It’s that time of year. Time to think about summer and rocking some swimwear. Terms “bikini season” and getting a “bikini bod” are popping up everywhere. And there seems to be all kinds of articles to get you ready for such aforementioned made up times of the year and body types.
Well this isn’t one of those types of posts.
I personally despise the term Bikini Season, (read this post) and believe any body is bikini body. Seriously, all you need to do is put a bikini on your bod, and you’re set (loved this post).
What I want to do, is help us all feel better about being in a bikini, one piece, or any lycra blend garment made to be worn in a body of water. Because, if you think about it, wearing swimwear should be an enjoyable experience. Not something to dread more than a trip to the DMV that manages to use up a vacation day at work.
First off, realize you are your own worst critic. So, stop scrutinizing every centimeter of your body up close in a mirror or harsh dressing room lighting, and realize no one is perfect. Maybe Naomi Campbell, but she just doesn’t seem like someone I’d like to party with. Other people who you think are perfect, are either photoshopped, live in a world with perfect lighting, and also still manage to find things they don’t like. Like their nose hair, or calves or something.
It’s that whole comparison thing again. DON’T DO IT. Comparison will steal all the joy out of anything in life. Especially when it comes to how you feel about your body.
Then, take a big deep breath, cut yourself some slack, and look at the bigger picture.
Being in swimwear shouldn’t be about how you look, it should be about how you feel.
And think about it, when you are somewhere you are able to wear swimwear…it tends to be somewhere rather uplifting and fun: beach, ocean, boat, pool, lake, river, hot tub, hot spring, waterpark, a cool park, estuary, tide pool. And, you are usually doing something fun, active or relaxing: swimming, walking, sunbathing, diving, surfing, paddling, tubing, floating, taking in the scenery, being on a boat, playing volleyball, kayaking…Yup, all fun stuff.
So, I say, if you are somewhere cool, doing something fun, why not wear our lycra garments and just frolic around like we all did when we were kiddos?
If you are worried about what someone might think of how you look in your suit, I say who gives a damn. If someone has nothing better to do at a gorgeous sunny beach than sit and judge or make comments about how people look…well, they have achieved royal douchebag status. It’s one of my pet peeves in life.
Worried if you post a photo in your new bikini that someone might make a negative comment about how you look? Well, I think people who do stuff like that need a slap on the back of the head, followed by a big hug (which they haven’t gotten in a while). Then they need to have all their technology be submerged in a pool of Sunny D or Dr. Pepper. Or something that sitting in a bag of rice for a week afterwards can’t cure.
My point: why the heck take all the joy out of a wonderful outdoor H2O filled experience, just to worry about what some troll of a person might think of you?
The main thing is that you feel great.
And, in order to do that, you have to stop expecting perfection from yourself, trying to appease the douchebags of the world, and to learn to just smile and embrace the radness known as an event where you get to rock some swimwear.
So, let’s all grab our swimwear, keep our heads up, stop comparing, soak up the sunshine, move our bodies (that come in all shapes and sizes, that the swimwear industry has thankfully learned to make suits to accommodate)…and make the decision to feel great about those bodies when they are hugged in some lycra as we cannon-ball into pools, dive into the ocean, catch some waves, float on some tubes, and have a kick ass summer.
I know it’s all easier said than done. But it’s worth a shot.
…and an excuse to buy a new swimsuit.