I love fashion blogs.
I know this may surprise you, considering how much I say I love pajama pants.
But the truth is, I love fashion.
Not in the “Sex in the City” kind of way, but more like in the “fashion is self expression” kind of way.
Because to me, that’s what fashion is: the ability to express who you are in a personal and meaningful way.
Reading fashion blogs allows me to envision myself dressed in the styles of the lovely ladies whose fashion sense I admire.
I’m inspired to try fashion trends like floral jeans, peplum tops, and neon colors.
And when I spot a fashion trend I don’t have the courage to try, I live vicariously through the daring women who step out in style and blog about it.
Now that summer is here, I’m delighted to see many of my favorite fashion bloggers sporting bikinis.
I am especially pleased to see many women showing off their curves, undaunted by the fact that they don’t have what society deems a “bikini ready body.”
These women, confident in their skin and convinced they are beautiful, are my heroes.
They are who I look up to as I continue on the journey to lose my insecurities and feel comfortable in the body I am in.
Gabi Gregg is one of the fashion bloggers I admire.
She has recently been making waves with a bikini post that has gone viral.
Fearless, beautiful, and self confident, she is truly a sister worth emulating.
When I first saw Gabi’s bikini post, I cheered.
But not before I swooned when I saw her gorgeous vintage inspired two piece.
For the first time in twenty one years after giving birth to the Son, I envisioned myself wearing something similar to Gabi’s two piece.
However, there was something in Gabi’s post that burst my bubble: the fact that she called her bikini a “fatkini.”
A fatkini?
Really?
I was disappointed at what appeared to be another example of labeling.
Fatkini.
The term alone implies that it’s a two piece for fat women.
It would appear that “bikini” as in, a two piece suit, seems insufficient for full figured women, and thus, it is necessary to create a more literal term.
This makes me wonder why some women feel the need to adopt terms like “fatshion,” or “fatkini.”
Is it because we find that it sets us apart from the skinny girls; that it award us our own little club or clique?
If you ask me, terms like these only serve to make a distinction between those who are fat and those who aren’t.
In her recent post, Gabi promotes a clip of her appearance on the Today show.
In the interview, she’s asked if she thinks she’s promoting obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle.
Gabi replies, “I’m not promoting obesity or a healthy lifestyle. I think people should be aware of what they’re putting in their bodies and be more active. The truth is be happy with your bodies we have right now.”
While I found Gabi’s answer to be acceptable, I wanted to hear a different reply.
I wanted to hear her question why it is that when fat women wear a bikini, it’s seen as way to promote obesity, but when thin, emaciated women grace the covers of fashion magazines, it’s not seen as a way of promoting eating disorders.
I wanted to hear that being fat doesn’t necessarily equate being unhealthy, the same way that being thin doesn’t automatically signify being healthy.
I wanted to hear that women wearing bikinis, regardless of their size, are just that, women in bikinis.
I find that if we really want to empower women and promote self confidence, we have to lose the labels.
The word fat used to induce fear.
Anyone daring to use it was crossing the line, being offensive, being politically incorrect.
Fortunately, many fat people are battling the word’s negative stigma saying, “We’re fat and so what?”
Nevertheless, is it really necessary to label ourselves fat?
After all, it’s not like skinny people walk around saying, “My name is so and so and I’m skinny.”
The way I see it, any woman, regardless of her size or shape, should feel free to wear whatever she wants and feels comfortable in.
Without having to rename a bikini a “fatkini.”
And surely without having to affirm, “I’m a fat girl in a bikini.”
It should simply be enough to say, “I’m a woman in a bikini.”
Enough said.