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Best Bathing Suits For Plus Size Women [PHOTOS]

By Kirsten Silven
Published on: 15:16 PST, May 1, 2016

With nearly every woman on the planet (or at least the Northern Hemisphere) thinking about summer – which means shopping for new bathing suits – it can seem like the pressure to get in “beach body” shape starts earlier and earlier every year. And when it comes to finding the best bathing suits for plus size women, the struggle is definitely real.

“Even specifically plus size retailers like Simply Be appear to stock a large amount of bathing suits (11 pages of 36 products per page!), but there are nearly 100 more styles available for a size 14 than a size 26,” wrote Bethany Rutter, a self-proclaimed “fat girl who is very chill about showing off my body,” for The Debrief. “It also disturbed me that the models used for swimwear are often even smaller than those used to model standard plus size clothes.”

Just a few weeks ago in early April, three brave women appeared on “This Morning” in plus size bathing suits to tackle the body shaming phenomenon that seems to plague virtually all women, but especially those society as a whole deems to be “overweight” or “obese.”

Related content: Does Victoria’s Secret Exclude Plus Size Women? Tess Holliday Thinks So

The reaction to the women’s appearance on TV was mixed and sparked a frenzy on Twitter, with people taking to social media to question whether the plus size women in bathing suits were actually sending a healthy message by celebrating obesity. Other viewers drew ironic parallels between the struggles of plus size women and those who suffer from anorexia. Still, Melanie Cohen, 48, is a plus size woman who lives in London and says she already feels ready to hit the beach and has no plans to diet before buying a bathing suit this year.

“A size 24, Melanie says she feels sexier now than she did in her 20s and its all thanks to her size,” wrote the Daily Mail.

The 250-pound mother of two now models lingerie, plus size bathing suits and other clothing for various plus size fashion companies, but she admits she wasn’t always so confident.

“In 2013 I was convinced to enter a beauty pageant for plus size women and becoming a finalist changed my way of viewing my body,” Cohen told the Daily Mail. “Part of the competition was swimwear and at first the thought of hitting the catwalk in nothing but a bathing suit was horrifying, but now I couldn’t be happier.”

https://www.facebook.com/MelanieCohenPlusSizeModel/photos/a.406131362809457.98359.406123002810293/813424318746824/?type=3&theater

Here are some of the 2016 summer season’s hottest plus size bathing suits! Tell us which one is your favorite in the comments section below!

[Image via Shutterstock]

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