InstagramSo, the "thigh gap" was a thing last year. And now this is. The troubling part about it is that the "bikini bridge" trend was started as an Internet hoax, but now it's real.
The bikini bridge is a term for the space you get between your bathing suit bottom and your hip bones when you lie down. We guess it's something to strive for, although we'd rather there not be a space where our crotch is. Are they skinny or just wearing ill-fitting bathing suits? Anyone can have a bikini bridge if they buy suits three sizes too big, right? But we digress.
This past weekend, a 4chan user decided they wanted to create a new body trend and attempt to make it go viral. They created propaganda in favor of the trend (fake celeb tweets supporting the bikini bridge, Buzzfeed lists, etc.) as well as propaganda against the trend. Then they sat back and watched the Internet explode.
And explode it did. There are now Tumblrs and Instagrams dedicated to either showcasing the bikini bridge or denouncing it. There are tags on Twitter for both sides of the issue, and look, we're writing about it, too. As are a lot of other websites. So well done, 4chan user. The bikini bridge is now a mainstream thing. Your experiment worked!
Let's do this! ???? #bikinibridge #sexier2014 (cto) pic.twitter.com/sK0KbkreHF
? Chrizel Luminario (@chrizLuminario) January 10, 2014Except now impressionable young woman (and men) could possibly go to great and dangerous lengths to try and get the bikini bridge. Don't get us wrong, there is nothing wrong with having a fitness goal or striving to become a healthier person. But something like this shouldn't be the benchmark for beauty.
Louise Adams, a clinical psychologist who specializes in eating disorders and body image told The Sydney Morning Tribune that this is "just another example of the objectification of women and their bodies" and because of social media, it was too easy for the bikini bridge to become a trend.
"Social media creates competitiveness between other women. We know this largely effects younger women and this is exactly who is using these sites," she said. "This is a generation who has grown up with social media and at the same time, eating disorder figures have doubled."
see!!
#bikinibridge pic.twitter.com/nLLydMZoq6
? Anti Bikini Bridge (@AntiBridge) January 5, 2014Now two things need to happen to counteract or quiet this social media storm. First, someone should start a meme of things that live under this bikini bridge. We'll start you off. Photoshop that pic of Alexander Skarsgård naked on the toilet onto some girl's pubic bone. And the second thing that needs to happen is the start of a health trend and phrase that's normal. Off the top of our heads, how about the Ear Space? You know, that gap between your ears and your head? So hot right now. And everyone has it! Yes, even those with connected ear lobes have an Ear Space. Put your finger on the skin behind your ears. Doesn't that feel nice? Totally hot.
Or better yet, Ear Space could also signify the fact that you use the space between your ears (that's your brain) to realize that whether you have a bikini bridge or not, you are still beautiful. Now go put on Bruno Mars' "Just the Way You Are" and let's hug it out.