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Swim England removes article with swimwear advice for women with 'flabby stomachs'

Photo credit: Getty Images
Photo credit: Getty Images

From Cosmopolitan

Swim England has taken down an article from its website after it was criticised for advising women on how to choose swimwear for their body shape – whether they have a “jiggly belly” or are “pear shape”.

The governing body, which aims to promote swimming and water sports, made suggestions for swimmers with short and long torsos, with a large or small bust and “plus size”, according to snippets from the removed article shared by BBC Sport.

In a section on dressing a “flabby stomach”, the guidance noted that “bikinis totally expose a jiggly belly” and that “trying to squeeze it into a one-piece will not slim your stomach”. In advice on swimwear for a pear shape, it suggested a swimsuit that will “draw attention to your more appealing characteristics”. And in a section on “boyish body”, the advice was: “Try push-up cups and twisted bandeaux to enhance your cleavage”.

The article was first highlighted by UCL PhD student Simone Webb, who revealed she was “shocked” to find the piece when she was doing some research on taking up swimming.

“I was thinking about trying to swim again because I needed to get my cardio exercise up to track and wanted to do something warm and indoors,” she wrote on Twitter. “I was genuinely surprised and shocked that the national government body would have something like this on their website.”

In a letter to Swim England, Webb criticised the article, noting “This is nothing to do with athletic performance or comfort: instead, the emphasis is on women's appearance.”

A spokesperson for Swim England has since apologised and has replaced the old content, which was first published in 2010.

We pride ourselves on being inclusive and respectful to all,” the organisation tweeted on Tuesday afternoon. “Earlier today it was brought to our attention that one of our old webpages was neither. This does not reflect our values and we took it down immediately. Thanks to everyone who brought this to our attention.”

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