I SEE IT
The way
‘Very few
women
haveperfect
bodies’
‘What you
look like
doesn’t
matter’
‘Who cares if
I have a few
tummy rolls?’
Viv Rodger, 62, is retired and
lives in Maldon, Essex.
Surrounded by fellow holidaymakers on
a Spanish beach, I looked at the other
women my age and felt a pang of
sadness. So many were covered up in
sarongs, maxi dresses and swimsuits,
trying to show as little of their bodies as
possible. Not for the first time, I felt glad
to be confident enough to wear a bikini
and not care what people thought.Liberating fashion
I’ve been wearing bikinis since my teens
in the early 1970s. It was a liberating
time for fashion – women dressed to
show off their figures. I remember
feeling incredibly grown-up in my first
bikini at 14. I had a washboard stomach
and was flat-chested, but although my
body’s changed – I’ve been slimmer
and heavier than I am now – my
confidence has never wavered.
As I see it, very few women have
‘perfect’ bodies, let
alone those in their 60s.
I certainly don’t, but
being 5ft 6in, a size 14
and 11st 3lb, I think
I look pretty good!
As I don’t have
children, I can’t blame
that for changes in my
figure. However, when
I was 50, I suddenly lost my partner
of 28 years in a motorbike accident.Fluctuating weight
Grief saw me lose weight, and I dropped
to 10st. But in 2011 I met my partner,
Allan, 70, at a singles night. Going out
for romantic meals and wine with him,
I was soon tipping the scales at 12st- the heaviest I’ve ever been. I still wore
a bikini though, and some extra weight
didn’t make me want to cover up as
everyone else would be too busy
enjoying themselves to care! But I knew
I needed to slim down for my health,
so now I make healthier meal choices
and do cycling, aerobics and yoga.
Even so, my stomach is soft, I have
a bit of a muffin top and my skin has
lost elasticity. But these changes are all
part of growing older. Who cares if
I have a few tummy rolls when I sit down
on my beach towel? I certainly don’t!
In May 2009 I was in my first year
studying politics and sociology at
Nottingham Trent University when
I was rushed to hospital for
emergency surgery. I’d been struck
down with crippling abdominal
pains, and was diagnosed
with a disease of the
digestive tract.
Live-saving ops
Within days I’d had two
life-saving emergency
operations to remove part
of my stomach and bowel.
As my health got better
over the next year, accepting my
scar, even when the 60 staples were
removed, was the hardest part.
I had dropped to a size six, which
was too slight for my 5ft 4in frame
and my self-confidence was low.
But gradually, as I spoke to friends,
I realised that every woman I knew
had some sort of body hang-up.
My mindset began to change, and
I finally plucked up the courage to
wear a bikini for the first time in over
six years on a family
holiday to Cuba in
August 2015.
These days I love
telling people my
survival story, as I did
last summer in Ibiza.
That year I also met
my partner, Laurence.
Last year I had my
third surgery, which added to my
scar. I can’t remember how I looked
before. It’s a part of me now. That’s
why everyone should feel confident
in their bikini, no matter what they
look like, as it really doesn’t matter.