In true Spring Break fashion, last week my roommate and I took a trip to an all-inclusive resort to the island of the Bahamas. We had a fantastic time, soaking up the sun, the ocean, and the endless pina coladas (disclaimer: we can legally drink there!!). We were surrounded by other college kids on spring break of all ages. To put it frankly, seeing all of the girls my age in bikinis had me reflecting on a time before I would’ve been able to confidently walk around wearing a bathing suit in a setting such as that.
At the beginning of my high school career, I was completely insecure. I didn’t like my round cheeks, “thick” thighs, or broad shoulders. I began overcoming these insecurities throughout the summer of 2021, my first summer working as an ocean lifeguard on Long Island.
In early summer I simply kept my clothes on for the bulk of the day, but by mid-July, it was entirely too hot for that. Beach lifeguarding has forced me to step out of my familiar territory, and has resulted in me being extremely comfortable in my skin. Being in a bikini for over 8 hours a day at work left me no time to think about how I looked, and made me realize that nobody cares how I look either.
However, what took me to the next level of security in myself and my body formed when I began running on the beach during my work day. I wore shorts and a t-shirt on my first few runs until one of my coworkers simply asked me: “Why are you wearing clothes, you know it’s 90 degrees right?” This made me realize I was likely drawing more eyes to myself by running in clothes than otherwise.
I had never thought that it was that simple, that because it’s hot out I should just run in my bikini. It was the push I needed to work up the courage and just do it. Now, after three summers of running on the beach in a bikini, I can confidently say I rarely get insecure about my looks anymore. I can credit this to taking the steps to make myself comfortable with being uncomfortable.
The next thing I realized when getting over my insecurities is the uncomplicated fact that I am a combination of all the beautiful people who came before me. In my opinion, my mother and aunt are two of the most perfect people in the world and I genetically have the same exact legs as them… so how could I not love my legs? I have the same round cheeks as my father, which means every time my mother looks at me, she sees me carrying on the face of the husband she lost… so how could I not love my cheeks? Every time you put yourself down you are putting down all those who made you, and every version of yourself that came before the person you are now.
To reiterate– in my personal experience, stepping out of your comfort will help you overcome your insecurities. And if that doesn’t work, try to remember all those who came before you that you hold within you every single day.