Online shopping can sometimes be a great way to purchase clothing. However, it can mess with your body image when it does not look like what was pictured. This post is about my mental, emotional, and financial wellness during when I ordered 2 super cute bikinis from CupShe. It was a tough moment when I realized the bikinis I ordered for a trip in 3 days did NOT look good at all and the subsequent struggle to get my money back.
Is This Online Bikini Deal for Real?
I struggle to find a set of bikini tops and bottoms that fit. 👙 I should have known that the online world would be just as cruel as malls have been my whole life. I should have known there would be no bargain on a bikini for women with large breasts.
Alas, I was fooled by the use of models with curves who are at least 7-9” taller than I am. But more on that later… for now let’s talk about how CupShe is everywhere. Once you get on their radar, all you’ll see are cute bikinis, and you’ll be tempted to buy them. Each one is priced around $25-$40 for both pieces. What a great deal!
Alert!! Proceed with caution before you click that ad on Instagram… keep reading about how Cupshe was definitely not for me.
Bikini Advertising on Social Media is Evil
Once you accidentally click on a banner or ad with a bikini on it anywhere you surf the internet, you are doomed to see every small online bikini retailer known to man on your social media channels until you search something else. For me, bikinis replaced my 1.5-year-old search for dog beds, so I was grateful for the change in the middle of winter when I just returned from Malta and had summer on my mind.
I didn’t get to swim in Malta, so I was itching to go somewhere warm and I had a trip to Puerto Rico lined up in 8 days. I decided to take a chance and click a link on Instagram for a few different bikini shops. I read lots of reviews, I checked the sizing charts, I looked at pictures. I checked shipping times and shipping reviews.
Then I ignored all my data when I saw this super cute peach polka dot bikini on a model with big breasts and thick legs. I was like yess!! If it can hold her up, I’m totally in. But what size is she? How fast do they ship?
I went back online to Cupshe.com and read more reviews about the product.
(Flash forward- every other online advert from that time forward has been a bikini.)
Product Reviews and Sizing Charts Never Work for Me… So I Never Order Online
I really hate ordering clothing online as a 5’ tall female, it’s the worst. I never find the right fit and I always end up paying return shipping. I was alarmed when I took this into consideration as I read the reviews of the CupShe bikinis online.
Many of them complained about how large the bottom to top ratio was, which is horrible for women with big breasts who don’t require such a big bikini bottom. I knew my apple
Mistake #1- Not Having a Realistic Measurement to Body Image Expectation
I followed the sizing chart, I ordered the large because technically that did fit my top. The bottom was only a half inch under but the sizing did not come in separate top/bottom sizes. So I ordered the large in the peach polka dot.
When I placed the order on April 12th, I knew I would be flying out 8 days later on April 20th so I would either have to choose expedited shipping or buy enough products to qualify for the VIP free shipping in 5-7 days.
Mistake #2- I Kept Shopping
I found another bikini that I previously saw on Instagram that was striped and reminded me of the hot dog-on-a-stick uniforms. So I had to have it. The reviews on this one said it definitely was way too big on the bottom. I decided to order a medium.
I also ordered a black beach wrap with white embroidery on it that I thought would be a super cute way to cover up my new bikinis.
Since I added on these other items, I qualified for the VIP free shipping. I knew that the shipping window was narrow, but hoped that the products would make it.
The CupShe Price was Definitely on Point
When I ordered I knew that one of the reasons I chose CupShe over other ads I saw online was because of the price for each item and that I had several choices I hoped would fit.
Here is the price break down of each item and total cost:
- Peachy Polka Dot Scallop Bikini (L) – $28.99
- Colorful Stripe High-Wasited Bikini (M): $33.99
- Black Crochet Lace Cover UP (OS): $25.99
- Total with free shipping: $75.63
Disappointment with the Quality and Fit of the CupShe Bikinis
When I received the products 2 days before my trip, I remember laughing out loud and thinking, how the hell did those models fit themselves into this? There is no way they were forced to wear the same size top and bottom. I also thought that I had outsmarted the sizing chart. I was wrong.
Poor quality stitching 
Cheap material
Mistake #3- Assuming That by Purchasing Two Different Sizes, One Would Fit
Never anticipated that both would fit so horribly that I wouldn’t be able to keep either bikini. I had not anticipated that the bad fit would be due to the cut of the bikini rather than to my poor measuring skills.
What I found was that the reviews were correct, the bottom and top sizing was very uneven and would be difficult for any women with large breasts to order the appropriate size.
Bottoms as big as the steering wheel 
Super long from top to crotch 
Fits nothing like the model photo
The large fit too small on top and had no support – which I’ll discuss further. The medium was way too small for my breasts, although it did fit around my chest. There was just far too little material on either top to adequately provide coverage for me to get out of the water wet and assume the bikini would still be in place. I was asking for a wardrobe malfunction if I wore this top.
I decided not to even take pictures of myself in them because of how badly they fit and how horrible I felt in them.
Managing My Expectations About Quality
Given the reviews of the items, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the quality. I had read that there was no wire under either top, which would have been the ideal situation. I hope that they would be secure enough to hold me in.
When I received the bikinis, I realized that the quality of the material was OK, but the stitching and the way the bikini was constructed was so poor that there was no way the Peachy Polka Dot alone held that model’s breasts in. I assumed gaff tape and good luck were to blame for that one shot. After that it was all wardrobe malfunctions.
The stitching is very weak, the clasp on the Peachy Polka Dot wasn’t strong at all. The Stripes had no clasp, but the tie top had very little give and fit oddly on my breasts.
The bottoms were constructed OK but again, the cut was so large that both looked like diapers should be worn to fill them out. The Polka Dot was high in the waist and fit long the leg, so you really need a long lower torso for this one.
The Stripes was advertised as high-waisted, which I thought could be cute and provide some coverage. In reality, this meant that the top and bottom were about ¼” apart on my torso. The bikini looked like a badly constructed one-piece bathing suit.
Both made me look like an Easter egg. One striped, one polka dot. I definitely did not have enough rear till out either bikini bottom. 🚫🍑
No Way This Product did What the Advertisement Said- Is CupShe a Scam?
Cupshe advertises beautiful bikinis at low price points. That is only half true when the beautiful bikini is made in a proportion that fits very few body types. Others have listed CupShe as a scam. I wouldn’t go that far, but I would say their sizing is very inaccurate compared to the product delivered an the return process is not worth the effort or time.
What Did I Keep?
The black and white embroidery wrap of course. It was definitely too big, although it only came in one size. The piece falls off my shoulders off and the tie will probably not last long. If it lasts for one summer at a price point of $26, I plan to enjoy it.
Besides, it already made for a great Instagram post.
How Did the Return Go?
Horribly. Ultimate price to get the 2 bikinis out of my life: $7 from USPS making the total price of my purchase about $33 for the black beach wrap.
Mistake #4- Assuming if I Tried Them on Again, They Would Magically Fit.
Obviously, they did not. CupShe sends you an offer to keep the products for discounted rate instead of returning it. I tried the bikinis on again, only to find they still fit horribly. This made me go right back into that poor head space and feel horrible about all the work I had done to prep for bikini season. At some point I realized, it’s not me. It’s the cut of these bikinis and these things HAVE to go back.
I definitely did not like dealing with the email robot return system that CupShe uses. The canned emails give you options to entice you to keep the product. I sent several emails to CupShe, here’s the breakdown of the offers I received back when I inquired about a refund:
Cupshe Return/Exchange “Conditions” listed on the website:
- All return requests must be initiated within 21 days of receiving your package.
- All items must be returned in their original condition, with all tags and hygiene seals attached. Bikini sets must be returned with both top and bottom.
- Items priced $15.99 and under, accessories and beach towels are FINAL SALE and cannot be returned.
Email 1: When I Requested a Refund/Return:
Select one from the listed 3 options:
- Cupshe Coupon
- 130% valued coupon
- Keep your purchased products on hand without return.
- Preferential refund
- 60% refund for each return item.
- Keep your purchased products on hand without return.
- Full refund
- If the above options don’t suit you, we will certainly process a full refund for you.
- The return address will be replied with a confirmed selection.
Email 2: When I Inquired About a Full Refund
To meet our customer different requests, we have 2 options for you to select:
- Hassle Free (only be used once):
- Rapidly process your refund with simply deducting US$5 for each swimsuit without return and no need to spend time to go to post office.
- P.S.: Most people select this one.
- Full refund:
- Just send the product (Not washed or damaged) and email the tracking number for the return package and a photo of the shipping receipt within 7 days.
Cupshe Scam… You C an’t Mess With my Body Image
I almost let Cupshe disrupt my flow. Almost. But I know I’ve been working hard at the gym and eating healthy so I 100% blame the failed relationship with Cupshe on poor quality and unrealistic sizing.
For a minute, when I tried on the bikinis I wondered why my body didn’t look like the Instagram model with thick legs and fake breasts. Then I realized that wasn’t who I was and the bikinis were not made for a 5′ tall woman with larger breasts than booty. So in reality, I’m better off without the bikinis in my life. Which is why I chose to spend the $7 on shipping to return them rather than keep them for $10.
Losing that $7 on bikinis that kill my body image is worth the extra time and effort spent to ship them back on my own. Plus the peace of mind not to see those two misfits kicking around in my drawer reminding me that I would never wear them in public anyway.
Overall, the only thing I kept was what I felt good in and would improve my body image… the super cute wrap. So here it is, on the beach with me in Puerto Rico. Just in time to look fabulous on my trip!
A Word on Body Image and Online Retailers
Pretty much every woman I know has had a similar experience ordering clothing online at one point or another. I would argue, this happens when you shop in retail stores as well. Sometimes we get caught up in what we “should” look like. Without realizing that it’s unrealistic to think that something will fit you exactly the same as someone else.
You are unique and so is your body. Never let clothing determine how you feel. If you don’t feel good in it… don’t buy it. If you already bought it, bite the bullet and return it. There is no room in your life for clutter. Especially if that clutter makes you feel less-than.
