Could YOU Stop Traffic?

As I cleaned out my studio room, I came across some old pictures, and by old, I mean nearly twenty years old. There were photos from a Florida trip I took with my high school friends right after graduation. Besides the 80’s hair and vampire make-up, we looked totally the same as we do now. Well, almost the same. I think our bodies have changed just a tiny bit.

I came across a picture of myself in a bikini. I was standing there next to a palm tree and I looked as though I were uncomfortable in my own skin. As I looked at the photo I couldn’t believe how good I looked in that suit! I’m not saying I would’ve stopped traffic or anything, but one or two cars may have slowed down and caused a minor fender bender. Then I thought to myself, what teenage girl who’s really active and eats brown rice and prunes for breakfast doesn’t look good in a swimsuit? The sad part was, I remember exactly how self conscious and thick I felt in that picture – so sad. Looking at the photo now, I can’t believe I saw myself that way. Seriously, did I even own a mirror?

This got me thinking. Women are really hard on themselves – painfully and pathetically so. If I couldn’t see myself as the super model that I was back then, then maybe I was being too hard on myself now. So, I ran to the closet, and dug out all the swimsuits I never wanted to wear outside the confines of my own backyard and decided to try them on. As I’m putting the first one on, I’m thinking to myself, “I bet I’ve still got a killer body. I’ve just looked at this body of mine with too critical of eyes, but now I’m ready to see the real me through loving and accepting eyes.

I walked up to the mirror and OUCH! – it wasn’t pretty. “Obviously, this is one of those unflattering suits,” I said to myself. “Some suits just aren’t made well – I don’t even know why I keep this one.” Then I tried on the coral suit. Did you know that coral is not a flattering color? That’s right. They shouldn’t even sell it to women. Oh, and did you also know that if you’re wearing a one piece suit, it is not advisable to wear one with thick vertical stripes? Why, you ask? I’ll tell you why. Because those stripes expand as your midsection expands, which means when you breath, it breathes – terribly unattractive! And those tank bikinis are a total scam! They are unforgiving and even the smallest of muffin tops can squeeze their way through the cracks. Oh, and let’s not forget the suit with the built-in bra designed to add volume in the areas we actually want it. I just love it when the cups get dents in them – nothing more feminine than a dented bosom.

Ahhhhhh…...

I’m sure today, I still see myself with too critical of eyes. And yet, I’m confident that my current body would not stop traffic - at least, not for the reasons I would like, and I’m OK with that. I’m thinking that I should have appreciated and celebrated myself more when I was twenty. And twenty years from now, I don’t want to look back and wish I would have appreciated where I am and who I am right now. I choose to see all the good things about myself that really matter and celebrate that!

Besides, I’m rarely in the water! My best swim technique is the doggie paddle and my body sinks like lead when I try to float, so what am I doing in a bikini anyhow - trying out for Miss America? Yeh right!