Summer is not my favorite season—and that’s not just because summer is hot and humid or because summer is often a lethargic, unproductive season. It’s mostly because summer is the season when I have to wear a swimsuit. Which I hate. Perhaps you can relate to one (or all) of these three fears that I’ve had during swimsuit season:
1. Everyone will see my flaws in this swimsuit.
I feel insanely self-conscious when I put on a swimsuit. All at once, I feel an indescribable pressure to please myself, my friends, cute guys, and nondescript strangers. Thus, I try to avoid wearing a swimsuit at all costs.
But it’s encouraging to remember that I’m not the only one who’s concerned about others seeing my flaws when I wear a swimsuit. As women, it’s normal to worry about how we look—including in our swimsuits. I can confidently say that most women don’t enjoy wearing swimsuits.
Trust me—you’re not the only one who’s worried about how she looks as she steps into the pool. And if you’re the only one with a flawed body, then you’re not living on planet earth. Some women are better at hiding what they consider flaws, but almost every woman—no matter how beautiful she may look in a swimsuit—hates something about her body.
2. No one will notice how good I look in this swimsuit.
Maybe you’re on the other end of the spectrum. Perhaps your doctor told you to diet last summer, you’ve lost 30 pounds since then, and you can’t wait to wear a swimsuit to show off your new body. But what if no one notices your new body? Well, then you might be dieting for the wrong reasons.
Being healthy, should be our goal, not impressing others. Unfortunately, people aren’t always impressed easily. Maybe they’ll comment on how amazing you look, or maybe they won’t.
However, it’s incredibly important not to base your self-image and self-worth on whether or not someone says something positive about your body. My counselor has told me this during my recovery from anorexia. You can’t base your feelings about your body on what other people say—or don’t say—about it.
3. I’ll be the only one not wearing a bikini.
Imagine this scenario: You’re invited to a party at a local beach. Your friend invited you and several of her other friends. Although you arrive in a one-piece swimsuit, the other girls are wearing tiny bikinis. And the guys are all over them. The party is a blast…not.
Okay, I won’t downplay this fear because it’s actually legit. But we simply have to let go of it.
As Gretchen Saffles shared on The Well-Watered Woman, modesty reveals the state of your heart. Are you trying to shine the spotlight on yourself? A string bikini certainly accomplishes that goal. Are you trying to shine the spotlight on your Savior? A string bikini probably isn’t the best choice. Pointing others to Jesus is worth the cost of standing out in a crowd of bikini-clad women (and their shallow admirers).
Closing Thoughts
Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness. (1 Timothy 2:9-10 NASB)
Friends, please don’t misunderstand me or this post. I’m don’t want you to think that bikini-wearers are evil and that I’m so much better than them. Rather, I want to point us to God’s Word, which exhorts us to be modest and discreet in how we dress (v. 9).
Thus, we each have to ask ourselves: Why am I wearing this swimsuit? What would Jesus think about me wearing this swimsuit? Does this swimsuit cause me (or those around me) to focus on the wrong things?
Because we’re women, swimsuit season may never be a blast for us. But hopefully, it doesn’t scare you quite as much now that we’ve addressed some swimsuit season fears. We’re in this together, friends!
Tizzie's Tidbits of Truth 