Hate swimsuit shopping? Here are some tips to make it better.
There is nothing I hate to shop for more than a swimsuit, and I know I'm not alone. It brings out every physical insecurity I have ever had since puberty. It reduces my usual confident and positive self to an insecure, miserable, apologetic disaster of a human being. And no, I'm really not exaggerating.
And why is that? On one level, I know I am being ridiculous. This body looks pretty good for having lived forty years and birthed an eight and half pound baby. But on another level? A level that trumps all rationality? Standing in the dressing room in a swimsuit I see every flaw, every imperfection, every sign of age...and I just don't handle it well.
With a big beach vacation looming, I had to do it. And I am happy to report, it was the best swimsuit shopping experience I have had to-date, so I will share my Swimsuit Shopping Strategy with you.
1. Plan Ahead Don't just haphazardly roll into a store and decide to buy a swimsuit, and don't put it off until it's a problem. I had this shopping excursion on the calendar; I was mentally prepared, and committed.
2. Go Alone I think this is critical when it comes to a bathing suit. What matters is that you feel good in the suit. That trumps everything and everyone else. If you try on a bathing suit, and feel good in it, you don't want a friend being less than enthusiastic and causing you to question your judgment. It's your opinion that matters.
3. Ignore the Salespeople This is a new strategy for me. I normally really like input from the experts. But back to #2, this is about finding a swimsuit that you like and that you feel good in. So pick out the suits that appeal to you. I left with three bikinis, none of which my very helpful salesperson picked out.
4. Lighting from the Ninth Circle of Hell This is so critical. As I stood in that dressing room, in a a really cute bikini, I saw dimples on my quads I had never seen before. For once, I kept some perspective. If I had never seen that before...then it goes to reason I will likely not see it again unless I am standing in that particular horrible lighting. There is no worse light than the lighting in a dressing room. Someone should really fix that. Just remember: The lighting in dressing rooms is the same lighting used in the ninth circle of hell. You will look much better out in the sunlight.
5. Choose Bright Colors and Patterns I tend to prefer bathing suits that draw the eye to the suit itself, as opposed to my body and all of my real and imagined flaws. The picture is one of the suits I bought. Fun, bright, definitely distracting.
6. Get a Size You are Comfortable In The saleswoman kept trying to put me in a size smaller and I wouldn't have it. I felt better in a size bigger than where they thought I should be.
7. Own It! Once you've made your choice, own it. Wear that new bathing suit confidently. You are the only one worrying if everyone is judging that extra skin on your tummy (that you blame your children for) or noticing those dimples on your thighs. The fact of the matter is that everyone else is too worried about how she looks in her own swimsuit to be paying that close of attention to you. There is nothing more attractive than confidence, so embrace that body of yours and have a good time wherever you are.
Do you have your own tips for surviving buying a new swimsuit? If so, please share them!
Clare is a Shine Parenting Guru. A single, working mom to a tween daughter in Austin TX, Clare spends a lot of her time managing her various alter egos when not focusing on the one that's a mother. You can read more from her on Shine or "Life on the C Train"
