‘Floss bikini’ trend has Sydneysiders divided on whether it is too racy
A little goes a long way with barely-there bikinis in the style worn by model Emily Ratajkowski at a Harbour beach this week being snapped up for $200 each — but some wonder if the skimpy swimwear is too much. WATCH THE VIDEO AND VOTE IN OUR POLL.
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A little goes a long way with barely-there bikinis in the style worn by model Emily Ratajkowski at a Harbour beach this week being snapped up for $200 each — but some wonder if the skimpy swimwear is too much.
Just a day after being snapped at Watsons Bay beach Camp Cove in the tiny two piece, the star — in town for tonight’s GQ Man Of The Year awards — announced on Instagram that the style was now for sale.
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And while she may be following in the footsteps of fellow English model Jean Shrimpton — who wore a short white shift dress to Flemington in 1965 scandalising racegoers and setting off a global sensation — it seems Aussies are already ahead of the curves.
At Bondi yesterday dozens were baring flesh. Social researcher Mark McCrindle said it was not a new trend but rather the return of an old one.
“What we find with social trends is that it’s not a one way continuum, but rather a pendulum that swings back and forth,” he said.
“What we did see in the late 1960 and 1970s with the Baby Boomers, they were throwing off the trends they were shaped under and breaking taboos.
“Now we are seeing that pendulum swing back once more with this generation. We only need to wait a little while and it will self-correct to a more conservative approach,” Mr McCrindle said.
Claire Wimphen, 18, from Paddington has embraced the barely-there bikini craze and lauded Emily Ratajkowski as a “role model”.
“The main fact is that is that it really empowers us girls,” Ms Wimphen said.
“I think Emily is a role model in showing you don’t need to be afraid of showing more of your body.”
Her friend, Olivia O’Brien agreed.
“In our group of girls, we always have at least one of us sunbaking topless … I don’t see the problem with it,” Ms O’Brien said.
Ben Absalom, 37, said he and his wife had recently noticed the popularity of smaller bikinis and topless sunbaking and said Australia was simply catching up.
“Go to a Spanish beach or a French beach — it’s standard,” he said.
But psychologist Sarah McMahon said the trend was a “double-edged sword”.
“Revealing more skin from a body confidence point of view is a good thing … but at the same time, trends like this can highly sexualise women, especially when teens and tweens are choosing to embrace the trends,” Ms McMahon said.
Meanwhile, the Butterfly Foundation’s Mia Findlay said commentary around what women were or were not wearing, was a concern.
“Women should be able to wear whatever they want without scrutiny no matter who they are or what weight they are,” she said.
“We need to examine this constant scrutiny of women’s appearances and ask ourselves why we are so interested.”
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