The Girl From Ipanema has put on a few pounds, and for many sunbathers on Brazil's beaches the country's iconic itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bikini just doesn't suffice anymore.
A growing number of bikini manufacturers have woken up to Brazil's thickening waistline and are reaching out to the ever-expanding ranks of heavy women with new plus-size lines.
That's nothing short of a revolution in this most body-conscious of nations, where overweight ladies long had little choice but to hit the beach in comely ensembles of oversized T-shirts and biker shorts.'It used to be bikinis were only in tiny sizes that only skinny girls could fit into.
But not everyone is built like a model,' said Elisangela Inez Soares as she sunbathed on Copacabana beach, her oiled-up curves packed into a black U.S. size 12 bikini.'Finally, it seems like people are beginning to realize that we're not all Gisele,' said the 38-year-old mother of four, referring to willowy Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen.
