Singer Alexa Ray Joel is grateful she was able to participate in a fun social media trend for International Bikini Day, but she is even more excited that her photos were able to remain authentic. The 35-year-old daughter of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley took to Instagram earlier this week with a long message and thank you to the editors of Sports Illustrated for not altering her photos and letting her natural beauty shine through. Although she was a day late for the official Bikini Day, Alexa thought the importance of her message allowed her the wiggle room.
Keeping It Natural
“A little birdie told me it was International Bikini Day yesterday, so I’m a day late, but nonetheless…🌺💋and can I just say THANK YOU to [Sports Illustrated Swimsuit] for not editing my natural body shape,” Alexa wrote.
She continued, “As women, we gotta stop picking ourselves apart and doubting our divine form! And hey, that’s easier said than done for me, cause I’m a total perfectionist; to say I’m aesthetically sensitive would be an understatement.”
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Learning to Love Her Body
The “Seven Years” singer explained that the years have made her more accepting of her physical changes: “I’ve grown strangely fond of my wee soft tummy; and breasts that slightly sag with each passing year— breasts which don’t actually sit quite so high n’ proudly whilst jutting upwards towards my collarbone, unless I’m wearing a bustier corset.”
She questioned, “So why not make an innate practice of being honest about who we are and how we feel about ourselves, from the inside and out?”
Fans and friends of Alexa obviously loved her message and showered her natural photos with likes and comments, including her mother, Chrisite Brinkley.
“This is wisdom and words to live by. Thank you for that!” one fan wrote.
What Is Bikini Day?
Celebrated every year on July 5, International Bikini Day has some pretty great historical importance as it serves as the annual day to commemorate the invention of the bikini back in 1946 by French fashion designer, Louis Réard. According to History.com, “Réard promoted his creation as ‘smaller than the world’s smallest bathing suit.’
Réard named his creation the bikini after the islands of the Bikini Atoll, a tiny area near the equator formerly used as the U.S. to test nuclear bombs during WWII.