With summer finally here, there are a ton of people, females in particular, who aren’t happy because they don’t want to be seen in a bathing suit. And this is really too bad. Why are so many females embarrassed to be seen in beach attire?
Why Bathing Suit Season is Dreaded by Many Females
1. Unrealistic pictures of tiny models are everywhere.
All I have to do is search for bathing suit pictures on Instagram, TicTok or Facebook and a ton of completely uncommonly thin bodies, clad in skimpy bikinis come up. Pictures like this one:
I’m not sure if I’ve ever met a female who loves performing yoga poses like this one, on the beach in her bikini. Then again, I don’t have many size 0 friends. It’s unrealistic pictures like this, that make us females feel pressured to aim for a waif-like appearance. These images make us feel that if we don’t look like this, we should be covering up in beach dresses or wraps.
2. It’s hard to find a suit that fits right.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried on a bathing suit top, and it fits perfectly. I go to try on the bottoms and it seems like they’re 2 sizes smaller! I can barely get them up over my hips. I’ve found the cupshe brand fits like this. Many women have the opposite problem; the bottoms fit but they can’t find the perfect top.
Being able to mix and match styles, colours and sizes is really the way to go. This is why I love shopping for bathing suits at places like La Vie en Rose. These stores often let you mix and match all of the swimsuit pieces. This is still one purchase that I find much easier to shop for in-store, versus online.
3. It’s challenging to feel comfortable in your own skin.
So many of us females still have to work to get past the imperfections of our bodies. Believe me, we all have body parts that we don’t like to show off, and cellulite on areas we wish we could eliminate! We need to start caring more about our health and strength, versus worrying solely about the physical aspects of our appearance. I spend a lot of time working on this with myself, my clients and my loved ones.
Agism doesn’t help either. So many females believe that after after a certain age, they can’t wear a bikini. I don’t believe in this thinking. Men go topless their whole lives, regardless of their age or belly size. It’s time we females gain the same confidence to feel comfortable wearing whatever bathing suit style we want to, for as many years as we want!
What Can we Do to Make Bathing Suit Season Less Stressful?
1. Surround yourself with people who care more about your mind and health versus where your cellulite is.
I would rather have friends around me who enjoy my company for my thoughts, opinions and stories, versus what I look like. I do have those friends who are obsessed with losing their last 3 pounds so they can dress in the tightest, skimpiest clothing. These aren’t the people I like spending most of my time with, and I’m definitely not heading to the beach with them regularly.
This isn’t to say I don’t like surrounding myself with healthy people, because I do. But to me, healthy is being able to head out for a walk, hike or bike ride for an hour or so, without dying. There’s a BIG difference between being healthy and being ‘skinny’. They aren’t the same thing at all in my mind.
2. Wear a swimsuit you’re comfortable in.
Bathing suits definitely don’t come as ‘one size fits all’. As I mentioned above, I love the stores that let you mix and match sizes in particular. I’m often a size bigger on the bottom versus the top. Regardless of the style of suit you buy, get comfortable seeing yourself in it. Yes, this means look in the mirror while wearing it! Getting used to seeing yourself in your bathing suit, will make you more comfortable wearing it on the beach.
3. Be the healthiest version of you.
When you are healthy and strong physically, you’ll feel better mentally. My strength and endurance doesn’t hold me back from trying out any new adventure or sport (it’s my poor coordination alone, that does that – lol). I can run 8 kilometres whenever I feel like it without any prior training; I can deadlift well over 130 pounds, chest press more than 80 pounds and complete a 5 minute plank. I’m in pretty good physical shape.
But, I don’t have a 6-pack abs, and I never will because I’ve chosen to keep foods like pizza, french fries and wine in my diet. I’ve made choices on what I’ll tradeoff to be the healthiest version of me, and I’m not willing to give everything up for a size 2 body. Why should I be embarrassed to be in a bikini because of these choices? Figure out what the ‘healthiest version of you’ is and work to maintain that.
To Sum it up…Bathing Suit Season can be Stressful
Bathing suit season can be stressful! Unrealistic pictures of waif-like models, challenges with finding a flattering and comfortable bathing suit, and the fact that it’s tough to be confident in your own skin, all make this season tougher on us.
Surrounding yourself with people who care more about your mind versus your body, wearing swimsuits that you’re comfortable and used to seeing yourself in, and being the healthiest version of you, can all help build your confidence wearing a bathing suit. So what do you think, will you try rocking a bikini this swimsuit season?