ALEXANDRA SHULMAN: Why I’ll always be proud to show off my crepey tummy in a bikini

As we spend the last few days of summer, judgment has now fallen on the pressing question of bikini versus bathing suit. And this year, the fantastic news is that the British swimsuit-buying public seems to have finally discovered the joys of wearing bikinis.

A recent study found that this year, bikini sales are outpacing one-piece suits by an astonishing factor of seven to one, representing 82 percent of swimwear sales. And much of this number has been bought by middle-aged women who previously preferred swimsuits.

Since the bikini first appeared in 1946, women have been divided between those who like to show off a bit more of their bodies and those who cherish the safety of the bathing suit.

While Italians, Portuguese, Greek and Spanish women of all shapes and sizes love to romp on the beach in bikinis, we Brits are traditionally more wary of the extra exposure this choice of swimwear requires.

It’s true that I literally have skin in this particular bikini game. In 2017, I posted an Instagram photo of myself on vacation, wearing a bikini I bought from the Mid-England brand Boden, complete with a display of a slightly crêped tummy, mosquito bites, and messy hair.

I had thought this was just another summer vacation photo and had no idea it would spark any comment – ​​but it did. Had I exposed my maternal body to promote body diversity? Was I brave at 59 to post an unfiltered photo while wearing a bikini? Had I lost my mind after just leaving my previous 25-year role as editor-in-chief of Vogue?

Of course it was none of these. I did not find this extraordinary for a moment and considered this photo as one of many, showing the joys of my holiday by the sea.

It hadn’t occurred to me that this would pose an issue as to whether there’s an appropriate age to wear bikinis if you’re not blessed with Liz Hurley’s body and complexion.

Because bikinis have been part of my holiday wardrobe since I was young when I envied watching grown women, slathered in Ambre Solaire tanning oil, basking in the sun in their bikinis.

I was condemned to my boring Speedo school rules, but as soon as I had the choice it was a bikini for me – there was no question about that. And so it remains.

While I’m far from slim, baring my belly doesn’t cause me any more anxiety than the many other bits and pieces of me that could use some improvement, because wearing bikinis is a state of mind rather than a body state. It’s no more necessary to look like Gwyneth Paltrow or Salma Hayek in a bikini than it is to wear a bathing suit.

Wearing bikinis is not a competition. Still, this hasn’t stopped legions of women from feeling uncomfortable exposing their bellies, despite the fact that we should logically be particularly proud of this part of our anatomy for its fertile potential. Instead of being ashamed that we lose the waistline and firmness of youth as the years go by, we should be willing to recognize what an incredible job our bodies do for us.

Those who like bikinis don’t do it because they show off our figures, but because they feel so good. Age is irrelevant to the wonderful feeling of sun and water on the skin. Recently, 90-year-old Joan Collins was pictured in a white bikini along with a slew of older women flying the flag.

And this summer’s fashion has made a positive contribution to that, offering a wider range of styles than ever before. The tankini is paired with a cardigan instead of a bra top, and the large, 1950s-style pants offer more coverage for those who want the feel of a bikini but prefer a little more coverage.

A few years ago, I was lying on a beach outside Lisbon watching what I assumed was Portuguese grandparents with young children. The couple must have been in their eighties. He preferred skimpy briefs and the woman wore a colorful bikini. They seemed so at ease, unashamed of the bodies that have carried them through the decades.

It was the perfect holiday style template, and I plan on copying it for years to come.