Food Network star Guy Fieri has officially made it. His name joins President Donald Trump, actor Nicolas Cage, and Sesame Street's own Abby Cadabby – a rare, eclectic group whose mugs have all appeared on swimsuits. It's not an honor any of them asked for, to be sure, but one could argue it's a sign you've reached a certain zeitgeisty, cultural-icon status to earn that depiction.
Beloved, the brand that recently went viral for its hairy chest bathing suits — Kelly Ripa even wore one on an episode of Live With Kelly recently — designed the Fieri onepiece, which features the BBQ Hall of Famer grinning across the torso of the suit. He's wearing his signature sunglasses, only amped-up with flame graphics across them. Because it's impossible to put on this suit without getting Fieri'd up, clearly.
The suit comes in two styles — an upper-thigh-to-hipbone-baring "high legged" cut, and a more modest, "classic" one. Both are on sale for $50, down from $60. But, before you start furiously clicking "add to cart" while planning your next Flavortown-themed pool party, take note: The swimsuits take about 10 days to make before they're shipped out. That's because they're handmade in California, the website states.
At this point, you might be wondering, "If Fieri didn't ask for this, who did?" Well, nobody — and, in a way, everybody? Beloved explains it best in this post about why they created the Sexy Chest bathing suit. While it's not about the Fieri suit specifically, it uses the hairy chest as an example that extends to the entire company's ethos:
"Nobody asked for a one-piece swimsuit with a very hairy man's chest (and back) printed on it. But, the thing is, sometimes you just can't put what you want (and maybe even need) in words. And that's what's so special about this suit. You couldn't have asked for it, because you didn't know you needed it, until you saw it. And that's really what Beloved is all about. That experience.
So, we will continue to create shocking apparel even if it confuses the whole internet. It's what we're good at. Empowering introverts or seeing total strangers start conversations as a result of our clothing is the icing on the cake."
They got your attention, they surprised you, they made you stop and laugh and shake your head. Whatever the reaction, you felt something. That's why.
Of course, it doesn't hurt that headline-grabbing clothes also drives sales. Beloved, which appeared on Shark Tank in 2012 — ultimately turning down a deal with the sharks — has seen its daily sales more than double since being on the show, jumping from about $2,000 a day to $5,000. However, for the week after the hairy chest took the internet by storm, Beloved was bringing in a solid $15,000 per day.
It's too soon to say whether Fieri's mug can compete with the circa-1970s-Burt-Reynolds-caliber chest hair on display in the hairy chest suit, but here's to dreaming big.
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