In the 90s, we had Pamela Anderson in Baywatch, and in 2014, Kate Upton in The Other Woman—iconic images of what society deemed the perfect bikini body. Today, however, the power of makeup and accessories like Halloween contact lenses and natural shades like green contact lenses have taken centre stage, allowing anyone to transform their appearance in a way that challenges traditional beauty standards. Tools like coloured contacts Halloween and for darker natural eyes, shades like hazel contact lenses offer individuals the freedom to redefine their look.
Bikini is still important, but doing the perfect makeup has become equally important to meeting today’s beauty standards that focus on perfection. Ever since the bikini was invented, presenting the perfect bikini body has been an ambition all over the world.
The Rise of Bikini Bodies
The entire idea of the bikini body is rather simple: to wear a bikini, you must have the right type of figure that is considered socially acceptable and desirable. Typically, this includes a thin waist, full breasts, a round butt and lovely long legs. There should be no body hair, no cellulite, no stretch marks or blemishes. Slender is good but not too muscular. You need to have the body of a celebrity, with a breast lift if necessary, in order to achieve beauty that fits the definition of Western society.
It seems that the term bikini body became popular as a result of a weight-loss ad that campaigned in 1961. Slenderalla was the name of the company that launched an ad campaign that read, “Summer is fun for those who look young” with a “high and firm bust, hand span waist and firm, trim hips with slender, graceful legs, the bikini body”. The message came across loud and clear. If you would like to wear a bikini, you need to look like this. The images would suggest thin and able-bodied women in their twenties to thirties with narrow waists, hairless skin, medium-sized breasts, zero cellulite, and toned stomachs. The framework for having your body labelled bikini-worthy was set.
Beauty standards across the world
Now, which country has the highest beauty standards for women? South Korea would fall into this category, which places a huge emphasis on the beauty of women. The women must send in a picture of themselves when applying for jobs, and most times, it is their looks that determine if they get the job or not. There are some countries where women must remain covered when in public, including at a beach. For example, a Muslim woman must wear their religious clothing when in public and wearing bikinis in public is certainly banned in their religion. However, there is one common factor across different places around the world: no country truly promotes larger women as being bikini material. Certainly, in this day and age, there is a growing demand for size diversity. We see shopping catalogues and TV commercials, including larger women, when promoting their lingerie or swimwear. However, deep down, the ideal bikini body is still considered to be slim, with no imperfections, no body hair and the right-sized breasts and butt. It isn’t rounded off there; you could have a perfect body yet have acne or scars, which will certainly prevent you from being rated as the perfect bikini body. It is all-round perfection, from your hair to your attractive facial features like lips and eyes, right down to the shape of your body and how slender your legs are, that determines if you have a bikini body or not.