Filed under: Fashion
AP
However the latest trend from the beaches of Brazil is definitely for more, rather than less, fabric.
Fashion designers and shops have reported a huge demand for plus-size swimming costumes and bikinis, as larger women have been left out in the cold when it comes to finding clothes to wear on the beach.
Elisangela Inez Soares, a sunbather on Copacabana beach said: "It used to be bikinis were only in tiny sizes that only skinny girls could fit into. But not everyone is built like a model."
"Finally, it seems like people are beginning to realize that we're not all Gisele [Bundchen, a supermodel]," added the mum of four.
AP
Brazil held its first ever plus size beauty pageant on the weekend, where contestants modelled bikinis and swimwear on the catwalk.
A study published in 2010 showed nearly half of Brazilian women and 50% of men were overweight.
Fashion designer Clarice Rebelatto said she had so much trouble trying to find something to wear to sunbathe - she is a size 14 - that she decided to create her own clothing line, Lehona.
"Honestly, the problem went way beyond just bikinis. In Brazil, it used to be that if you were even a little chunky, finding any kind of clothes in the right size was a real problem."
"And I thought, 'I'm actually not even that big compared to a lot of women out there, so if I have problems, what are they doing?"
The line has proved to be a success and Luis Rebelatto, Clarice's son and the brand's director, said they did not compromise on offering larger women the latest styles.
"We're working from the principle that bigger women are just like everyone else. They don't want to look like old ladies, wearing these very modest, very covering swimsuits in just black."
It appears the Girl from Ipanema is no longer lean, but "large and lovely" instead.
Should more fashionable plus-size swimwear be available or should women aim to diet into smaller bikinis for the beach? Let us know below...
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