Bikinis, Beverages, and Being Taken Seriously: A Rant on Womanhood and Professionalism

Being a woman is hard. Full stop.

It feels almost silly to say that out loud sometimes—especially when there are women in this country who are actively losing their rights. When bodily autonomy is being ripped away state by state, and the SAVE Act now threatens even the sacred right to vote, it feels almost frivolous to talk about bikini pictures or social media aesthetics.

But this is the paradox of being a woman in America: we are expected to carry the weight of the world and still look flawless doing it—quietly, professionally, and without complaint. So yes, while women are being stripped of their freedoms, I also want to talk about how exhausting it is to just exist in a woman’s body and pursue a career—especially one in the public eye.

Let me preface this by saying: I joke. I joke about how if my future didn’t look promising, maybe I’d just start an OnlyFans. Not because I actually want one—but because it’s become so normalized, so accessible, and for some women, empowering and lucrative. And yet, even the hypothetical feels dangerous. Because choosing a path like that would eliminate any chance I’d ever have at being taken seriously in a traditional career. I want to run for office one day. I want to lead, change policy, make a difference—and I know that somewhere, someone would weaponize a bikini pic or a flirty caption against me.

But here’s what really bothers me: I don’t want an OnlyFans. I do want to post a photo with my boyfriend. I do want to wear a bikini on vacation. And yet, even that feels like too much sometimes.

When I was in pageants, there were three unspoken social media rules: no boys, no bikinis, no beverages. Keep it professional. Keep it clean. Be the perfect blend of modest and marketable. And while I understood it then—representing a title, an organization, a brand—it hurts to realize that even outside of that world, the rules still apply. Especially if I want to get into politics.

Bikini posts are viewed as attention-seeking and inappropriate. But to me, they are empowering. They are celebratory—an expression of my femininity and strength, and a normalization of my body. Visible nipple bumps from a lack of padding shouldn’t be taboo. They’re part of my body, and they serve a purpose. My belly button showing? Who cares. Again, it is just a body.

I want to post a bikini picture because I am 23 years old. I will never look like this or feel like this again—and that’s beautiful. I want to share my body authentically, to show that being skinny is often genetic, and even women perceived as skinny still carry insecurities. My body does not hold me back from professional roles. In fact, I share it to normalize the discourse and expression of a woman however she pleases. A bikini post or lip-syncing TikTok isn’t rebellion—it’s youth. It’s celebration. And it should not jeopardize who we want to become.

I am also a relatively flat-chested and less-than-curvy, average woman. Low-cut shirts and shorts are not inherently sexy on me—but put the same outfit on a curvier, fuller-chested woman, and suddenly she’s ridiculed, sexualized, and told to cover up. This needs to stop. We need to stop comparing apples to oranges when it comes to women’s bodies. Society needs to stop caring so damn much about how women choose to dress or act—especially off the clock. I can wear a bikini on Sunday and a blazer on Monday. We are multifaceted people, and we do not have to keep sides of ourselves secret in order to be respected.

Because here’s the thing: politicians are people. We are human beings with full, vibrant lives—families, partners, beach trips, birthdays. I refuse to believe that a woman in a bikini—feeling confident, beautiful, alive—somehow disqualifies her from being taken seriously in a boardroom or on a ballot.

It is not my job to shrink or sanitize myself to make other people more comfortable. And it is certainly not my responsibility to dim my femininity in order to be seen as “professional.”

If a man sees a photo of me on the beach with a margarita and instantly decides I’m not qualified to lead, the problem isn’t with me—it’s with the lens we still use to judge women. We demand a curated kind of womanhood: smart, but not too opinionated; beautiful, but not in a threatening way; empowered, but never sexual.

It’s exhausting. And frankly, it’s outdated.

A woman can be powerful, poised, brilliant, and yes—sexy. She can wear a bikini and pass legislation. She can kiss her boyfriend on a boat and still run a campaign. She can have a glass of wine and write policy. None of those things are mutually exclusive.

So no, I haven’t posted a bikini picture since before I started pageants. And even now, I hesitate—not because I’m ashamed, but because I know what people will think. And I’m tired of playing that game.

I believe in authentic leadership. I believe in showing up as my full self. Because the more we hide, the more we feed this culture of shame and silence.

So here’s to the women who post the photo, who take up space, who dare to be both seen and heard. You are not too much. You are not unprofessional. You are not disqualified.

You are a whole person—and that should be more than enough.