The Cheeky Bikini Trend Is Defining Summer Beach Style

The season for teeny weenie bikinis is in full swing. And, in case you were wondering, the booty-bearing, cheeky cuts that dominated social feeds last summer are still going strong — if anything, the past months have shown that they’re more prominent than ever.

To be clear, this cut is not exactly new, as cheek-exposing cuts have had their ins and outs in the trend cycle for decades. But the definition and standard of the category has certainly evolved. “If I was speaking from a 2005 [perspective], it would traditionally be a lowriding bottom with super small bum, often ruched, that allowed the bottom half of your bum cheeks to show,” says Shannon Savage, co-founder of swimwear brand Left on Friday. “Today, I see cheeky being referenced in any kind of style that puts your cheeks on display, from low-rise sport bottoms, to high-cut leg/high-rise bottoms with slim bum shapes, to high-sided dipped-back shapes to even classic thongs. There are so many ways to design a style to show varying degrees of cheek.”

As for the ongoing rise of the cut, Brittany Kozerski Freeney, founder and CEO of Jade Swim, accounts “women having more body confidence, throwing out the unrealistic idea of a perfect body and almost freeing your body to be as comfortable as possible, especially in swimwear.”

Savage also credits Gen Z’s penchant for nostalgia to breathing life into the trend. She references previous style decades resurfacing and influencing the bikini cuts of today. “The Jane Fonda inspired late ‘80s/early ‘90s silhouettes of thong styles and high cut legs have had their impact,” she explains. “The Y2K era is now back in focus, bringing everything from wearing lingerie as regular clothing to all versions of string bikinis. As each new demographic looks into a past that they weren’t a part of, they find that fashion interesting and make it new again.”

Indeed, the sexy silhouette allows for freedom, in more ways than one. Adopters of the cheeky cut have an array of options in terms of styles, proof of the bikini’s rapid takeover. Kira Fisher, VP of brand design for Victoria’s Secret PINK says she’s currently loving the brand’s high-waist cheeky bottom as it has the perfect balance of coverage for the tummy and booty-baring back. “I love to pair this with scrunchie triangle bikini top to complete the super easy effortless look,” she says. From string and ruffled cuts to barely-there thongs, the options are truly endless and fully dependent on where you land on the adventure scale.

Ahead, shop the season’s latest crop of cheeky bikinis.