Beach trips are at the top of many people’s to-do lists when the warmer weather arrives. You can enjoy the warmth, feel the sun on your skin, and take a dip in the cool, refreshing water. However, swimwear can be a significant barrier for many people experiencing body confidence issues.
While traditional one-piece and two-piece suits allow you to take full advantage of your beach trip, some people can feel uncomfortable showing off their bodies or exposing their skin. If this is a problem you encounter each time summer arrives, you might be able to boost your swimwear confidence in some of the following ways.
Try Alternative Swimwear Options
There’s no denying that one-piece and two-piece suits that expose your skin are among the most common and popular swimwear options for trips to the beach. However, highly regarded clothing businesses like Dainty Jewells offer alternatives that look just as stylish, but allow you to feel more confident.
While everyone has the right to feel confident in their own skin and not be judged by others regardless of what they wear, you might simply feel better wearing something that covers up more of your skin, such as a sundress or swim dress, instead of a bikini.
Explore Different Options
Sometimes, a lack of confidence while wearing swimwear can be attributed to not knowing which swimwear type you feel most comfortable in and which suits your body type the best. Consider trying many different options before your beach trip to see which looks and feels the best on your body, such as one-piece suits, two-piece suits, swim dresses, and different styles of each.
For example, you might decide that you feel confident in a pair of shorts or high-waisted bottoms with a bikini top, but not in a one-piece suit with cutout sections showing specific parts of your skin. Get creative with swimwear, and you might just find a combination that works for you.
Spend Time in Swimwear
You might only pull your swimwear out of storage for that much-anticipated friends and family trip to the beach, which means you likely haven’t had time to adjust to how you feel in your swimwear and how it sits on your body while performing different movements.
If you’re worried about how you’ll look and feel, let the novelty of your swimwear wear off by wearing it around the house. Sunbathe in your yard while wearing it or even perform household chores to determine your swimwear’s range of motion and any limitations. When you wear your swimwear before a beach trip, you can also have plenty of time to decide whether it’s a suitable garment for the occasion or if you need to go shopping for something else.
Go Swimming With People You Trust
It can be hard enough combatting your own inner confidence issues without trying to manage the expectations and judgment of others. If you’re eager to hit the water and spend time in the sunshine, consider going on adventures with people who will spend more time enjoying the trip with you and less time judging what you and other people are wearing.
Your friends and family are likely your biggest supporters and love you for who you are, so surround yourself with people like them who will make your swimming and water sport activities memorable for all the right reasons.
Don’t Buy Into ‘Summer Ready’ Body Traps
As soon as the warmer weather arrives, so do the summer advertising campaigns. Both men and women can feel pressured into changing their bodies to make them more ‘attractive’ for trips to the beach, swimming pools, and local watering holes.
While exercise and a healthy diet undoubtedly play a part in people’s overall health and well-being, no one should ever feel like they’re less-than when they don’t fit into the narrative distributed by marketing companies to sell more of their products.
You may enjoy wearing specific skincare creams and lotions, exercising using branded equipment, and taking advantage of hair removal products, but such products aren’t synonymous with your beauty as a person.
It can be challenging to feel confident in your body when you’re being made to feel like you have to look a certain way, but identifying this as a marketing issue rather than a problem with your looks might help you feel more comfortable in your own skin.
You deserve to enjoy trips to the beach in whatever swimwear makes you feel the most confident. However, if you haven’t quite achieved a desirable level of comfort, these tips above may set you up for success.
Iskra Banović is our seasoned Editor-in-Chief at BlueFashion. She has been steering the website's content and editorial direction since 2013. With a rich background in fashion design, Iskra's expertise spans across fashion, interior design, beauty, lifestyle, travel, and culture.
