Summer’s Coming, Are You Ready?

It appears that Spring days are numbered. There’s been a gradual uptick in daily temperatures, and folks are starting to break out their warm weather gear. And it’s also around this time that the media starts pushing beach body campaigns – asking if we are ready to bare all. So this week, we’ll be sharing what effect, if any, those adverts have on our psyches and self-images.

Ever since the bikini and air travel got together and made beach and lake side vacations popular, there’s been an upsurge in spandex, lycra, nylon, and in unleaded and naphtha-kerosene usage. And of course body-image concerns courtesy of the folks running the media juggernaut. Why would the media care if I have or don’t have a beach ready body? Simply to shill more products my way in the ever on-going pursuit of the unattainable.

bathingsuits_1890_1990

However. I grew up a swimmer, and we practiced nearly every day, and swam for fun whenever possible. There was very little concern about how one looked in a swimsuit, it was all about how fast and strong we were in the water. Thinking back on those glorious chlorine-filled days, it makes me realize that the only thing that holds me back now is the thought of being judged. Why is the adult female body judged so harshly? Why do we compare ourselves to fake Photo-shopped media images? – we’ll always lose. And that makes me sad. I sometimes get an overwhelming urge to swim, but the thought of being stared at shrivels up the desire right quick. What a sad, unfun state, right?

Like the Take Back the Night adventures, there needs to be a Take Back the Pool movement – all sizes, ages and capabilities welcome, screw the media, just bring your lovely bathing-suited self and dive in. Anybody up for that?

[Img.Src: Bathing Suits 1890, Bathing Suits 1990 ]

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