What do people think about bikinis?

I swear to God, I went in to buy bikinis, and the lady’s like, ‘You’re not getting out of this store ’til you get down there and show me what you do for those abs and the arms’. She wouldn’t sell me my bikinis! I had to get on the floor and do the stomach thing.

Confidence: It’s the difference between the girl with the perfect body in a one-piece bathing suit, pulling at it and thinking she’s not thin enough or doesn’t have big enough boobs – and the girl who people call a bit overweight, but meanwhile, she’s wearing a bikini and guys are saying, “God, she’s sexy.” It all has to do with how you feel about yourself – it’s about projecting the attitude, I’m OK with who I am.

It depends mainly on what you’re doing and what your level of comfort is. One-pieces are great if you’re not very comfortable having a bikini bottom on, and also really great if you are planning on doing some serious, serious swimming. Pretty much all women who swim competitively swim in a one-piece.

One major drawback to a one-piece is your torso. If you have an odd torso length (well, odd compared to the one-piece), the one-piece would not feel very comfortable on as it would either be too long or too short.

Bikinis are great if you’re comfortable in your body. They are also great if you are looking to get a good, most fully covered tan. If you aren’t very comfortable in your body, there are higher waisted bottoms that allow you to cover higher. There are also tankini tops, basically a tank top made of bikini material, that covers up a lot. These aren’t good for serious swimming, but for laying out at the pool or just casually hanging in the pool, they are great. You also have options like halter bikini tops that cover more than a typical top, but are more suited for actual water action.

Wear whatever looks (and feels) most flattering. I wouldn’t rule out bikinis; they can actually be more attractive than the average one-piece on many people (myself included, and I’m not an hourglass).

I have a waist, not an incredibly noticeable one, but one nonetheless. When I wear one-pieces, the difference between my waist and upper hips (where the outer edges of the suit cut off) isn’t great enough for my waist to still be visible. In this way, most one-pieces tend to have more of a rectangularizing effect, which is fine if you’re doing competitive swimming and don’t want your boobs to get in the way, but won’t be flattering on everyone.

My advice would be to either look for:
1) Bikinis with ruffles, because the added volume on your chest and hips will balance out your waist more. While it probably won’t have a dramatic effect, it will at least soften your overall shape and give a more feminine appearance, if that’s what you’re going for.

2) If you’re not ready to try on a regular, two-piece bikini, go for a monokini. That is, the modern kind, which seems to be a one piece with the sides or middle kind of cut out, sometimes in intricate ways. It may not completely re-vamp your body shape, but the right one will shrink the perceived size of your waist, and again, suggest curves.

3) One-pieces. If the above two are too revealing for your comfort, I’d opt for a one-piece that is darker in the sections you want to minimize, and lighter/with a busier pattern in the ones you want to maximize.