Photo Credit: Victoria’s Secret
Alright ladies, it’s spring and you know what that means: bathing suit shopping. Before we all collectively groan, I want to propose a change in our thinking. Everything that makes bathing suit shopping suck is manufactured by an industry that makes us feel like crap. Today we’re going to change the way we think and stop dreading bathing suit shopping!
So first, why do we hate bathing suit shopping? It should be fun! The suits in Vicky’s catalog look SO CUTE, and it’s a sign that summer and warm weather are on the way! Right? Wrong for me, and many other girls, it’s a reminder that I’m not a supermodel. I have an above average-sized chest, I’m short (so I have little legs and a short torso), I have an Irish-white skin complexion, and I have love handles (it’s just my winter skin right?). I’m not the only one thinking these things. While you read this you can probably name five similar criticisms that you think about yourself when you’re in the dressing room trying on the stack of bathing suits you’re already convinced aren’t going to fit you. This hurts. I, along with most girls I’ve talked to, have had a crying-in-the-dressing-room experience while bathing suit shopping and that’s not okay.
This year I had a different experience bathing suit shopping. Victoria’s Secret expanded their sizing and styles (kudos to them for reaching out to real women), and every suit I looked at FIT. I still saw my flaws, and some bathing suits were still more flattering than others, but I challenged myself to name something awesome for every negative thing I thought. It sounds lame but I turned negative things into positives! Instead of saying my boobs looked too big I said this suit covers me without diminishing my genetic gift. I usually curse my family’s propensity towards a well-endowed chest but this year I looked at it differently and was proud of my shape. Also, if you’re like me and have white skin that just won’t tan, instead of hating yourself for it, remember that the original Disney princess was Snow White! I’ve found that certain colors really look good against my porcelain white skin and I tend to stick to those. Same goes for the opposite! Learn your good colors and embrace them. Learn your good styles and embrace them. Rock what you’ve got! Don’t try to wear that bandeau if you’re a D-Cup and don’t try to wear the underwire full coverage if you’re an A-Cup! The first step in a painless shopping spree is knowing what works for you and loving what you have.
The next thing we need to address is loving what you have. EVERYONE IS BUILT DIFFERENTLY! I hate that now we feel like there’s a perfect shape that we all can achieve. Because there’s not. I’m 5’3” and have always been twiggy and weak. My 11-year-old sister is already five feet tall and is more athletic than I’ve ever been. We will never be able to achieve the same body ideal (healthily), and we’re sisters. With the help of computer programs and, unfortunately, eating disorders, models make us feel like we’re all supposed to look like them. Most of the time, it’s really hard to tell when girls are photo-shopped so we start to believe that we are all inferior. If you haven’t checked out the Dove Beauty campaign, check it out. They have a video showing the process that goes into a photo-shoot and photo editing. It makes you realize that even those perfect girls have their own beautiful flaws just like us. As far as the bathing suit body standard, Target recently helped us debunk that one. I’m so sick of the “thigh gap.” It’s not real, and it’s making girls think they can starve themselves to achieve it when some girls never will. Last week I read an article on Cosmo’s website pointing out a serious Photoshop fail in their bathing suit advertisement. What’s especially upsetting is that the advertisement is for juniors. We give ourselves this unattainable standard at such a young age: we are setting girls up for body disappointment before they’re even fully developed. I mean, in the photo, there are even parts of her arm visibly photo-shopped. Really, Target? If I were the company I would use this to start a campaign to promote natural beauty and stop photo-shopping their preteen models.
I could go on about how much bathing suit shopping sucks and why, but bottom line is: it’s not you, it’s them. I wish we could change the whole industry and get them to put models of all shapes and sizes in magazines but the fact is that probably won’t happen. The next best thing we can do is change our thinking. Replace negative body thoughts with positive ones, learn what works for you, color and style-wise, remember that everyone’s body is different (and that’s what makes us all beautiful), and remember that the girls you are trying to model yourself have flaws just like you. Most importantly: everyone is beautiful in their own right, and if you feel confident in that bikini, WEAR IT. The confidence will show and no one will think anything of it. There’s no such thing as a perfect bikini body. Once the pressure is off, bathing suit shopping can be an exciting preparation for warm summer days rather than a stressful, self-critical, ordeal. Love yourself and your bikini body just how it is.