At What Age......?
 

Serious question, at what age do you think for a woman is too old to be wearing a skimpy bathing suit (string bikini, thong) to the beach if you are in fantastic shape?

No males in speedos or thongs please.

I don't think I will EVER reach an age where I don't appreciate a woman wearing a skimpy bathing suit at the beach.

Oh! You meant HER age. Never mind.

If you REALLY have a body that looks great, why not.
People say don't wear long hair after a certain age, don't wear short skirts and so on. If you look good and maybe even younger, I say go for it.

Thanks for the replies. I was looking at Demi Moore in a recent People Magazine and at 40, she looks fantastic in a bikini!

I can assure you, Demi Moore has had "help". I wear a 1-piece at age 44, and the whole time I'm "sucking it in"! I hate those cute 20-year olds with perfect bodies!

My sister once said to me, as we glanced at 2 young girls with perfect bodies in bikinis, and commented,
"Remember when we looked like that, and looked at women who look like us, and said, 'I'm never gonna look like that? "!!!!!!!

I have a friend who is 52, built and lies her age down to 38,she has a pink velvet bikini that is really great on her. I wouldn't be caught dead in it ever.

I don't think age has anything to do with it. I was amazed at how European woman maintain their figures into their 60's. At a pool party recently all of the woman over 38 and well into their late 50's were bikini clad and looking GREAT!

My mother always told me to never become mutton dressed as lamb!
I think when a woman reaches 40-ish, it's time to hang up the bikini.
It's still possible to look like a million bucks in a one piece suit....there are some very sexy one piece suits.
Leave the bikinis to the 'lambs'.

Late 40's here------thinkin' I look pretty good in my bikini----until I actually start MOVING. :)

You ladies who can't wear these clothes are the ones objecting. I have an aunt in her sixties who looks better then any woman I have seen in her thirties.
It's all about how you look. Now velvet is tacky. Wear a simple bathing suit material if you have the body, and enjoy yourself. These ladies need a bowl of milk.

40 is too old; i have to laugh at the women i see who i know they are late 30's and early 40's and try to dress like Brittany Spears...cracks me up....everyone is laughing while she's making a fool of herself...JMHO!

Wear what makes you happy. That being said, remember that first impressions count. I like to think we have high standards as a nation and are not just being judgemental of others. I was 20 and sleek once, but having children has taken its toll on my body. I am not over weight. Nor am I ashamed of my body. But the reality is that time has taken its toll and things don't (how shall I say this?) "hang" the same way. Wear a bikini? No thanks. My 40 something body is happy in my one piece.

My mom, in her late 50s, still owns a bikini that she occasionally wears, and still looks fantastic in it! She more often wears the one-piece though, because she doesn't like to be gawked/whistled at - it embarasses her. I HOPE I still have the body for a bikini when I'm her age. Unfortunately my trouble spot is my thighs, which can't be hidden by a 1-piece.

The thing that drove me nuts when I went backpacking through Europe were the 21 year olds I met, who looked at me and exclaimed,

"I hope I look good as you when I get to be YOUR age!"

I'm 30.

I mean, do they think it all goes downhill in 9 years????

Unlike those girls, I think it's actually possible that many women look good, if not better, in their 40s, 50s and beyond. I think "Brittany Bikinis" may look ridiculous, but I see plenty of classy bikinis that look great on more mature women.

I hope I look as good when I get to be THEIR age. :)

I don't think it's an issue of age -- it's about how you look. I've seen plenty of girls in teens/20s who look dreadful in bikinis. Older women can still look great; I can really tell the ones who've sunned too much, though. (ugh)

I agree with elizabeth_reed. There are some teenagers I've seen who have no business wearing skimpy bikinis or short shorts, or figure hugging shirts. Every roll and lump shows, and it can be downright gross. On the other hand, bravo to them for not caring what I think!

If you've got it flaut it is what I think about bikinis. Who cares what age you are, and who cares what those who think you shouldn't be wearing them think?

Women that look great can wear what ever they want at any age. What amazes me is why men with fat bellies and hairy backs seem to think they can wear speedos as old men and can get away with it. Then there is men wearing thongs. Need I say more?

so you see....people where whatever they want AND we the public think certain things about different ones whether someone thinks they look good or they don't or they are trying to be 20 and they are not........lol

sorry, i mean "wear" not where...lol...i get a kick out of this post.

clair,why would it crack you up that a woman in her late thirties, early forties, is dressing younger than her age? Are capris and tee shirts more appropriate?

A woman that doesn't have a great body is not going to wear something form fitting.

Why don't you show some support for your fellow sisters rather than making fun of them?

You know what's ironic.... when I was 20 and had a great body I didn't have the guts to wear a bikini. Now that I'm forty and have the guts to wear one I also have the gut that makes wearing one impossible. The gut as well as the stretch marks. Oh well.

More power to any woman who can wear one but in my beach going experience that is a rare minority. I've seen more than a few older women who should have thought twice. Just being skinny isn't enough if everything is headed south.

GoTravel-You have these late aged women wearing shirts with pins holding them together, etc...sporting the g-string with pants (Brittany Spears). Sorry i can't support someones mother (especially older women) who look foolish doing so...people laughing at them behind their backs and wondering why they are trying to be 20....JMHO

I think that if a woman looks good in a bikini and is comfortable wearing one, then go ahead.

"A woman that doesn't have a great body is not going to wear something form fitting."
You've not been to a mall lately have you GoTravel because this happens ALL the time.

I'd rather have scalding water poured on my head than go anywhere near a mall. No, I haven't been to a mall lately or Wal-Mart.

Hey, if you can (and want to) wear it, then go for it!!!!!

Why should women cover up? I see men with pregnant bellies ready to give birth to that beer keg at the beach all the time - should they cover up too, or is it OK because they're men and only women should cover up? Some of these guys could really use a hefty bikini top too!

Bikinis YES at any age! Go for it ladies!

Thongs NO! PLEEEZ! Thongs only have about a 4 year window of opportunity: age 15-19. And even then only if you're ...extremely well toned.

lillhavfrue - Now picture the beer belly guy in a speedo - yuck. That's what some older women in bikinis look like. Its just not pretty either way. But everyone has the right to wear what they want but I can't think of anyone over 40 I want to see in a thong.

Lets face it - few of us and certainly not me look good in skimpy outfits. Everyone needs to be realistic about balancing comfort and style.

I remember going to a new beach on a Sunday afternoon and seeing a 40plus biker chick type with many tattoos, a bright yellow thong bikini and long stringy dyed blonde hair. Granted she was thin but there was nothing attractive about her. But she was strutting along like she was the queen of the beach.

The next day at work I mentioned that I had gone to this particular beach and my boss asked if I saw the biker thong wearer. He happened to have been on the same beach. We still laugh over her. She thought she looked great but 9 years later she still sticks out as the worst thing either of us have ever seen on a beach.

There are women in their 50's who definitely look great in bikinis. There are women in their 20's who do NOT look good in a bikini. I don't think it's about age, it's about your body and your confidence level. And there is also quite a difference between a string bikini and a regular two-piece . . . I'm 32, I'm 5'4", 114 pounds, I work out 8 times per week -- yes, I will wear a bikini, but NOT a string bikini. But I'm also only a 34B, I think string bikinis might require a bigger bustline.

Now that was an example of more information than we needed to know, DebbieAllen!

Well, I'm 5'4" and 150 pounds and look great in a bikini. Hitting my stomach would be like hitting a brick wall. To tell you what kind of shape I'm in, I can bench my weight. But I can't be bothered working out 8 times a week; I'd just get too fatigued and it will screw up any progress I'd like to make.

You can imagine how good I look in a bikini. At any age,I look better than any girly man out there.

Down, lillehavfrue, down. Yes, if you're 5'4 and 150 pounds, you've either got excess fat or you're built like a brick sh*thouse. You seem to claim the latter and I'll take you at your word, why shouldn't I?

My eight workouts a week break down as follows: 3 weight sessions, 2 yoga classes, 3 cardio classes. I make fine progress, thanks.

According to the BMI calculator - 5'4" and 150 lbs is a 26, which is only 1 point out of normal range. Since muscle weighs more than fat, a bit of muscle will send a regular sized person out of range. A person doesn't need to be build like a brick sh*thouse to have those measurements.

I agree with the poster who said 'just being skinny isn't enough'. I'm 31 and while I don't weigh any more than I did when I was 21, I have started to notice that my skin just doesn't have the elasticity it did when I was 21. I still wear a bikini but will probably decide to give it up in another 10 years regardless of my weight.

I don't put any stock in the BMI for people who work out. Yes muscle weighs much more than fat. The only time I weigh myself is at the doctors office and the nurses all think I weigh much less than my actual weight.

Skinny isn't attractive but fit certainly is.

Ever heard of the term "skinny fat"?

Skinny is way more attractive than fat.

GoTravel - exactly my point.

FYI, the term "built like a brick sh*thouse" is a compliment. I think Linda Hamilton in Terminator 2 was built like a brick sh*thouse.

It sounds like lillehavfrue is too, especially if she can bench her weight.

I also agree that some women are "skinny fat." Some are also "fat strong." But at least if you're fat strong, you can take comfort in the fact that you can kick a skinny fat's a*s. :)