Women's Health Magazine bans 'bikini body' from its cover

Women's Health Magazine announced it is ringing in the New Year with some body-positive changes to its magazine covers.

In a letter from editor Amy Keller Laird, the popular American woman's magazine announced that it's relegating the cover lines "bikini body" and "drop two sizes" to its back catalogue. Earlier this year, the magazine ditched the words "shrink" and "diet" from its cover page as well. 

The move was the result of a reader survey that suggested not only dumping those terms found offensive but using ones like "toned," "strong" and "sexy" more often.   

Unrealistic weight-loss goals

In her editorial, Laird referred to "bikini body" as a "misnomer" and "unintentional insult" that implies only a certain body type should wear a bikini, while she claimed "drop two sizes" encourages rapid, unrealistic weight-loss goals.

"We never want to be that type of women's magazine," Laird wrote.

This year also saw Paris implement a requirement that models provide a doctor's note stating they weigh enough to walk the runway, a teen Instagram star abandon social media celebrity and a popular running magazine feature a plus-size model jogging on its front cover, challenging perceptions of what it means to be "fit" in an image-obsessed world. 

And as plus-size model Tess Holiday points out, there's only guaranteed way to get a bikini body anyway – put a bikini on a body.