Ashley Graham shares a bikini hack to save you from 'halter ache'

SI Staff | Jul 13, 2017

This post was written by Sarah Klein and originally appeared on Health.com.

Body-positivity icon and Sports Illustrated cover modelAshley Grahamhas made it clear that she’s all about a sexy bikini—on any body. But in her Instagram story on Tuesday, she shared one thing she doesn’t love about a cute suit: the painful pressure on her neck from wearing a string bikini halter top.

Lounging beachside, Ashley shared a link to a totally genius bikini hack originally posted by fellow body-positivity activist and author Allison Kimmey.

In the clip, which was posted last week, Allison deftly ties together the strings of a halter string bikini top to form a flattering crisscross shape instead. “Your neck will thank you!” she promises in her caption. Ashley's on board: She displayed her own unique take on the hack, turning her halter into an over-the-shoulder getup in her story, captioning the pic, “Get the pressure off your neck? Try this!”

She’s onto something seriously good for you here. Anyone who’s worn a halter-string bikini knows they’re notorious for digging into your neck and applying loads of uncomfortable pressure there. The discomfort is even worse for women with larger chests, like Ashley.

That’s because with every additional cup size, breasts add up to 10 pounds of force on the spine, according to a 2016 study published in Surgical Technology International. Tie up a halter top, and you’re asking your neck to bear the brunt of that force, leading to that dreaded neck and back pain. Fashion your own racer-back or over-the-shoulder version, however, and you relieve that pressure.

Judging by how relaxed Ashley appears in her photo, it looks like she’s banished discomfort for good!

BONUS: See some of Ashley's hottest moments from SI Swimsuit 2016!