While the official beginning of summer was June 20, summer for me doesn’t truly begin until I’ve donned a swimsuit for a dip in the pool at an annual Fourth of July cookout. The ritual begins with me psyching myself up to put on a pair of Lycra underwear that will eventually give me a wedgie and worrying about which lump, bump, stretch mark, or scar is most embarrassing. Now I am not much of a swimmer and sun worship is not my thing, so my torment is thankfully short-lived, but this yearly dip in the pool of self-loathing I subject myself to is enough to give me apoplexy.
And I know I’m not alone.
Every year, like so many American women, I start thinking about how I’ll look in my swimsuit sometime shortly after I’ve sucked down my last piece of pie after New Year’s. I resolve to diet and exercise more so that when the weather gets warmer and my clothes get lighter, I will look fabulous. Of course, both of those resolutions usually die hard around President’s Day. I know what will solve all my problems? Plastic surgery! Then my son will think of me as My Beautiful Mommy. (Insert sarcasm here.)
Truth is, my battle with body perception is fought every day just getting dressed for work, and the messages that we all receive in the media about what beauty is don’t help.
Maybe someone could airbrush and Photoshop me on a daily basis. No? That’s why I love Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty and the Lifetime TV show How to Look Good Naked. Both projects are about real women accepting what they hate about their bodies and loving themselves without an extreme makeover.
I know I’m no Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, and I don’t aspire to be one. But I know that if I undergo this kind of stress about my self-image at 30-something, I fear how much more difficult it is for a young lady like my 10-year-old niece to understand how truly beautiful she is …just the way the she is.
So this Fourth of July, I’m declaring my independence from swimsuit tyranny and joining the Swimsuit Brigade for Honest Photos. Won’t you join me too?
Happy holiday, everyone!
