two piece with the naive intention of wearing it and bearing all at the beach, and I always end up wearing just the top with shorts. The two piece bikini feels a little too much like underwear to me..and don't forget the fact that it also looks very much like underwear. This is not a question of body image or whether you are thin or fiercely real; for me this is a question of comfort...

Some women look and feel great in a two piece bikini; but for the rest of us going to the beach in that 'state' can be a nightmare. 

 I could not understand why the fashion world embraced the bikini so warmly and why they would call it emancipated beach wear. It just seemed to me that a random man a long time ago, decided to put a woman like so many times before in a skimpy little two piece to prance around in. This may sound like the ramblings of a feminist; and maybe they are. I cannot ignore the overwhelming presence of bikinis in every clothing store indicating to me that there is a high demand for this scanty swimwear, and that many women may not share my sentiments.

I started thinking that maybe the emancipation is not of the two piece swim suit but of the woman who has the choice of whether or not to wear the two piece swim suit. The very existence of the bikini may feel like an insult to some, but the emancipated woman knows not to feel pressured to wear these briefs. She is also smart enough to know that if it doesn't feel good, it probably won't look good either.

I have not waged war on the bikini, and I have not written off swim wear altogether; Once I got past the fear of the swimsuit section, and looked beyond the two piece I found some wearable beach wear.

The kaftan is the most useful of the lot in my opinion; you can cover up before and after the dips, or while you bask in the sun.

I am going the one piece route this year..and will be keeping the fabulous kaftan close by..