The truth is, body confidence doesn’t suddenly appear overnight. It is something you have to actively work towards, confronting your own insecurities and anxieties around how you look and feel in swimwear.
But all women deserve to love and celebrate their bodies, regardless of their shape and size. So take the plunge, purchase that super sexy Bydee thong bikini bottom with a matching frilly top you have been eyeing for summer and utilise these helpful tips to build the confidence you need to capture your memories for years to come.
Find the Perfect Suit
For many women, often the hardest part of wearing a swimsuit is going out to buy one in the first place. You know your body best, and what looks the best with your body type, but finding a swimsuit that brings you joy and comfort is a very important step to building your confidence.
If you are purchasing your first bikini, you may feel best wearing a high-waisted bikini that sits above your belly button. It can help you feel more secure, so you are less likely to constantly fidget with it.
Alternatively, if a bikini doesn’t fill you with joy or excitement, there are plenty of sexy and stylish one pieces to choose from. One-piece swimsuits are fantastic for anyone who wants slightly more secure coverage, plans to partake in water activities or knows they will find themselves chasing after a small child at some point. Plus, you can easily pair a one-piece with a cute cover-up, shorts or a skirt to quickly transition from the beach to the beach bar.
Rock a Cute Cover-Up
Having swimsuit confidence doesn’t mean you have to walk around in just a bikini the entire time. Mix up your swimwear fashion by investing in a few stylish and chic cover-up pieces that you can throw over to build a complete outfit.
They are particularly handy when you want to transition from an afternoon poolside or frollicking at the beach to drinks at a resort bar or lunch at a seaside cafe, as establishments often require their patrons to be fully dressed.
Start at Home
It may seem silly, but one of the best ways to start building confidence in a swimsuit is to put it on and wear it around your home. By standing in front of the mirror and getting on with your everyday chores while wearing your swimsuit, you become comfortable seeing and feeling your body in it.
As you become more relaxed wearing it and continue to catch yourself in the mirror as you move about, it will start to feel more normalised. You will stop tugging at it awkwardly, and you will begin to convince yourself that you can wear swimwear and feel confident doing so.
Go Swimming
If you are still struggling to feel your most confident in your chosen swimwear, put it on and go do a fun, water-related activity. Whether you are attending a family pool party or simply hitting the beach with your friends, when you are out and about in the water, swimming and enjoying yourself, you will quickly find yourself having too much fun to get caught up in your insecurities.
Physical activity is scientifically proven to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress while boosting self-esteem, cognitive function and sleep quality. Allow the joy of movement to boost your confidence and alleviate your fears around your body image.
Skip ‘Bikini Body’ Mindsets
One of the most damaging mindsets you can carry when shopping for swimwear is the idea that a bikini body needs to look a certain way to be worthy of wearing one. This is simply untrue. Nobody needs to lose weight or tone up before they can wear a swimsuit of any kind.
Instead, reframe your thinking by remembering that all bodies are bikini-ready. No matter your size, shape, skin tone, age or physical ability, you are worthy of wearing what you love and loving yourself in it. All you need is a body, a cute bikini and plenty of sunscreen.
Snap Some Pics
Before you start snapping photos for the special someone in your life or to put on social media, put on your favourite pieces and take some photos of yourself just for you. You can share them with your best friends so they can hype you up, or post them online to a completely private account that only you can access.
By taking these photos, you will start to actively change your brain chemistry by getting used to seeing yourself in a swimsuit and building the confidence to share it with the world. Consider it a far less intense version of exposure therapy, where you face your fears and anxiety around your body in a controlled, safe environment.
Always Remember
The reality is, it is highly unlikely that anyone is looking at you or judging you for the way you are dressed. If you consider the last time you went to the local pool and beach, you likely spent very little, if any, time looking at strangers and judging the way they looked.
Sadly, most women can recount negative experiences surrounding their body image growing up, but as adults, it can significantly help your self-image and confidence when you remember that nobody is paying much attention to others, as they are often wrapped up in their own feelings about how they look and feel wearing swimwear themselves.