I’m back from my tropical island adventure! It was an amazing trip, full of warm breezes, bright sun, lots of snorkeling, and a good amount of rum.
I felt great when I was down there, wandering the shops and beaches in bathing suits and skimpy cover-ups. I even stood on a beach and flirted with a local guy while only wearing a bathing suit.
I’ve mentioned here before that I am almost always comfortable being in a bathing suit in public, depsite society and the media telling me I shouldn’t be. I just love to swim so much, I refuse to care. Being so warm all day and night, and wearing so little clothing, was amazing and liberating. And then I saw the pictures.
Pictures of me from the side, standing on a white sand beach, looking out at the ocean. I looked enormous. Gigantic. Horrible. I couldn’t stand to look at myself, so how could someone else?
I believe that we all suffer from some degree of body dysmorphia, where we obsesss over perceived flaws that, often, other people don’t or can’t see. I am aware of my body issues to the point that I can mostly understand that what I see is usually not what others see – like what that handsome islander saw as I stood there talking to him in my bathing suit. But that doesn’t mean I’m not deeply affected by images of myself that don’t match what I feel my body should look like.
While we were on the island, we were lucky enough to witness the annual Easter Carnival parade. There were many women in the parade who were dressed in skimpy, revealing, skin-tight outfits – of all shapes and sizes.
It was obvious from their posture and body language that they were not ashamed or embarassed of their stomachs, their thighs, their rolls. They strutted and strolled and danced down that hot road, and they held their heads high.
This is the body-loving attitude I want to embrace. It’s a struggle, every single day, to be okay with my body. And yours, too, I’ll bet.
Take a good look at these amazing, beautiful women from Virgin Gorda. Picture yourself with that kind of body confidence. Maybe we’ll see each other on the parade route, wearing feathers and sequins!
