every. single. summer. since becoming a mom, especially. the bathing suit dilemma. one piece or two? bikini or tankini? what is right? what is moral? what would Jesus do?
i wear a two-piece bathing suit. i have two children. i love Jesus. and i really hope you won't judge me.
i don't wear my bikini to draw attention to my body, or because i'm showing off by any means. i don't do it to feel a certain way, to turn heads, to keep up with trends, to look like a celebrity in that magazine, and definitely not to make anyone feel bad about their body or bathing suit choice. i wear a two-piece bathing suit because it's what is most comfortable.
when i was 10 years old, my very favorite bathing suit was a red one-piece with the white cursive Coke-a-Cola logo all over it. i was a walking, talking, swimming Coke ad. one of my best friends had the same exact bathing suit, too. seriously, where are the royalties for all those Coke-a-Cola's we subconsciously convinced people to drink that summer?!
i rocked that one-piece at the lake, at Wet 'n Wild, at the community pool, and at my friend's end of the year pool party. the next summer, i put my Coke bathing suit on only to find it didn't fit me anymore. not only was it a little too tight, the one-piece made my upperbody look really weird. i was so uncomfortable! being a preteen girl is hard, yall. i remember looking at my reflection with that bathing suit on and thinking what in the world happened to my body?
i had the hardest time finding a bathing suit that summer. i don't have any memories of swimming or pool parties or trips to the water park from age 11 to about age 16. i didn't go. because i was no longer comfortable in how a bathing suit fit me. i was waiting, i think, for my body to finish developing and changing before i tried on another bathing suit.
and then, around 16 or 17, i tried on a two-piece. reluctantly. i'm actually a pretty modest girl. i'm also very self-conscious about certain body parts. but those were the days of wearing leotards and spandex to dance class every day, so i maybe that's how i warmed up to the idea of a two-piece bathing suit. and when i tried it, i was surprisingly more comfortable in a two-piece. so i wore a bikini that summer. not because i thought i was hot stuff or i wanted to attract attention, trust me, but because it fit my body type most comfortably.
every single summer since then, and especially since becoming a mom, i have tried on one-pieces hoping to make the switch back and feel good like i did in my beloved Coke-ad swimsuit. it hasn't happened and it is very frustrating. i wish i could wear a one-piece bathing suit comfortably. bathing suit shopping is torture when you don't like how a suit feels or looks, and you know you'll have to be in the pool with your kids or at the beach with your family. with a one-piece on, i tug and twist, adjust and pull. some one-pieces are so low-cut or high-cut and somehow manage to show more skin than a two-piece! maybe i have a long torso? short legs? disproportionate? boy-shaped? i don't know what the problem is. i'm definitely more self-conscious in a one-piece than i am in a well-fitting, good-coverage two-piece.
so that's why i choose to rock a two-piece bathing suit. (albeit the most modest tankini or bikini i can find- i even made a Modest Swimwear Pinterest Board!)
yep. i wear a bikini. i love Jesus and i have two kids and i'm happily married and i wear a two-piece bathing suit. it's what works for my body shape. it's not a moral thing or a pride thing or an insecurity thing or an immodest thing. it's a me and my body thing. i am finally comfortable with that.
this summer, at the pool, at the water park, at the beach...please don't judge the mom in the two-piece. it's very possible she's finally comfortable, too.
Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment. (John 7:24)
when i see other moms at the pool in their bikinis, i'm mentally giving her a fist-bump for choosing to be comfortable in her own skin. and when i see you moms at the pool in your one-piece, i'm fondly remembering how much i loved my Coke-a-Cola bathing suit, and i want to give you a high-five. because let's face it, we are all in this bathing suit-wearing thing together.
wear a one-piece, wear a two-piece, be modest, feel good, and be comfortable. enjoy summer! have fun, be comfortable, and make the most of it!
And I want women to be modest in their appearance. They should wear decent and appropriate clothing and not draw attention to themselves by the way they fix their hair or by wearing gold or pearls or expensive clothes. For women who claim to be devoted to God should make themselves attractive by the good things they do. (1 Timothy 2:9-10)
modest swimwear by mamahall featuring a scrunch bikini
PS: as i was composing this, Lisa-Jo's words appeared in my inbox: "You are More than Your Swimsuit" and Jessica's post showed up in my reader: "Put On That Swimsuit." be encouraged, ladies!
