Why we shouldn’t be freaking out over Elizabeth Hurley’s bikini selfies on Instagram
In celebration of National Bikini Day this week, swimsuit designer and actress Elizabeth Hurley posted a bikini selfie on Instagram. The 52 year old tagged her own bathing suit line, and posed in a red, triangle-top bikini. Unfortunately, people had absolutely no chill about it.
Does she look happy and confident? Absolutely. But her followers left more than 700 comments about how “good” she looked for “her age” and calling her “brave,” and something’s just so off about that. If she were a 52-year-old man, it’s not likely that people would be commenting that he looked “so good for his age.” And really, what does that even mean anyway?
For women, the pressure to look young and have a perfect “bikini body” is intense. (Especially since there is no such thing as bikini body.) The celebration of Hurley’s “aging” body in that Instagram post reeks of ageism and sexism. One Fox News headline even announced that she was “flaunting” her “bikini body.” Ugh, can we not?
Elizabeth Hurley always posts pics of herself wearing her own swimwear.
The actress started her luxury swimwear line, Elizabeth Hurley Beach, over a decade ago in 2005. She said at the time that she was ready to take a break from the red carpets and do something else with her professional life.
Hurley explained on her company’s website, “I decided to venture into beachwear not only because I’ve always been obsessed with vacation clothes, but also because it’s an area where women, regardless of shape or size, can either look amazing or really get it wrong.”
Hurley added that she wanted to “develop resort collections, which make women feel fabulous at any age.”
It’s nice that fans are loving her suits and the confidence she exudes rocking them on Instagram. But if she had a wrinkle (or a scar, or anything) — would people still be applauding her? It’s a question worth considering.
