Are you ready for this month’s challenge?
Even though the temps are only in the high 70’s, we’ve still been making a splash at the pool, and it’s been a long journey to get to the point were I can walk poolside with confidence.
As a little girl, buying a swimsuit was so much fun. Ruffles and bright colors were my thing, and I remember wearing my metallic turquoise ruffled swimsuit every day for swim lessons. My swimsuit love remained all the way through junior high when I bought a weird 1980 styled monokini, it was like a bikini, but it attached at the sides. That swimsuit made me feel like da bomb, and I walked around that pool like I owned the place.
I’m not sure when that feeling went away and the thought of swimsuit shopping sent me running for the hills. Perhaps it was somewhere between post-eating disorder and first child, I would have rather spent the day trying on jeans than looking for swimwear.
My phobia was completely unfounded. No one ever criticized me at the pool, and my swimwear was always stylish and cute. However, it was those insecure voices that would keep me planted in the lounge chair huddled in a cover up. I know at this point you are rolling your eyes and saying things like “Why should she be insecure?” But it just goes to show that our body image is our personal nemesis, and we all have our own demons to conquer.
It wasn’t until I had to buy a swimsuit in the dead of winter, that I finally started to let go. I needed a suit for triathlon training, and it needed to functional, but I also wanted something that reflected my personality.
White as a ghost {it was winter in Iowa} I braved the dressing room to try-on sport suits. If you haven’t bought a sport suit before, the sizes are different than your normal S, M, or L. So, there are no numbers to obsess about or letters to dictate your fit.
I stood in the dressing room, having a minor panic attack. The suit was tight, like sausage casing tight, my post-pregnancy jelly belly was still poking out and of course the florescent lighting made my winter white skin look like I was part of the Twilight crew. Blerg. But I had to buy it, because that summer I was doing my first triathlon and I needed something for training. So, I quickly wiggled out of my sausage suit and made my way to the checkout.
That was over four years ago, and looking back I realize buying that suit was my first step toward appreciating more about what my body can do, rather than how it looks. Self confidence comes from the spirit not from the scale, and it’s something to remember as we make our way to the dressing room to buy that bikini, tankini or sport suit.
Take the plunge and join us for Mission Beach. Show us your swim style and confidence this summer. Don’t forget to snap a photo and tag @redheadreverie or @pbinmyhair and use #MSFILES. We may feature you in our Monthly wrap up.