Think you can't wear a bikini... yes, you can! These bikinis will inspire you to ditch your swimsuit - from £15

There seems to be an unspoken rule that after a certain age, or after having children, we’re supposed to ditch bikinis in favour full coverage swimsuits with a tummy control section. Why? Look around at the local women on your beach holiday- do they care? Do they get their arms out, embrace their curves and wear flattering, cute and sexy bikinis? Yes, they do!

While discussing swimwear, beachwear and heatwave style this morning, it became apparent that, quite independently of each other, several members of the Good Housekeeping team have taken on this empowered attitude and pushed back against the tyranny of the fully encased swimsuit. Instead, they have sought out flattering bikinis that work brilliantly for their body shape, style and confidence, and the verdict is in: “In a bikini, I feel less frumpy,” and “my new bikini gave me confidence, my swimsuit made me feel like I was hiding away.”

My personal hard and fast rule, with caesarean and appendix scars to keep safe from the sun, is to go for a high-waist bikini bottom, they also happen to look very chic and, as of now, are also fashionable.

So, in the spirit of sharing, these are the flattering bikini tops and bottoms we love and would recommend, no matter what you are self-conscious about. We bring you swim shorts – yes bikini bottoms as swim shorts are a thing! - high waist bikini bottoms, tankinis, underwired bikini tops, and bandeau tops, all carefully designed with a range of bodies in mind. After all, design is there to solve problems for us, not create them!

Which will you swap out your swimsuit for?