How to Stay Confident This Swimsuit Season

I don’t know about you, but summer is my favorite! I just love being outside and soaking up some vitamin D and all the fun things that come along with summer. The only part I dread…swimsuit shopping. Whether it was back when I was super small in high school or now that I have grown and gained a few unwanted pounds, I have to admit swimsuit shopping always leaves me feeling defeated and unattractive. You with me here?

It’s taken a while to gain the confidence to wear a bathing suit without wondering about who there was judging how my body looked in that piece of swimwear. And I know I am not alone in this. Wearing a bathing suit is supposed to just be something you wear while at the pool or at the beach, it’s not supposed to be a measure of comparison of bodies and how good someone looks in their swimsuit versus how you feel in yours.

It’s kind of annoying how the ideal of the “perfect summer body” came into the first place. Guess what? If you have a body, and it’s summer, YOU HAVE A SUMMER BODY. If you have a body, and you put a bikini on it, you have a bikini body!

So here’s some tips to help you stay confident waterside this year:

1. Wear a suit that makes you FEEL confident

Instead of buying the bathing suit that’s “in style” this year, buy the one that makes you feel great! If that’s a one piece, go for it! If it has cut outs, you go girl, if it’s a 2 piece, or bikini, rock the heck out of that thing! No two people can rock the same bathing suit the exact same way. Pick the one that makes you feel confident and like a million bucks and wear that one. Confidence looks so much better than what’s in style anyway!

2. Buy a cute cover up!

My adorable cover up is a lularoe kimono and I LOVE IT. I love just wearing it over top of this solid black one piece or even my high-waisted bikini. It’s so easy to throw on and breathable and you want to know the best part? It makes me feel beautiful! I have a couple cute cove-rups I like to switch between but they really do make the trip to and from the beach or pool much better than throwing on a tank and some shorts.

3. Wear Sunscreen

Girl, sunscreen is your best friend. Put it on before you put on your suit, and re-apply, re-apply, re-apply. There is nothing that feels worse than looking like a lobster after a day in the sun! Make sure you wear something that you know works for you. Like for me, I am SUPER pale and burn easy, I need to be wearing SPF 50+ when I’m out there. But 15 or 30 might work for you! Just grab something you know is good for you (and do your research to make sure your skin will react well if you have sensitive skin like me).

4. Bring a Floppy Hat and Sunglasses

These are my favorite beach time accessories! I have a huge white floppy hat and big sunglasses and whenever I am wearing them I feel like I’m straight out of the movies! Get yourself a big hat and big sunglasses, the confidence level will rise 100x.

Below are some testimonies of some other ladies rockin’ their swimsuits this year as we participated in Chanel Pariseau’s Body Positivity Campaign!

Chanel is a mom-boss to put it simply! While raising three kids under the age of six; she’s also a full time wedding, boudoir and lifestyle photographer along with 4 other side hustles that she is absolutely killing it at! She is the definition of a mom-boss. She enjoys singing loudly, spending time near water and uses her Christian faith + self care to calm the anxieties of life.

The body positive movement spoke highest to her when a large scale clothing company decided to take their own action into inclusion. They featured models of all sorts of shapes, sizes and physically abled people. She loved this idea! Body image was something she struggled with very deeply. She never understood why all Barbies had perfectly shaped breasts and hourglass bodies with wavy, full blonde hair. She never understood why it took so long for other Barbies to be released that looked more like her. Instead, she struggled with weight, negative body image, disliking her super-curly black hair, her lack of a Latina tan and rear end because it wasn’t the message of “beautiful” that was surrounding her.

Her boudoir and glamour side of photography has always spoken to empowering every client that she came across. When a friend and fellow blogger, Kristin of The Tiny Red Tornado, reached out to her about making this a movement for women in our area – she agreed! They campaigned using social media to do our first project based on Self Love.

Related Post: Investing in YOU: Self Love & Body Positivity

The Body Positivity Movement will allow a woman to look at these images and potentially see someone of her body shape, hair color, hair type/length, or eye color as well as admire another’s unique hair type or unique body features, like tattoos. It will help those moms who have beautiful tiger stripes understand we all have them; even those who aren’t moms!

After seeing how well the first project empowered the women who participated, she’s decided to move forward with even more. She’s now completed 4 projects and prays to host many more! She’s looking for more women like YOU for her upcoming model calls! Check out her Facebook page for more info!

Here are some of the testimonies of those who participated in the swimsuit project:

“I have felt very unsure of myself lately. I had a baby 3 months ago and it has put a toll on me. I’ve always felt like I can’t accomplish anything and now with an infant, I feel less like myself.
Getting ready the morning of,  I was completely excited. Mostly to connect with more women and for once have me-time. It felt amazing. Being part of the shoot made me feel sexy and want to work on me more. I loved it.”

Dorothy Evans

“I have been really unhappy with my body for a long time, while I have lost about 45 pounds over the past 8-9 months, I realized there isn’t a number on the scale that will make me happy. I must be happy with the progress and the way my body looks as it is. My happiness with my body must come from within and the ability to not worry about what others think of me. I have done that for too long, it feels amazing to be able to hold my head up high and know that I’m beautiful in my own way and I’m formed just the way I’m supposed to be. It made me feel amazing to be surrounded by other amazing women that share the love of themselves just the way they are.”

Jennifer Manning

I decided to participate in the body positivity movement because I recently went through a hard time in my personal life. I then took some self-love time & really started appreciating who I am & have learned to love myself again. I think it is important for other women to really see the beauty in themselves. Plus, I lost about 10lbs in the process, so I felt like the swimsuit project was the perfect little confidence booster.

This project made me feel really empowered.  I got to meet amazing women, from different walks of life, that all looked fierce. This experience made me realize just how beautiful a woman’s body is, no matter the shape, size or color.  What makes you beautiful, is truly loving who you are! 

Niki Heinze, Blogger for Hines to Heinze