The #fatkini hashtag is showing confident women, such as Gabi Gregg, showing off their curves.
The #fatkini hashtag is showing confident women, such as Gabi Gregg, showing off their curves.
First it was the thigh gap, then the bikini bridge and now the #fatkini is one of the latest trends making waves on social media.
Curvy girls seem to be taking over Instagram with their selfies in a two-piece with catch cries of "empowering", "inspirational", "real women" following in itswake. It was started by US plus-size fashion blogger Gabi Gregg who uploaded a pic of herself bemoaning the fact that there weren't any glamorous bikinis and hashtagged it #fatkini.
She wrote: "Don't let body shame keep you from having a good time. I don't expect everyone to feel comfortable in a two-piece but, hopefully, I can inspire some of you to take the plunge. I can't tell you how freeing it is to just have fun without worrying about what other people think."
Now women all over the world are following (swim) suit.
I like it. Not because of the scantily clad lasses, but the fact that you have confident women being body image positive and embracing who they are. I know, it's very much a "You-go-girl-sisters-doing-it-for-themselves" mentality but it's better, and healthier, than its predecessor trends. The thigh-gap selfies spurred diets and exercises on how to increase the space between the inner thigh when standing upright with knees touching. Likewise the bikini bridge photos of a bikini bottom resting on protruding hip bones, suspended above the stomach. Yes, these are real things and, yes, some women obsess about them by the number of "thinspiration" blogs online.
While #fatkini has taken over the Northern Hemisphere, it will be interesting to see if the trend will become as popular in New Zealand as we enter into warmer weather.
