Plus-size model Instagrams the reality of shopping for a bikini and it's a struggle we can all relate to
Shopping for bikinis and swimsuits isn't always as fun as it should be.
A British plus-size model posted photos of her nightmarish experience shopping for a bikini in a high street shop. And, her struggle is something many women will relate to.
Sonny Turner Instagrammed photos of herself trying on a black bikini along with a long caption expressing her frustration at the absence of options for women of her body type.
She said that her experience is "the reality of shopping as a thick/ plus-size woman".
"Changing rooms can be scary places. I am wearing the largest size from one of the most popular high street stores sells in bikinis which is 12-14 [8-10 US size]."
"High street store bikinis do not cater for women of my body type. Majority of online stores don't either. NO ONE GETS IT, so for any upcoming designers I got come tips for u," Turner wrote.
"Big breasts need underwire for support for a youthful lift. We need cup sizes that correlate to bra sizes and they need to go past DD. We need cups that actually cover more than our nipple. We need cups that bring out boobs together so there's not a massive gab in-between them. We need straps that aren't so tight it's as thought our neck is about to snap off. We need bikini bottoms that don't give us wedgies when we walk. We need string bikinis that don't expose our vagina lips. We need swimsuits that fit over our hips without dragging the neck of the costume down causing neck ache."
Turner told Mashable that bikini shopping is "always a nightmare". "High street shops only have like three sizes which is ridiculous as we live in 2017 there's more than 3 body types," says Turner.
She says swimsuit shopping makes her feel as if she's "abnormal". "Like, I don't fit into society's body expectation, so does that mean I'm different?" She says it's not her body that needs to change, it's the mindset of brands and society.
Turner says people have responded really well to her post, and she was shocked to discover that so many people relate to the struggle.
"You don't have to be a plus size woman to have bikini struggles," she added.
Turner's Instagram post contained a powerful message to swimwear brands. "We deserve more choice in the selection for our body type that isn't just the generic black swimsuit with a kimono," she wrote.
"Make clothes for all sizes and bodies," Turner continued.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
