This news anchor’s bikini photo is going viral for a great reason (2024)

This news anchor’s bikini photo is going viral for a great reason (1)

We have definitely, totally, 100% entered swimsuit season. Here, we are proponents that every body is a beach body, but unfortunately, sometimes body image issues and low self-esteem (and, y’know, the messages we hear from society since birth!) get in the way of putting that thought into practice. That’s something that Iowa news anchor Erin Kiernan knows all too well, and recently took to Facebook to talk about.

This past Monday (the 4th of July!), Erin posted a photo of herself from two years ago wearing a bikini to Facebook with a lengthy caption. The point of the caption was to talk about body-shaming — mostly, she wanted to stop body-shaming herself. The thing is, she mentioned that the last holiday weekend she’d posted an essay called “Put On Your Damn Swimsuit,” and she said that she was feeling like “the biggest hypocrite” because that was something she herself isn’t currently willing to do.

Here’s the post:

In full, the caption says:

Happy 4th of July!

During the last holiday weekend I posted a link to a wonderful essay called, “Put On Your Damn Swimsuit”.

The next day I felt like the biggest hypocrite.

I have a drawer full of swimsuits. I tried on all of them. None of them fit. I had a meltdown. Even after my husband made a Target run and came back with a bag full of cute suits I felt frustrated and ashamed and angry about the way I looked. Then I felt frustrated and ashamed and angry for feeling those feelings.

It’s why I’m posting this picture. It’s not me now. It’s me two years ago. It’s what I call “Average Erin”. It’s me when I’m working out on a regular basis but not killing myself. It’s me when I’m eating healthy but not denying myself the occasional cheeseburger or glass of wine. It’s just plain old me.

The thing is – when I first saw this picture I was horrified. My inner dialogue went like this … “Cellulite! Huge thighs! Stretch marks! Blech!”

Two years and several pounds and stretch marks later I’m wondering why I’ve felt this way about myself for so many years.

Why do so many of us feel this way about ourselves?

The weekend I posted the “Put On Your Damn Swimsuit” essay a friend pulled me aside to thank me for it. She went on and on and on about how she’s struggled with negative body image for years and said she always declines invitations to the lake or the pool because of it, but this year she was going to have fun, dammit! I was looking at her thinking, “Are you kidding me?!?!?” She’s blonde and funny and thin and perfect.

WTH?

Every day in the dressing room at work I hear, “Oh my GAWD – my thighs! Ugh…my hair! Ew – look at this gut! Geesh, these wrinkles!” These comments are coming out of the mouths of some of the smartest, strongest, most talented and beautiful women I know.

Why?

I know high school and college girls who have “DIET” in big bold letters on their massive “To Do” lists. They’re young and brilliant and gorgeous and they have their whole lives in front of them.

Why are they worried about dieting?

One of my relatives recently spent a ridiculous amount of time talking to me about her “mom bod” and how fat and out of shape she is. She did this in front of her pre-teen daughter and it made me so sad because she’s an incredible mom and she’s funny and she’s beautiful.

Why does she talk about herself this way?

Of course I blame airbrushing and mass media and the internet and fitspo and all sorts of modern day things for this sickness, but it’s been going on for a lot longer than many of these things have existed.

It’s not just women. One of the people I love the most feels this way because his dad constantly called him names; insulting everything from his looks to his intelligence.This man is one of the most clever, attractive people I know.

Why did his dad say these things to him?

By contrast, most of my family members were my biggest cheerleaders. But there was definitely a premium placed on appearance. I remember watching my mom stand on the scale, shaking her head. She also made a lot of disparaging comments about her looks. She’s skinny. And she’s beautiful. More importantly, she’s super smart and funny and generous.

Why did she say these things about herself?

When I was in junior high a new girl moved to town and it didn’t take long for me to be “on the outs” with my friends of many years. After a pool party the new girl and my former friends started calling me “stretch”. I didn’t get it. Someone had to explain to me that I had stretch marks and that they were a bad thing and that I was being made fun of for having them. She also pointed out to everyone how ugly my nose was. I’ve obsessed about these things about myself ever since then.

Why did she say those things about me?

One of those childhood friends also explained to me how awful it is to have rolls on your belly when we were at the pool one day. She also schooled me in what ideal legs look like (only touching at the very top of the thighs, the knees and the ankles. Who knew?!?).

Who taught her these things? I know the answer to this one – her mom.

I don’t know how to combat all of these influences. It’s so hard. My instinct when I look in the mirror is to start criticizing. My instinct when I hear others saying negative things about themselves is to chime in with negative comments about myself. My instinct is to always feel like I could be better.

Here’s what I’m gong to do…I’m going to try to monitor both my inner dialogue and what I say out loud in an effort to eradicate this sort of negativity. Not just for for myself – but for my son. I want him to be surrounded by people who value others for their hearts and minds, not their appearance. And that includes his parents and how they view and talk about themselves.

To steal a quote from a teacher whose yoga class I took recently, “It doesn’t matter how it looks, what matters it how it feels.”

Feel good, friends. And put on your damn swimsuit.

It’s started to go viral, because the message is one that so many of us can relate to — it’s what’s inside that’s of value, and our time on this Earth is short. We need to enjoy it, and put on our damn swimsuits.

The post This news anchor’s bikini photo is going viral for a great reason appeared first on HelloGiggles.

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This news anchor’s bikini photo is going viral for a great reason (2024)

FAQs

Who made the bikini famous? ›

By the early 1950s, the list of stars who had been photographed in bikinis made them one of the most spoken about clothing items of the era. Brigitte Bardot famously wore one in 1953 at Cannes after her 1952 film Manina, the Girl in the Bikini turned it into an international talking point.

Why was the bikini named after the bikini atoll? ›

The modern bikini swimsuit was introduced by French clothing designer Louis Réard in July 1946, and was named after the Bikini Atoll, where the first public test of a nuclear bomb had taken place four days before.

When was the bikini popularized? ›

However, European and Hollywood film stars, such as Brigitte Bardot and Marilyn Monroe, did much to glamourise and gradually popularise the bikini's use by the late 1950s. As the clothing of choice of Bond girls and then Sports Illustrated swimsuit-issue cover stars from 1964 onwards, the bikini gained further allure.

What did the original bikini look like? ›

He trimmed additional fabric off the bottom of the swimsuit, exposing the wearer's navel for the first time. Réard's string bikini consisted of four triangles made from 30 square inches (194 cm2) of fabric printed with a newspaper pattern.

Who is the 57 year old swimsuit model? ›

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit revealed a co-winner of the magazine's annual Swim Search on Wednesday, 57-year-old retired university associate dean Nina Cash, who will appear in the issue's 60th anniversary in May.

What's the difference between a bra and a bikini? ›

Bras and bikinis also differ in terms of their construction. A bra typically has cups that cover the breasts and straps that go over the shoulders and around the back, while a swimsuit bikini typically has a band that goes around the waist and bottoms that cover the hips and buttocks.

What is the bottom of a bikini called? ›

If you are only talking about swimsuits, the most widespread term (at least in the US) is bikini bottom. Bikini tops and bottoms can be sold separately, but they are considered pieces of one outfit, similar to shirts and pants.

What went wrong at Bikini Atoll? ›

Despite the promises made by authorities, these and further nuclear tests (Redwing in 1956 and Hardtack in 1958) rendered Bikini unfit for habitation, contaminating the soil and water, making subsistence farming and fishing too dangerous.

Is Bikini Atoll still radioactive? ›

The U.S. tested more than 20 nuclear devices at Bikini Atoll and nearby Enewetak Atoll. Residual radioactivity remains today at Bikini Atoll.

When was it illegal to wear a bikini? ›

The bikini has been a controversial clothing item since its introduction in the 1940s. While it has become increasingly popular in recent years, there are still many places where it is banned. One of the most notable bans was in Spain, where the government prohibited the use of bikinis on public beaches in 1951.

Can you swim in a bikini? ›

For swimmers who are looking for a bikini that provides both comfort and functionality, there are plenty of options available. Swim bikinis designed specifically for swimming offer features like secure straps, supportive cups, and chlorine-resistant fabrics.

Who was the first woman to wear a bikini in a movie? ›

In 1953, Brigitte Bardot made waves at the Cannes Film Festival by posing for photos on the beach wearing a bikini. A year prior, Bardot starred in “Marina, the Girl in the Bikini,” in which she donned several tiny two-piece bathing suits.

Is SpongeBob bikini bottom? ›

Bikini Bottom is an underwater city that serves as the main setting of SpongeBob SquarePants. Located at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, it is where the series' main characters live, and where most of the episodes take place. Bikini Bottom is similar to an average American city.

Where was Bikini Bottom? ›

Bikini Bottom is located in the Pacific Ocean, below the island Bikini Atoll, a part of the Marshall Islands, and is actually a real place that made way for an interesting fan theory about its origin.

Why is SpongeBob bikini bottom? ›

Bikini Bottom, SpongeBob's fictional home, is based on an actual place in the Pacific Ocean. But how much do most Americans know of the real-life Bikini Atoll, the location of 23 U.S. nuclear weapons tests during the Cold War era?

Who modeled the first bikini? ›

Micheline Bernardini (born 1 December 1927) is a French former nude dancer at the Casino de Paris who agreed to model, on 5 July 1946, Louis Réard's two-piece swimsuit, which he called the bikini, named four days after the first test of an American nuclear weapon at the Bikini Atoll.

Who was the first swimsuit model? ›

He ran a travel story on Jan. 20, 1964, featuring model Babette March smiling in a white two-piece bikini, which became known as the inaugural issue.

Who created the micro bikini? ›

The term "microkini" was first used in 1995 to describe the increasingly small bikini designs that were becoming popular at that time. In the same year fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld created a micro bikini for Chanel's spring 1996 collection.

Who designed the thong bathing suit? ›

Rudi Gernreich | "The Thong" | American | The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

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