When I first began this post as follow-up to my One-Piece suits post, I simply outlined it as a fashion post. Then I sat down and began and realized that I couldn’t write another piece about bathing suits without talking a bit about body image and how complicated it can be. Sometimes, it’s not even about how you look, it’s how you feel! If you think about it, few people are ever fully confident or think they look “good enough” to be in a bathing suit in public. I bet you Sports Illustrated models second guess themselves, unfortunately! I spent most of my 20’s hiding in a cover-up, it was a waste of time, how bad can one look in their 20’s regardless of shape?! We are so hard on ourselves and set unrealistic body image standards. So what made me come out of hiding? Three things:
1. New perspective with age
Ironically getting older and seeing things weren’t holding up as well as they were in my 20’s made me thing differently about myself. Aging is real, wake up and appreciate that you are as young as you’ll ever be. Go out and love your body today! You know that feeling when you see an old picture of you, and you think “wow, I looked great!”, then you think about how terrible you thought you looked at the time and realize it was crazy. Do yourself a favor and think I will look back and think I looked great [today] so I’m going to go ahead and enjoy that…now!
2. Having kids
Having kids and having a new respect and view of my body. I could blame dance, but that’s unfair, I simply was not kind to my body from a mental standpoint, according to me I could always be just a little bit better here and there. Having kids made me realize how amazing my body was. What it allowed me to do. The joy I felt when I thought I looked “okay” didn’t compare to the joy I felt holding my kids. I’m still tough on myself but the focus has completely shifted, it’s just not a priority anymore.
3. Solid work outs
Feeling stronger and connecting with my body in the form of a ballet-inspired workout has helped a lot. I love this type of workout because although cardio is great this type of work really strengthens you and connects you to your core. If your core is strong, you just carry yourself differently! The other thing I think is; I put in the work, I tried my hardest, and that is empowering. It kind of releases me from thinking negatively about my body. We all just need to change our mindset and create a new “body image.” Here’s a couple of clips you can do at home! Let me know what you think!
Ok, now that we got through the “deep stuff”, here’s the fun stuff!
Hats
Not just for beach! I love hats but am a lazy hat wearer. As the sun comes out though, I love them for the sun protection and for the ability to pull a meh outfit into a whoah!
Bikini Sets
I don’t have a ton of matching bikini sets but there’s something about having the top and bottom match that make you feel like good!
Top-full
Sometimes the top is all you need if you have a great neutral bottom to re-purpose. This is usually what I do for most of my tops. I have solid bottoms in basic colors that I combine with different tops. My favorite bottoms are here and here.
Anyway, there it is! Would love to hear your thoughts about this post! Click here for another solid workout routine and here for more wellness tips! XO, Z.