Bikini bashing

Not everyone is comfortable with cross-dressers. When clothing store Wildflower Daydreams in the city of Rocklin, California scheduled a fashion show to be hosted by a drag queen at the Rocklin Event Center in March to celebrate the store’s third anniversary, conservative residents complained to the city council, saying it should not be open to the general public.

The opposition led by a local church leader argued in a public hearing last 23 January that “the drag queen would be stripping and the show would be focused on sexualization,” which would be inappropriate for children, CBS News reported.

Store owner Michelle Honath defended the public event saying it wanted to celebrate inclusivity, assuring officials and the public that the show would be family-friendly.

“It’s going to be more of a drag dance style. There will not be any stripping, anything inappropriate for children, just really having a fun host and having an entertainment aspect,” said Honath, according to CBS News.

The council was yet to decide on the issue as this sees print. Meanwhile, some netizens reacted negatively to the promotional video for a women’s bathing suit posted on 22 January by Australian swimsuit company Moana Bikini on its Instagram page.

Many commenters said they would unfollow the company because of the video showing off a small backless one-piece bathing suit selling for $99, the New York Post reported.

“I thought you were about empowering women,” one comment read.

Another commenter said the video was “bad advertising if the target audience is women,” and the swimwear’s model is “not going to make most women want to buy it,” according to NYP.

Other netizens defended the video.

“Thank you for always being inclusive in your sizing and models! Number one reason I will always support your brand!” one commenter wrote.

Jake Young, the male model posing and strutting around in the women’s swimsuit in the video, also reacted to the negative comments.

“I am not a woman nor have I ever claimed to be. This post is simply empowering a minority and I’m forever grateful for that,” he said, as reported by NYP.

A spokesperson for the 13-year-old company said Moana Bikini loves and accepts “all races, ethnicities, body shapes and sizes, genders and sexual orientations.”

“We’re happy to receive and hear people’s feedback — both negative and positive. But we’re not here to please everyone. That’s an impossible task,” the spokesperson added.