Apologies to my usual Lib Dem readers who probably think a 'bikini bridge' is a bridge made out of bikinis or a bridge with women in bikinis standing on it. A bikini bridge in the contemporary sense is the gap that exists between a bikini bottom and the lower abdomen. You only have to look at the picture to know what I am referring to.
The bikini bridge has become the new trend after '4chan' created a internet hoax whereby they encouraged people to post pictures of their bikini bridge and revealed that it was set up to see the response and how easily people would succumb to the trend. A '4chan' user said, "After a fair amount of circulation has been accomplished, we circulate the images throughout parts of the Internet known to be biased on the subject of weight (i.e. thin privilege, fat shaming, etc). This should cause large enough of a stir to snowball into a fairly big subject.”
The bikini bridge is part of the body image which dominates the lives of the girls of my generation. Another body image obsession is over the 'thigh gap' (a thigh gap appears when the legs don't meet above the knees because they are so skinny). The bikini bridge and the thigh gap are constantly being obsessed over by girls on social media sites tumblr, facebook, twitter, at schools and I have have even overheard conversations on the streets about it. There are Instagram accounts dedicated to the aim of being extremely thin. Some of the pictures posted show girls in an unhealthy physical state to the extent that it interferes with their everyday life.
The following was a comment posted on a thigh gap Instagram account, "Today during my exams I was having insane hunger pains. My head hurt and it felt like I was going to throw up all morning. Its all worth it though." This unattainable body image for girls has become extremely dangerous because it leads to self harm, eating disorders and sometimes even suicide. The bikini bridge craze may have been set up as a hoax but it is becoming a real thing and a harmful one at that.
Girls of my generation are very skewed in the way that they view a healthy body. Fitness has become mixed up with wanting to live up to the physical ideal of a skinny top model. Skipping meals, forcing yourself to throw up and weighing 100 lbs are not marks of fitness. I was moved to conduct a personal experiment. My friend and I both weighed ourselves and calculated our BMI (body mass index). She is 5'6", weighs 112lbs and has a BMI of 18.08. I am 5'9", weigh 133lbs and I have a BMI of 19.64. Both of our BMIs are very healthy yet neither of us have a thigh gap, bikini bridge or the body of a supermodel but we do not have physical problems either that result from our lifestyles or choices that we make as girls.
My generation is obsessed with appearance and image rather than reality. All of these unhealthy crazes stem from this obsession. Who is to blame? Is it the young girl's fault for buying into the hype? Is it social media's fault for reinforcing 'body perfection' through the bikini bridge and the thigh gap? It is worrying that my generation prioritises looks and style over things like intelligence and academic ambition. It is as if the feminist fight for self worth has not trickled down to my generation.
So true, these obsessions with body fads, such as thigh gaps and bikini bridges, have become ridiculous! It is such a rarity to find people, such as yourself, who measure self worth against intellect amongst a generation that idolises a distorted image of perfection.
ReplyDeleteIt really does dominate their lives and it is so unhealthy. apologies for the late response
DeleteThank you for this post, Maelo. I am completely finished with the sexualization of women in this society. I mean, you've got to question if this is a portent for the years to come. It can only get worse from here, unless we do something to stop it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think that wearing skimpy clothing is not only immoral, but even lowers self-esteem significantly. I don't know how people act so confident in bikinis, even though I find it disgraceful.
Thanks for leaving a comment Anna. I completely agree with you that there is an over sexualization of women which completely degrades females. I think that it is fine for women to wear skimpy clothing because it is their body and they shouldn't feel ashamed of what they wear. The point is that women should be able to feel confident with their bodies as they are instead of trying to become super skinny. I am a feminist so i do believe that women have the right to wear what they want without feeling self conscious or in danger. Many people in places like Asia would agree with your view on skimpy clothing but India, for example, has a high incidence of rape and most women there wear clothing that covers them from neck to feet.
DeleteMaelo
Good article. My only criticism is that BMI and weight should not be included as they are triggering to those with eating disorders.
ReplyDelete