While living in Minnesota, it’s almost laughable to imagine wearing a swimsuit anytime soon. But that doesn’t stop retail stores from heating up the racks with swimsuits in every cut, color, pattern, and design.
However exciting looking at the trends can be, searching for a swimsuit is less than thrilling. Picking out a swimsuit for the summer months is something I don’t like to stomach (usually because I’m self-conscious about my own).
But one of the many things I’m grateful for Her Campus is my ability to use the platform for body positivity, both to chronicle my own journey and to trailblaze the path for others.
So, I’d like to get real for a sec. Every year, the summer months are much awaited and we all enjoy fun in the sun and soak up all the positive vibes. But then mid-August rolls around—and if you’re anything like me, you pack up swimsuits with a sigh of relief. They’ve had their time in the spotlight, but it’s SWEATER season now, baby! And as much fun as the summer months are, nothing really compares to the comfy, cozy feelings of the rest of the year when people allow themselves to relax their body regime. This doesn’t necessarily need to mean that you let yourself go entirely, but there’s less pressure to be itsy-bitsy-teeny-weeny-yellow-polka-dot-bikini-ready at all times. These months are spent enjoying good food, festivities, and it’s nothing to feel bad about. But somehow, at least in my case, it seems inevitable with this time of year.
Honestly, it’s hard not to succumb to the guilt when we’re being peppered with ads, magazines, and articles about the best way to get back in shape, just in time to lounge by the pool in shredded-modelesque behavior. While there’s nothing wrong with aspiring to lose those extra holiday lbs, there is way too much emphasis on the perfect “beach body.”
I think a lot of my own swimsuit insecurity stems from the end of my time I spent competitive swimming. During all those years, I had a plethora of racerback one-pieces and I didn’t spend a lot of time encountering the dreaded search for two pieces. And with changes that came in my body, the racerback-shaped suit stayed tried-and-true; I accepted how I looked in those because I knew my body and that I would look relatively the same in whatever iteration of it I had for each swim season. The only real time I ventured outside my racerback realm was visits to the lakehouse and Florida for spring break. And I made it a point every year to find the good in photos I had of myself in two-pieces and post to social media. It meant a lot to me to overcome that fear and insecurity so publicly, and I always received such positive reinforcement, which has really helped me in my journey to self-acceptance.
That being said, reentering the two-piece swimsuit pool (pun intended) hasn’t always been easy. The areas of my body I’ve mentioned in previous articles still pose a bit of hesitance to put on full display. And it’s something I’ll need to conquer again for my spring break trip to Florida this year—because life, my friends, begins outside the comfort zone. No matter how scary it may be to flaunt what you got, especially when all you want to do is get rid of it, it’s a huge step in the self-love direction.
When I told my roommate Kaylee about this article and our back-and-forth debate about swimsuits to buy, she found this little quote on social media that said, “The beach is getting whatever body I give it.” And I thought that was SUCH a great reminder that like I say all the time and have taken to saying to myself as well, “Everybody should love every body.”
And yes, it’s easier said than done. But the first step in every journey like this is practice. Practice seeing the good, and remember that it’s a lot more fun to be a supporter than a critic! Next time you’re faced with a chance to lounge poolside or just put on a fun swimmy, look in the mirror and think, “A positive attitude really SUITS me.”