Well it’s here— summer, although it might be spring still technically if you’re consulting a calendar. But the 90 degrees temperatures we’ve been having lately beg to differ! And with summer comes summer fun, which we’re planning to indulge in this weekend with a visit to see family at Table Rock Lake. My new vintage-inspired bathing suit has triggered a renewed interest in vintage style and I have to say….aren’t any of these suits better than those cheap stringy bikinis? And aren’t all of these ladies beautiful, hips and bust and all?
Rita Hayworth
I’ve come to the conclusion that although it is popular now to be waifish (and don’t all the people we see in magazines and blogs tend to be oh-so waifish? How did everyone get so diminutive?) that these ladies– particularly from the 40s and 50s are going to be my ideal.
They say you get more confident as you grow older, and maybe I have. I think it’s ridiculous that fashion insists we retain the bodies of a 15 year old (or even more difficult, the bodies more similar to a 15 year old boy!) I think it’s very interesting that we can look at the vintage photos of these women who are a good 20-30 lbs. heavier than today’s models and think they’re beautiful, yet if we look at our own similar selves and compare them to today’s ideal, we feel like we come up short. It’s nonsense!
Of course I should clarify that this doesn’t mean I am putting down women who are naturally thin. What I’m trying to say is– we should be proud to work with what we’ve got and not tie ourselves up in knots or deprive ourselves or berate ourselves because we can’t force our bodies into being some unattainable ideal. Have you noticed that 90% of the bathing suits you see in the store work well for about 10% of the population? It just strikes me as odd.
Jane Mansfield
Marilyn Monroe
How about you? What do you think of these ladies and their swimming suits? Do you prefer the modern ‘itty bitty teeny weenie’ ones, or would you like to see the vintage style make a come back? Because I really think it is! I see them more and more and I think they’re so flattering, but they’re not for everyone, I know. I think it’s fun too that many of these old bathing suit photos have lots of accessories with them too— high heels, hats, red lipstick. I think it’s gorgeous!
Whatever you’re doing this weekend, I hope you have a good one! I plan to come back with no tan (I’m embracing the pale!) but worn out from being on the water.
Talk with you next time,
~H
PS: Wanna see more curvy girl inspiration? Check out my Pinterest board 🙂
But now that I am expecting, I'm slowly putting on some pounds and to tell you the truth, I am so comfortable and excited about not looking like a stick figure! 🙂
Sleightholm Folk Art 
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