It’s astonishing that in this day and age, a woman’s choice of swimwear could be considered public property open for critique. A recently circulated article took aim at high-waisted bikinis, arguing for their retirement based on the author’s personal distaste. This piece, which read like a manual on how to best objectify women, missed the entire point of fashion and personal choice. It served as a stark, if unintentional, example of why we need to continually reaffirm a simple truth: women’s bodies are not public commodities, and their clothing decisions are made for themselves, not for the viewing pleasure of others.
The author’s critique was rooted in the idea that the bikinis were “unflattering” and reminiscent of a previous generation’s style. This criticism is not only subjective but also completely irrelevant. The flaw in this logic is the assumption that a woman’s goal when getting dressed is to be perceived as “flattering” through a narrow, often male-defined lens. This perspective reduces clothing to a tool for approval, ignoring its roles in comfort, nostalgia, confidence, and pure personal joy. A woman might choose a high-waisted bottom because it makes her feel secure, stylish, or comfortable, reasons that are all perfectly valid on their own.
Perhaps the most jarring part of the original article was the casual mention of an “image bank,” a term used to describe a mental collection of women’s images for later objectification. This admission lays bare the underlying motivation of such critiques: a sense of entitlement to women’s bodies and how they are presented. This framing is the exact problem. It transforms a person into a picture, a human being into an object for consumption. The responsibility for that mindset lies solely with the person who holds it, and it is not a burden that women should have to bear when simply picking out a swimsuit.
Fashion is a deeply personal language. It’s how we tell the world a little about who we are without saying a word. What is “ugly” to one person may be another’s favorite outfit. To demand that half the population abandon a style based on one person’s preference is not just silly; it’s a denial of individual autonomy. Women are not mannequins existing to decorate the world according to a unified standard. They are individuals with their own tastes, histories, and reasons for the choices they make.
The conversation should never be about which bikini style pleases a hypothetical critic. The real discussion is about why we still feel entitled to comment on them at all. The empowerment comes from rejecting the premise entirely. Confidence is built when women wear what they love, unabashedly and unapologetically. The high-waisted bikini, like any other item of clothing, is neither inherently good nor bad. Its value is determined solely by the woman wearing it, and her sense of comfort and self-expression is the only review that matters.
