“Black Bathing Suit” by Lana Del Rey

by Anam Nazar · May 20, 2023

Lana Del Rey is perhaps the most creative artist in the game when it comes to dropping songs based on the topic of romantic discontent, or perhaps we can say romance in general. On one hand such tracks tend to be generally easy to decipher, but on the other actually making sense of all the metaphors involved always proves to be a challenge.

“Black bathing suit”

So with that in mind, perhaps the first thing we should tackle in this case is the titular metaphor. And it is obvious by the time the second pre-chorus rolls around that even though the “black bathing suit” may be a literal one, concurrently it serves primarily as a symbolic construct.

And when dealing with Lana, we really have no choice but to go out on limbs. So the theory being put forth in this post is that what this object actually represents is a concept like the vocalist’s physical attractiveness.

If you look at her, she possesses the same beauty that she always has. But the true purpose of our bodies is just to serve as housing for our souls, so to speak. So one of the reasons the narrator is finding it so difficult to land a significant other is because romantic interests tend exclusively to focus on the outside, i.e. her “black bathing suit”, as opposed to who she is internally.

Narrator’s Discontent caused by her Celebrity Status?

And of course such an assertion takes on an added dimension when you’re dealing with someone as popular as Del Rey. That may be why in the first verse for instance she’s desiring a romance highlighted by the simplest of interpersonal pleasure, like ‘eating ice cream and watching television’ with someone you love.

That is to say that another hypothesis is that the vocalist’s romantic discontent is partially grounded in her celebrity, which is also part of the “black bathing suit” metaphor. In other words, when someone is dating her, you know, it’s Lana Del Rey, not a normal person. And they potentially become so focused on her wealth and fame that they forget to treat her the way a normal human being romantic partner should be handled, i.e. objectifying her.

An Ex being Addressed?

Either way, by the time all is said and done we witness Lana dissing certain individuals for being “broke”, outdated busybodies. Considering some of the things she has personally dealt with as of late, this tongue lashing can be interpreted in different ways.

But within the overall context of this piece, we are compelled to presume that this would be a romantic interest(s), i.e. an ex, that she is addressing. Indeed there is also a self-analytical aspect to this song, with Del Rey pointing out earlier that she has a “bad” side, if you will, also.

In Conclusion

So putting all of this together the conclusion would be that yes, the vocalist is in fact frustrated that she can’t find that special someone. But at the same time, it ain’t like she’s sweating her exes or anything like that.