A Taiwanese found herself in hot water when she wore this tiny bikini to a beach in the Philippines, offending the locals. Photo / Facebook
A Taiwanese found herself in hot water when she wore this tiny bikini to a beach in the Philippines, offending the locals. Photo / Facebook
This was one of Herald Lifestyle's most read stories in 2019.
2019 should be known as the year swimwear officially shrunk.
While we wait to discover what 2020 will have in store for bikini trends, 2019 was the year our Instagram feeds were filled with teeny-weeny swimmers for months, with designs such as the "naked" bikini and the "underboob" bikini taking off online — but leaving many of us questioning the state of the world we live in.
Last year a woman discovered that while these barely-there bikinis look great on social media, the reality of wearing one in real-life is actually pretty awkward.
Things all started to unravel for the 26-year-old Taiwanese traveller when she decided to wear her "piece of string" bikini while visiting popular tourist island of Boracay in the Philippines.
However, the locals apparently didn't take too kindly to the Taiwanese tourist's bum-baring bathers, shaming her choice in swimwear on the Philip Pine Tastic Facebook.
Photos of the tiny white bikini show it wasn't just a G-string style at the back, but also at the front — giving her fellow beachgoers way more than they bargained for.
A post of the outrageously daring bikini was shared in the group and received 11,000 comments and 55,000 shares within hours.
"Wow, this is barely a bikini," one person wrote.
"I am flabbergasted," another agreed.
The woman was at the beach with her boyfriend when people started snapping her, some thinking the design was so X-rated they covered her modesty up with emojis. Photos / Facebook
Others thought the fuss over the bikini was too much, stating the bikini could be "normal" for her.
"This is pretty normal in Boracay," one remarked.
"Yes I would agree that this might be a normal culture to her," another said.
However, according to reports citing local newspaper the Philippine Daily Inquirer, police spotted the outrage over the outfit and slapped her with a $205 fine.
Jess Baylon, the Police Chief of Malay, which includes the Boracay, told the publication: "Several residents and tourists took photos of her on Wednesday and Thursday because of what she was wearing.
"It was literally a string. In our conservative culture, it is unacceptable."
Photos in another local group, the Boracay Informer show the tourist wearing a pair of shorts and a black crop while she talks to police.
The tourist is said to have been stunned her swimmers were deemed inappropriate, with local reports quoting her as stating the bikini was her personal "form of expression" adding she was "comfortable with her body".
She was issued a citation for violating a law that forbids the taking and displaying of "erotic and lewd" photographs and hit with a fine of 2500 pesos ($205) — which she had to pay before she could leave the island.
Mini-bikinis became a hot topic at the start of the year when a pair of high-waisted bikini bottoms went viral over their distinct lack of vagina coverage.
The V-string swimmers sold by Australian store Beginning Boutique sparked a global divide as many deemed the cossie ridiculous while others rushed to snap it up.
