Every Body Is a Bikini Body

You already know that SI Swim is the go-to for swimsuit inspiration, and now we are taking the lead as the place for many important cultural conversations! Perhaps more than any other style item, swimsuits are closely tied to issues such as body consciousness and body confidence. But at SI Swim, we believe swim styling has the potential to be inspiring and expressive in the way only summer can be. And so we thought, who better to take on this hot topic than our team? We’re here to talk about summer style without shying away from this subject’s relation to how we feel about our bodies at any given moment. Join us as we take an honest look at the relationship between our bodies and our bathing suits.

Before the Bikini Comes the Body

How we think about our bodies (mind) and how our bodies are feeling (body) is at the heart of how we style ourselves—especially when it comes to revealing some skin on the beach. Bikinis and bathing suits expose our insecurities, and bearing that much skin can feel uncomfortable. To fully embrace summer—and ourselves—we need to cultivate a healthy mind and body relationship for ultimate self-confidence and self-awareness. To be expressive and free with your suit choices comes from a confidence in who you are at any given moment. Our platform is here to help you achieve a level of comfort with your body so that when it comes to buying and wearing swim style you will feel empowered not intimidated.

There is not one bikini body, but there is only one you. It’s the whole you that fits into your suit—does it reflect a version of you that is healthy, fit, nourished and in alignment with your sense of self? We can’t guarantee that self-doubt about your “perfect bikini body” isn’t going to present itself, but we do feel strongly that a body positive and caring relationship with your whole self puts you in position to feel happy with the shape you are in.

You Are ALWAYS in Your Bikini Body!

Summer is upon us, and after over a year of self-quarantine, we are slowly, but eagerly emerging out of our homes and hopefully out of our shells. At SI Swim, we help you leave your comfort zone and move into your confident zone! We give you the power tools to get up and get out of that place of stress, dieting, insecurities and pressure, and enter a place filled with self-care and self-love.

We help shift the relationship with your body away from the diet plan to one of ongoing self-care. Get closer to what your body is really all about—a reflection of your daily practices and routines all year long, rather than a narrow lens that has you “piecing apart” your body in an effort to “fit” in. Your bikini body is how you feel every day—from muscle to skin. Ask yourself, when do you feel most sexy, beautiful and confident with your body? Capture those moments and take notice. What are you wearing? Eating? How are you exercising? Through caring for your body every day, you will find a different relationship but also a body that you are likely more at ease with when it comes to bathing suit season.

Get Intimate With YOUR Bikini Identity!

Adopt “bikini bold” as an everyday mantra. Go ahead and ask yourself what makes you feel “bikini bold,” and then do exactly that! Approaching your personal swim style through your body awareness invites intimacy and honesty with who you are and who you want to be. It’s more than a body question, it’s about the whole you! What holds you back from baring yourself comfortably, even confidently? Answering this question is akin to the difference between muscle tone and weight loss. It’s like this: Working out builds us to be stronger and comes out of activity while weight loss is literally a reduction or taking away. Just by reframing the conversation’s language, we start to wake up to the fact that our bodies are in fact as beautiful as we feel about them.

Does Your Suit Really SUIT You?

As we dig deeper on the topic of style, we ask you to think about the suit that is right for you. We aren’t talking about that worn-out concept that certain suit styles are for certain bodies. Swim style is a fashion statement like no other, and with so many options the sky really is the limit. Really, it is YOU who gets to set the boundaries. Look to our team to help you navigate this style question but with a deeper intention. Know that your suit is saying more about you than you might think. Be on the lookout for the negative reasons you are choosing one suit over another. It’s all about that self-awareness. Swim style is revealing, so the question should be, what do you want to reveal to the world? Ask thoughtful questions of you and your swim style. Does your suit empower and embolden or leave you feeling exposed? Is there a swim model you want to emulate? Ask yourself what attracts you to the suit, to the model. Not for comparison, but to find out what excites you. Think about where you feel recognized. Who are your swim heroes? By taking stock of what inspires and attracts you, you are finding out more about YOUR identity.

Trends: Follow, Set and Change Them!

Over the years, we’ve seen models go from showcasing the trend in front of the camera to setting the trend, challenging what is possible and changing up preconceptions of the “ideal.” When it comes to style trends, we invite you to follow their lead: Embrace what inspires you to be your best and most beautiful self but recognize that trends are fleeting and ever-changing. Look at what models and suits you are drawn to. What is YOUR ideal and why? Maybe you see yourself there, something you too want to say to the world. Is it aspiration, desire, what dreams does a certain style set free in YOU? So allow them to inspire you and get you excited for the season but recognize that trends are really about possibilities. Follow the trends, set the trends, change them!

A Lifetime of Bathing Suits

Our bathing suits reflect who we are at any given time. If we’re in a highly athletic and active phase of life, a mom running after children halfway through a beach read or on summer vacation from everything? Are you looking to dazzle or to be most comfortable? Do you move in your suit or lie back to relax in the sun or shade? As you explore these questions, you’ll realize that having only one suit for every day of the season may not be expressive of the ever-changing you. Figure into your style choices that you don’t feel the same way every day just as you don’t feel the same way in every phase of life. Treat your suit style the same way you might another item—with more depth and care.

Freedom to Have Fun!

Find the model you most identify with and ask yourself what it is you want to present as your style. Is it something daring or is it more conservative? Remember the times you have felt most comfortable in your skin. Look in the mirror and remind yourself YOU are your OWN bikini body and you CAN feel good poolside. Now grab your favorite sunscreen and the biggest hat you can find, and strut your confident bikini bod out to get some sun.

Written by Lori Ball