Helen Hunt argues that Hollywood’s beauty standards have an impact on her self-esteem
Helen Hunt has revealed that she has changed her outlook in recent years.
Bang Showbiz
Tankini is igniting social media debate over humility on the beach.
For some, tankini reminds us that they are preteens: the bottom or shorts of a bikini and the essentially waterproof top, shorts were often the first graduation from childhood dresses to swimming in two pieces. Or they were performance swimsuits you remember wearing your mom or guardian, with the front of the fabric adding additional coverage aimed at people with belly after birth or pregnant.
Either way, Tankini won Revamp in 2025, and it’s possible that popular retailers from ASOS to Cupshe Marketing have not worn one since the summer before the seventh grade, covering the two pieces. These upgraded tankinis offer a refreshing colour palette and a rather boxy design, but don’t slip completely through styles with unexpected cutouts and cute patterns that are seamlessly combined with skirts and shorts.
However, the Tankini acquisition has prompted some social media users to wonder if the revival is just as harmless as pure 2000s nostalgia, or if it is a cultural totem that wants to hide women.
“I don’t know if humble propaganda is working on me, or if they’re actually making cute tankini this year,” one Tiktker meditated. “All the ads I saw on Tankini are the cutest tankini I’ve ever seen and I need to have one. Are I going to wear a tankini all summer? Is it working?”
“Tankini Police” has arrived
Tankini Summer marks the American era, says Lorynn Divita, associate professor of apparel design and merchandising at Baylor University. A lot of attention has been paid to nudity (or lack of it) this year. Some participants at this year’s Met Gala caused a fire due to the many naked looks. The Cannes 2025 Film Festival then banned nude gowns on the red carpet. The ubiquitous cutout booty shorts and strappy crop tops sparked debate over humility in the gym. And don’t forget that this week, Miley Cyrus will turn his head in a completely thin dress.
“I’m not a fan of the direction we go in any direction,” another Tiktalker said. The same creator later posted that “Tankini Police” came for her.
Others, meanwhile, said a little more bandwidth would offer a comprehensive and cute option for a variety of body types and lifestyles. A fan posted that she loved the way tankini was “slack and spicy.”
Another said, “Stop the discourse. It’s so unnecessary…it just puts the woman back on!”
Is tankini a signal that promotes humility?
According to Leora Tanenbaum, author of “Sexy Selfie Nation,” on the one hand, the internet is effective in sensing “major changes” towards the traditional gender roles of fashion. She said clothing related to stereotypical femininity is popular now, even in the bikini they reveal. According to Tanenbaum, you can’t find anything else without dominating the clothes that emphasize “low cut milkmaid dresses” garments “femininely” emphasizing them.
“There is a very narrow aesthetic ideal of femininity,” she said. But at the same time, the internet fight is missing the point where women face “relentless” sexualization no matter what swimsuit they choose this summer, Tanenbaum said.
“Tankini’s argument is not so much to put pressure on people to look modest, just like the young people who say, ‘I’m so tired of being objectified,'” Tanenbaum added. “There’s no way to beat this. When you wear a bikini, you make yourself slutty embarrassment, because of the assumption that the obviously dressed person is ‘wanting for it’. However, if you wear a tankini, you are seen as lacking like a woman, as you are refusing to be sexy following the binary method. ”
“The Lost Battle”
According to Tanenbaum, if wearing a tankini is to avoid sexualisation, “it’s a lost battle.” But for those who feel empowered mentally and physically by wearing Tankinis, she said she “owns it.”
“We all have the right to feel autonomy and ownership over our bodies. If that little extra fabric gives us that self-empowerment, we should wear it.”
People may also be just tired of what’s in their closets and want to try something new.
“We’ve reached fatigue level teen bikini, what does it look fresh?” Divita said.
We cover life: Sign up for USA’s Today Keeping It Together Newsletter.