It was a pleasant surprise to pick up Heat Magazine this week and see that their 'World's Curviest Celebs on the beach' feature wasn't just a load of soul-destroying pictures of women who're only curvy by Hollywood standards (Catherine Zeta Jones? Still TINY in my world). No, the majority are actually 'normal' looking; Jessie Wallace, Julia Sawalha, Martine McCutcheon and...um, Tara Reid (we'll forgive that one).
It got me thinking about curvy girl's swimwear again. It was a Style Tribe post that first lead me to the range of vintage style Ether Williams swimsuits at My Baby Jo. It was a pleasant surprise to see that one of the models of these beautiful 40s style swimsuits and bikinis has more in common with this Gemma than Gemma Ward when it comes to body shape...
She's still got a gorgeous, healthy figure, but look...fleshy upper arms! Womanly thighs that aren't fake tanned! The tell-tale 'breathe in, you'll look slimmer' stomach! In short, this woman is fabulous.
And it doesn't end there...
Plus size web store Always For Me also has a nice stock of swimsuits for curvy women that don't scream 'old lady'. The upside of the retro revival is that you can now cover up and cinch in a little more and look miles ahead in the style stakes. Again the models on this site are actually curvaceous, and they look fantastic in the skirted, draped and gathered suits, which are all around the $80 mark.
In the UK, Marks and Spencer is ever reliable for plus size styles. I love that they're not forcing their 16+ women into plain colours and all black. These printed tankinis cover up where needed but also say "I don't feel the need to hide away", which is brilliant news. Just because you're voluptuous doesn't mean you should feel the need to cover up and wear black all the time. If you're flesh-conscious when walking around, put on a bright kaftan and be proud of your curves.
And speaking of kaftans, this Matalan one (£8) will make the most of curves and give you a waist if you're fed up of hiding yourself under a tent-like cover-up. Matalan's mainline range goes up to an 18 or 20, but because of the roomy cut, you can probably get away with the biggest one even if you're a little larger.
