Denise Bidot Reveals Cellulite & Stretch Marks in Swimsuit Campaign
Plus-size models this season are on a mission: to demystify the perceived notion that two-piece swimsuits are reserved for women with particular body types.
Denise Bidot, one of these very women, fronts swimsuitsforall’s latest campaign. While the images released might be retouched, removing tan lines and smoothing out skin, a behind-the-scenes video showed the model without any digital manipulation.
“I love everything about my body,” she says. “Every bit of it … the cellulite, the stretch marks, everything that I thought at one point was an imperfection, I now realize is everything that makes me unique. Curvy women shouldn’t apologize for anything. They should wear a swimsuit that makes them feel comfortable. It’s all about the confidence.”
Tess Holliday, the size 22 model who’s taken the world by storm, breaking barriers and providing women everywhere with inspiration, echoed Bidot in a bikini campaign of her own. The first model of her size to sign with an agency, she partnered with Simply Be for their #SimplyBekini to, in one step, describe that a bikini body doesn’t require hours at the gym and gratuitous dieting, instead it just requires putting on on. "I hope #SimplyBekini inspires women to love themselves and their wobbly bits,” she said. “All women need to do to get a bikini body is to put a bikini on, then they’re ready to hit the beach.“
Additionally, outspoken model Ashley Graham took aim at a body shaming ad seen in major cities such as London and New York. The controversial billboard for Protein World features a woman in a bikini asking, “Are you beach body ready?” Graham hit back with some computer magic, inserting herself in the ad, and captioning the Instagram, “There’s no reason to hide and every reason to flaunt!! #curvesinbikinis.” She also told Glamour, "I’m here to remind women that our bodies are beautiful at any size, as long as you are living a healthy lifestyle and taking care of yourself.”
So take their word for it: bikinis don’t discriminate.
More from Yahoo Style:
Meet Revée Lamar: The Face of Full Figured Fashion Week
Rebel Wilson’s Bringing Body Positivity to Fashion
Target’s New Swim Campaign Features Real Women of All Shapes