Stop Telling Other Women How to Dress
A few weeks ago, I had the misfortune and displeasure of reading something that continued to annoy me for weeks: this article. This misguided piece of writing advised—nay, told women that wearing cheeky bikinis is a threat to women’s very dignity.
The author writes, “Coming from a female who cares about her body and self-image, this not only makes me angry but disappointed in the lack of value [sic] that women still have today.” I have two responses to this. First, women are incredibly valuable, and the author seems to agree with this idea. Thus, I must assume that the author meant to argue that modern women lack certain values. This argument is archaic and has been repeated time and time again as women become more and more liberated. Think about the progression of women’s beachwear throughout history: as suits have become more revealing, I am certain that there have always been people like this author to tell women that, in order to love themselves, they must wear just the right amount of fabric on their bodies.
Echoing another argument that is old as time, the author implores us to think of the children. “More importantly, what does it teach the younger generation who see women wearing these types of bathing suits? It surely doesn’t teach them about having self-respect or dignity in themselves.” I am honestly curious to hear how this author thinks the mind of a child works. I believe it might look something like this: a little girl is playing in the surf with her friends. A young woman wearing a cheeky bikini walks by. The little girl pauses. “Wow,” she thinks. “That young woman must not have any self-respect or dignity in herself.” This situation seems dubious at best, and ridiculous at worst.
Perhaps the most memorable argument of the article comes when the author defends herself against arguments of sexism: “Do you often see men roaming around in a speedo to attract attention? The answer to that question is obviously no.” I shudder to think on how this woman would react upon visiting a European beach. She’s right—American men don’t often wear Speedos. This fear of exposure seems to come from the United States’ Puritan origins, and is hardly universal to the rest of the Western world.
Ultimately, this article does the very thing it seems to fight; it takes agency away from other women. If I ever have a daughter, I will not call her a whore or say that she is giving away her dignity by wearing a cheeky bikini. Instead, I will teach her that she is worthy and deserving of respect no matter what she wears.
I know that a woman’s legs have nothing to do with her intelligence.
I know that a woman’s chest has nothing to do with her resume.
I know that a woman’s bikini has no bearing on her kindness, on her worth, on her dignity.
Do you?