Voda Swim’s 2025 Body Confidence Survey: The Results Are In

For the first time ever this year, Voda Swim has set out to uncover how women really feel about body confidence. As a brand, we’re all about empowering our customers, helping them to feel their most confident and comfortable with our push-up bikini designs. If you’ve been with us a while, you’ll know that we’ve always believed that confidence is the most beautiful thing a woman can wear—especially when it comes to swimwear. 

But how confident do women truly feel when wearing swimsuits? We wanted to find out, so we created our first annual body confidence survey and spoke to women across America.

Here’s what we discovered—and how we’re using the findings to shape the future of
confidence boosting swimwear for real women.

Survey Highlights At a Glance

Body confidence is still a huge issue

When asked what concerned women most about wearing a swimsuit, the answers were
overwhelmingly body focused. In fact, nearly every respondent mentioned at least one part of their body they feel insecure about.

Most Common Confidence Barriers:

Stomach – 65% mentioned it as their top concern
Thighs – 47% expressed discomfort
Arms – 32% felt self-conscious

Voda Swim’s Swimsuit Confidence Survey has revealed a sobering truth: More than 95% of women feel insecure at the beach, and body confidence remains a major barrier to summertime joy.

At Voda Swim, that’s exactly what we’re here to change, to help women feel confident in their own bodies and in the swimsuit.

Social media is creating unrealistic beauty standards – and fueling the body confidence crisis

The influence of social media is enormous. From telling us what to buy to where to vacation, it is the trend setter of the digital age. But that’s not always a positive thing. In fact, when it comes to feeling confident and empowered, social media can be a huge source of negativity. When asked what impacts their confidence most, the majority of women we spoke to pointed directly at social platforms.
       
- 56% said social media makes them feel worse about their body
- 41% compare themselves to influencers or celebrities when shopping for swimwear

It’s clear that there’s a comparison trap with social media. The rise of heavily filtered content is creating very unrealistic beauty standards and making it harder for women to feel confident about their own body shapes. At Voda Swim, we believe in showcasing real women in real bodies. We’re passionate about being an inclusive swimwear brands and believe we have the power to uplift rather than pressure. 

The majority of women have restricted their food intake to feel more confident 

Diet culture is still going strong, with many women saying that they resort to dieting to boost their body confidence.

- 63% of women have restricted their food intake to feel more confident
- 23% say they’ve skipped a beach or pool day due to not feeling confident enough in a swimsuit

These statistics are a sobering reminder of how deeply appearance pressures affect daily behaviours. Whether it’s cutting calories, skipping meals, or following short-term fad diets, these choices are often driven not by health, but by the desire to meet unrealistic beauty standards.

We’re sad to read that 23% of women have avoided beach or pool outings altogether
because they didn’t feel confident enough in a swimsuit. It’s clear that body image concerns can have a real impact on our happiness levels and social freedom. These findings underline the emotional toll that diet culture continues to take, reinforcing the need for more inclusive, empowering messaging in both the fashion and wellness industries.

What women really want in swimwear

Forget fast fashion trends and high-cut silhouettes that don’t support or flatter. According to our survey, women want swimwear that helps them feel comfortable, secure, and confident. And that’s right where we can step in!

Features That Boost Confidence:

- Supportive tops (58%) – Key for both comfort and confidence
- High-waisted bottoms (49%) – Help smooth and support the stomach area
- Adjustable straps (37%) – A must for a comfortable fit and flexibility
- Shaping or padded elements (34%) – Preferred for added lift and contouring

Additionally, 74% of women said a flattering fit matters more than following trends, while only 6% prioritized bold prints or bright colors.

This is a finding that we can really celebrate! What women are telling us is that the best
swimsuits for confidence are the ones that fit well, feel good, and work with—not
against—their natural shape. This is a philosophy that we apply to our day-to-day closets, so why should our choice of swimwear be any different?

Real voices

One of the things that stood out to us as we collated the data from our survey was a simple truth; women want to reclaim their power. They want to feel good, to feel confident and to be comfortable.

These responses reflect a shared frustration—and a shared hope. Women aren’t chasing perfection. They’re looking for swimwear that celebrates their body, as it is today.

Final thoughts

Too often, the conversation around body confidence is driven by marketing hype rather than real data. Our body confidence survey offers a clearer picture: the emotional and
psychological impact of poor fit, societal pressure, and limited design options is real.

We are proud to be part of a movement that listens, adapts, and delivers—because every woman deserves to feel beautiful in her own skin.

That’s why Voda Swim is committed to offering flattering push-up swimwear styles designed for a range of shapes, sizes, and confidence levels. From supportive, elegant push-up designs to premium fabrics, fashion-led details and swimwear that won’t sag when wet, everything we create is made with real women in mind—not airbrushed ideals.