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. :)