Summer is in full swing, which means lots of sunlight, trips to the pool or beach, and doing whatever it takes to beat the heat. For lots of women, summer has also meant having to grapple with the whole bathing suit thing. Let's face it — our culture has some pretty gross messages around things like "getting a beach body" or having to get thin for a "hot girl summer."
Thankfully, there are more and more moms who are calling BS on the idea that you have to be thin to be hot or that people have to be a certain size to rock a bikini. We talked to 15 moms who are living their best summer lives, including all the swimsuit time they can handle! Read on for real world reminders that all bodies are summer bodies.
Just Wear It
"Wear The bikini!! My family and I have honestly loved our vacation this week. I have worked so hard to feel confident enough to wear a bikini, much less a cheeky one, but now that I am here I realize it’s not the suit, it’s the experience, the environment and the love of my family that makes me feel comfortable. People here don’t give a crap what I am wearing- why should I?" — Betsy N., Ocean City, Maryland
Take the Plunge
"I suffered for a few years with one-piece suits, but I just hate feeling like my belly is suffocating under a wet swimsuit! Plus all the tugging and trying to get it to cover as much as possible. I had a couple of two-pieces, but always felt like everyone was looking. This past New Year’s Day, some friends and I did our own “polar plunge” in the ocean. I figured it was the perfect way to see in 2021! I felt I’d be even colder in a one-piece, so I ran in with a two-piece. It felt freeing in so many ways! Now I’m going to rock the suits I’m comfortable in and do my best to just enjoy and live without worrying about what anything thinks." — Jill P., Woonsocket, Rhode Island
Hot Girl Summer
"I wish I had a good picture in my suit but we haven’t taken many beach pics yet this year but I’m not rejecting hot girl summer. I’m fat and hot. So hot girl summer is on for me!" — Megan C., Orangeburg, New York
Accept it All
"I’m happy with my body 5 of 7 days on average. I’m content with this ratio today, lol. I accept my thinking has been created through a lifetime of exterior influences, many borne through good intentions. I look at this picture of me now and I look happy. I felt good that day and didn’t spend my moments pining over my squishy bits. I like me and to hell with dictating my body’s value based on those old thoughts." — Debbie C., Kingston, Ontario
Best Belly
"I'm pregnant with #3 and I am so happy to be rocking my maternity bikini again. I love my body so much when I'm pregnant, and feel super confident with my big old belly bumping out at the pool or the beach. I may be big but I feel cute!" — Jessa B., St. Paul, Minnesota
Role Model
"My kids are starting to hit the age where puberty is around the corner and their bodies are starting to change. I think now, more than ever, it's so important for me to be a good body positive role model. So I'm wearing whatever suit I want and I'm not ever going to be critical about it. I'm going to be what I want them to become — confident at any size." —Gloria R., Houston
Worthy
"I have struggled for years with letting just my body define me. I was the little girl at the public pool in a one-piece bathing suit because my friends told me I shouldn’t wear a two-piece because I “jiggled” too much. I was the teenager wearing an oversized T-shirt over my bathing suit because I didn’t want to be stared at like an exhibit on display. And for too long, I was the woman too afraid to wear a bikini so that I wouldn’t offend anyone. The truth is that I was offending only myself the entire time by thinking I wasn’t worthy enough of wearing what I wanted.” — Mandy R., Milwaukee, Wisconsin
In the Moment
"For me, just staying in the moment helps me turn off the voices that say my boobs are too small or my thighs are too big. I just focus on the feeling of water, the pleasure of playing with my son, the feeling of the sun. All of that is perfect to me!" — Jenesa D., Oakland, California
The Right Friends
"A big thing for me is that I have a friend group that is supportive and that has put a ban on diet talk and diet culture. We're all different sizes and shapes, but all of us are committed to loving our bodies and being good role models for our kids, including embracing swimsuits." — Kelly D., Lansing, Michigan
Just Functional
"For a long time, I was always covered up at the pool. Partially out of modesty and partially because I just didn't always feel comfortable in my own skin. But then I started training for a triathlon and came to understand that a swimsuit isn't some big deal. It's just a functional piece of training equipment. It doesn't need to be that deep." — Marcie H., Grimes, Iowa
Thigh Love
"My daughter is a beautiful toddler, with the most delicious chunky thighs. I just realized if I can love her thick thighs and think she looks adorable in her swimsuit, I can be a whole lot nicer to my thick thighs and stop being ashamed of them." — Hollie C., Denver
Personal and Political
"Deciding to love myself and my body and to not apologize for not looking like some filtered Instagram model is a political act, I think. I'm not going to let toxic masulinity and the patriarchy ruin my time at the beach or make me feel ashamed of myself." — Annie E., Avon, North Carolina
Hot Mom Summer
"I'm bringing the hot mom summer energy. I've got a fierce red swimsuit, thick thighs, and a refusal to feel like I'm not that girl. You can't tell me I'm not cute, not this summer. I've been inside for a year and a half. I'm cute, vaxxed, and ready for a good time!" — Neesha P., Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Change of Perspective
"We moved to Costa Rica prior to the pandemic and just came back and it's made me realize how much three years in another country, practically living on the beach, changed my perspective. It was good to just be in my swimsuit every day, living a life that was more centered than in the United States. My mental health was better, so my self-love was better too." — Jade N., Edina, Minnesota
Strong and Healthy
"Two things got me to the "eff it" point in terms of not stressing about how I look in my swimsuit: a great therapist and my Peloton. I'm the strongest I've ever been, both mentaly and physically. I feel confident because I'm comfortable with myself in a way it took a lot of work to get to. But it was worth it!" — Manda W., Overland Park, Kansas
