Bikini bottoms are tinier than ever this summer - and we’re not here for them

This year’s key bikini trend appears to be reserved for the supermodels among us. [Photo: Getty]
This year’s key bikini trend appears to be reserved for the supermodels among us. [Photo: Getty]

The big swimsuit/bikini debate is one that rages on year-on-year, as women champion their favourites to hit the beach.

But the case for a one-piece has perhaps never been stronger than in 2018, no thanks to one of this year’s biggest bikini bottom trends which has us edging further away from the idea of rocking a two-piece than ever before.

Enter: super tiny, minuscule, barely-there bikini bottoms.

Instead of bum-covering designs, the 2018 trend du jour involves minimal material in thong-like styles.

Popularised in part by the likes of Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner, the Brazilian silhouette is just growing in popularity.

All you want is Nikes

A post shared by Emily Ratajkowski (@emrata) on Jun 21, 2018 at 2:36pm PDT

They’ve even found their way into mainstream British pop culture thanks to popular ITV reality dating show, ‘Love Island’.

Here, the girls have been donning a number of bum-baring bottoms (with various degrees of wedgie), so much so that they’ve even sparked health concerns among viewers.

Just a cursory glance and the swim sections on our favourite high street brands prove the fact that bikini bottoms are just getting smaller and smaller.

Calvin Klein Perfect Pink <a href="https://www.urbanoutfitters.com/en-gb/shop/calvin-klein-perfect-pink-brazilian-bikini-bottoms?category=Bikini%20Bottoms&color=066" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank" data-ylk="slk:Brazilian Bikini Bottoms.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas" class="link ">Brazilian Bikini Bottoms. </a>[Photo: Urban Outfitters]

And the point is, they’re just not flattering for everyone – are they?

“For pear-shaped and curvy ladies out there, a Brazilian-cut tie-side bikini is the most flattering shape, but up until a year ago, it was seen as skimpy as a thong by the Brits,” Lily Russo, swimwear expert and co-founder of resort-wear site Beach Flamingo tells Who What Wear UK.

@kendallandkylie swim 🍋

A post shared by Kendall (@kendalljenner) on Jun 23, 2018 at 7:28pm PDT

“Fast forward to summer 2016, and thanks to Instagram and bikini-selfie pros, there has definitely been a shift in people’s opinions toward showing a little more cheek,” she went on.

Despite this affirmation, we’re still not convinced about baring our entire bums at the beach.

Long live the bum-covering and high-waisted looks of 2017, we say, what about you?

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