Life Is Better in a Bikini
I grew up on a tropical island. The kind of place where the line between land and sea is a warm invitation. Where bikinis aren’t just swimwear — they’re a way of life. You learn early how to find your best light, your best side, and your best excuses for staying near the water just a little longer.
Are bikinis empowering? Yes. To me, it’s more than a wardrobe choice. It’s a symbol of sunshine, freedom, and the kind of confidence that doesn’t need to shout to be heard. It says, “I’m here. I’m relaxed. I might jump in, or I might just lie here looking fabulous.”
“Bikinis, as being comforting and empowering, they are just so darn comfortable and practical – at the beach or for fighting dinosaurs.
Raquel Welch
Bikini Philosophy 101
Some people wear power suits. I wear bikinis. Why? Because nothing strips away pretension faster than salt, sand, and sun. The bikini is truth serum in Lycra — exposing not just skin, but state of mind.
In a bikini, you can’t fake confidence. You have to own it. There’s no room to hide, so you start to embrace the imperfections, the tan lines, the wobbles. You learn to love the way your body moves through water, stretches on a towel, and sips a cold drink while eyeing the surf. You learn to live comfortably in your own skin — and a few square inches of stretchy fabric – that’s my bikini philosophy.
“Oh, how I regret not having worn a bikini for the entire year I was twenty-six. If anyone young is reading this, go, right this minute, put on a bikini, and don’t take it off until you’re thirty-four.”
Nora Ephron, I Feel Bad About My Neck: And Other Thoughts on Being a Woman
Cultural Contrasts (Or: Why the French Do It Better)
Coming from Réunion Island, where French and island cultures meet in a sunny, flirtatious fusion, bikinis were normal. Expected. Celebrated. In France, the female body isn’t a scandal — it’s a canvas. Style is sensual, not sexualized. You can wear a bikini and talk politics. You can show some skin and still be taken seriously.
Then I moved abroad.
I’ve lived in countries where the bikini is considered borderline rebellious. Where I’ve been told to “cover up” or seen people avert their eyes as if a shoulder blade might cause a scandal. And yes — I’ve complied when needed. But I’ve always felt that little ache of lost freedom. Because once you’ve known the liberty of sunshine on your belly and ocean breeze on your back, modesty feels like a muzzle.
A History of Sex Appeal
When the bikini was invented by Louis Réard, a French automobile engineer – in a rather atypical career move, no fashion model was willing to wear his revealing design. After some negotiations, he hired 18-year-old nude dancer Micheline Bernardini from the Casino de Paris to present his first bikini to the press at the Piscine Molitor, a popular public pool in Paris.
The world’s first bikini — bold, brilliant, and barely there!
The bikini was an instant hit; the event – occurring just 4 days after the first Bikini Atoll nuclear tests – were widely carried by the press and Bernadini herself received over 50,000 fan letters! Réard hoped that his swimsuit’s revealing style would create an explosive commercial and cultural reaction, he wasn’t disappointed.
Although the bikini quickly became popular in movies, it took more than 15 years to enter the mainstream of fashion, and longer in many places. France accepted it before several other countries and eventually allowed women to sunbathe or swim topless.
Bikini Memories
Some of my best memories happened in a bikini. Laughing in the waves with my daughters, sipping cocktails on a sun-drenched terrace, diving off boats with salt-sticky hair and a heart full of adrenaline. Those moments aren’t about vanity — they’re about vitality. About saying yes to life, to adventure, to feeling good.
My favorite bikini? A bold red one I wore on a solo trip along the Amalfi Coast. It clung in all the right places and dried in minutes. I remember leaning on the boat railing, salt on my lips, thinking, “This. This is what freedom tastes like.” That bikini is long gone — but the memory clings like sunscreen.
Bikini as Rebellion
As we grow older, we’re told — subtly or not — to cover up. To wear “age-appropriate” swimwear. One-piece. High neck. Lower leg. Maybe a skirt, just to really drive the point home.
No thanks.
Every time I put on a bikini, I’m making a quiet protest. I’m saying, “I’m not done. I’m not invisible. And I still look damn good under the sun.” It’s not about defiance for its own sake — it’s about refusing to let someone else draw the lines on my body. I’ll choose my own outline, thanks. That’s bikini body positivity.
Bikinis and Body Image
Let’s talk about the elephant in the sun lounger: wearing a bikini when you’re not “bikini ready.” Spoiler alert — there’s no such thing. You’re not a fruit to be ripened, a project to be perfected, or a before-and-after photo waiting to happen.
The real test of a bikini body? Put a bikini on your body. Boom. You passed.
Our bodies are stories. They carry the marks of laughter, childbirth, travel, heartbreak, growth. Wearing a bikini is not about showcasing perfection. It’s about showing up — joyfully, honestly, gloriously human.
“A girl in a bikini is like having a loaded gun on your coffee table- There’s nothing wrong with them, but it’s hard to stop thinking about.”
Garrison Keillor
Packing Light, Living Large
One of the great pleasures of life is traveling light. A bikini rolls up smaller than a paperback and brings you more joy than a five-star itinerary. Add sunglasses and flip-flops, and you’re halfway to enlightenment. (Cocktail optional, but recommended.)
There’s a metaphor in there somewhere. Maybe life doesn’t need to be so padded and zipped up all the time. Maybe there’s power in stripping down — in being bold, breezy, and a little exposed to the elements. In learning to love what’s underneath the armor.
Another advantage of going small is of course, the smaller your bikinis are, the easier they are to pack!
Final Thought (And One More Layer of Sunblock)
Life is complicated. But bikinis? Bikinis are simple. They remind us to seek sunshine, to take ourselves less seriously, to flirt with freedom. They tell us to dive in — into water, into life, into that just-one-more Aperol Spritz moment.
So yes, life is better in a bikini. Not because of what it shows, but because of what it says: I’m here. I’m alive. And I’m not afraid to feel the sun on my skin.
Life’s better in a bikini, Your Quest is to find out if wearing them makes you happy too.
💬 “If this sparked something inside you, don’t keep it to yourself. Drop me a thought, share it with a curious friend, read some more, or just come back soon. The Quest continues…”:
📘 Want a whole lot more? My book “This is Your Quest” dives deeper into genius, growth, and life’s playful paradoxes. Available on BookLocker, from Amazon or from Barnes & Noble.
🔗 Share the wisdom – your future genius self will thank you.
I totally agree – I wish I had worn bikinis much more when I was younger, but now I don’t care what people think and I wear it regardless. Awesome for gardening in hot weather. Amazing how many complements you get from men – they are just grateful to see skin. LOL!! :o)
Thanks Wendy! Welcome in the 👙 club!
LOL :o)
I really enjoyed reading your bikini post and especially loved the quotes. This is inspiring for me. I am not comfortable in my body and have not worn a bikini in public probably since I was 17. I have been wanting to, but have been feeling too self conscious. Maybe someday I will be brave especially now that I live in Hawaii and it is always swim suit weather!
❤ Alana
Aloha🏝 ! Thank you so much for your comment it really fills me with joy to think that this article can in a small way make women feels more confident. You are in the perfect location (Hawaii 🏝) to wear the most comfortable clothing item. I say ‘Go for it’ !
from motorcycles to bikini – quite the range! have you ever combined the two? 🙂
😂 The answer to your question is no – too much outside my comfort zone!
Bold beautiful and why not
😀🙏🏖👙
This is why I only wear a one-piece.
😂👙 To wear or not to wear?! That is the question… 🤔
I have to wear something. Other people would stop going to the beach.
😂
“01/09/2020@08:56: AND IN THE GREAT RED-WHITE AND BLUE, U.S.A., SOUTH BEACH IN MIAMI, FLORIDA, U.S.A., IS A HOT-SPOT FOR WOMEN IN BIKINI’S!!!”
“NOTE: 1998-2002, THE CANADIAN LEVIS SHORT’S PINUP GIRLS DREAM, OL CANUCK-Brian MURZA/THE SOUTH BEACH/MMM SHE IS REALLY NICE…CONSULTANT!!!”
”10/30/2022 at 16:16-PLAYBOY PLAYMATES, PENTHOUSE PETS=SINGLE, SINGLE SEXY WOMEN/24-64 YEARS OF AGE; LOOK GREAT in BIKINI’S, LEATHER AND LACE, STOCKINGS, HIGH HEELS, SEE THROUGH NIGHTIES, and THEIR BIRTHDAY SUITS!!!’
Ah I loved your perspective and the research you did for this post! Wow 1946 wasn’t even that long ago. Personally, I do not think bikinis are right. Society has instilled this norm now that if you don’t wear a bikini, you’re probably insecure about your body or something which is not true. If I have a nice body, why would I want to show it off to random men and women in public? To me, it’s almost like wearing a bra and underwear and somehow having sand instead of grass under your feet makes the difference. I don’t find revealing too much skin empowering especially that it was a man who created the bikini. And in terms of the weather, light and baggy clothing like dresses cools the body much more than sun directly hitting the skin but that’s just my take on it. I loved reading this though and I absolutely love your writing style. 😍💗 Have a great day!!
Thanks for stopping by, for taking the time to comment and for sharing your perspective on this 🤗🙏!
En 1946, bien que Louis Réard soit un ingénieur, il gère la boutique de sa mère « Les Folies Bergère » à Paris.
Ces années là, Louis Réard et Jacques Heim sont des concepteurs rivaux, en compétition pour créer le plus petit maillot de bain au monde.
En 1932, Jacques Heim développe son maillot de bain et l’appelle « atome » en annonçant que c’est « le plus petit maillot de bain ».
En 1946, Louis Réard présente le bikini. Son maillot de bain est essentiellement un soutien-gorge à deux triangles de tissu inversés, reliées par des cordes, et il est nettement plus petit que l’« atome ».
Il commercialise sa création avec la phrase « plus petit que le maillot de bain le plus petit au monde ». Il appelle sa création le bikini, d’après l’atoll Bikini. L’idée lui est venue en regardant les femmes retrousser leurs vêtements de plage pour obtenir un meilleur bronzage…
Et, avec le droit de vote accordé en 1944 (ordonnance signée le 21 avril 1944, par le général De Gaulle), l’émancipation de la femme française pouvait se poursuivre…
Ce Louis, un « sacré numéro ! ». A French boy at the forefront !
En ces temps délicats, prends bien soin de toi Joanne…
Affectueuses pensées et bisous ensoleillés d’Auvergne. <3
Merci Louis pour ces informations et precisions historiques! Un sujet fascinant! Qui aurait dit qu’il y a une connection entre “Les Folies Bergères ” , “L’atome” 🏝 Le Bikini 👙, l’ordonnancement du 21 avril 1944 et Louis Reard?! Les Louis semblent être très créatifs! 🤔 Stay safe, strong and healthy. Affectueuses pensées de 🇰🇷
I could never imagine fighting dinosaurs in anything but a bikini, preferably mammoth fur.
Definitely! If you have to fight against dinosaurs better do it in style 🦖🦕👙!
Another very good read! And, facetiously I note, it turned me on. Tis hard to read about a bikini and not be overwhelmed by the image of that gorgeous female body!!!
👙 tend to have that effect on people 🤔😉!
My name is Jake. I am a guy and I enjoy guy things (the traditional guy with a guy job- I am a fugitive recovery agent, I chase bad guys who miss court or running from the law) So when a lady friend of mine said to check out this website, I was reluctant, because ot would seem as though I am just trolling around for beautiful women. I do have to say, I am not trolling for women, but a woman that has the confidence (whatever size or shape) that puts on a bikini is a confident woman and a sexy woman. My friend Nikita, knows that of me and the very reason she said check out this website. I love the posts and would love to met confident women. Jake Peters ( jakepeters @ duck. com or peters.jake @ gmail .com) put your name and where you read this so I know you are a real person please. I just want to meet, txt, tlk, email a confident woman that loves to put that bikini on. (you wont be disappointed- i am a gentleman, I am fun and funny, I am good looking and I do very well at my career. I just enjoy confident woman amd someone that can put a bikini on without judgment.
Greetings Jake. Thank you for reading my article and for taking the time to write. I am always interested in hearing when and how a piece finds its way to readers. I am indeed real. An author, blogger & Storyteller. My website and other platforms I have is where I explore ideas, perspectives and narrative, rather than introductions – and as a happily married woman with two grown daughters, I’ve long retired from personal auditions. That said, I am glad that the theme of confidence spoke to you. It is one I enjoy exploring in my writing, and you’re welcome to continue reading and engaging with the work itself.