Two Beaches, One Blue Bikini

Unlike super models, bloggers come in all shapes and sizes. That fact is one of the primary reasons I started reading blogs a few years ago, and why I felt compelled to start a blog of my own. It is so important for women and girls to be exposed to images in the media that are realistic. My hope was that if just one thick-thighed, pear-shaped woman out there would see my blog and think "hey, she looks like me and she wears what she wants!",  then I would have made a difference.

If there's one item of clothing that can make even the most confident, body accepting and self assured woman cower in body shame terror, it's the bikini. I know I'm not the first chubby girl to put up a picture of herself in a bikini for the world to see, and I sure as hell hope I won't be the last, but it was really important to me to do it.

In short, I've been wanting to do a swimsuit post all summer, so imagine my disappointment when I realized I forgot my camera on our first vacation beach day. I improvised and had Mike snap a few cell phone pix, but I just wasn't super pleased with how they turned out.

Thankfully we were able to get in a second beach day and get some better pictures with my little point and shoot.

So what does it take to feel confident in a swimsuit? I have no clue. What helps me is to have a suit that is comfortable and fun to wear. I don't mind showing my stomach, but I like to keep my upper thighs under wraps, so I usually go for a skirted bikini. Not because I think my thighs need to be covered, but because that is what makes me feel most comfortable.

Swimsuit: Victoria's Secret- Bottom, Top 

Normally I advocate trying everything on if you can, but this bikini was an adventure in online shopping that actually worked! I had a gift card to Victoria's Secret leftover from my birthday and a coupon so I decided to take a glimpse at their sale swimwear. Low and behold I found a skirted bottom and supportive top in the color I wanted! I ordered it knowing there was about a pretty good chance that the XL bottoms would be too small, but hoping they would fit.

The skirted bottom fits perfectly and provides the perfect amount of coverage. The top is supportive and has two sets of straps that can be worn lots of different ways. The sizing is by bra size, so it's really easy to find the right fit, it VS carries your bra size. This is definitely my new favorite swimsuit, and if I lived somewhere where I needed a lot of swimsuits I would totally order another color!

I had a great time at both beaches and I'm happy I have these photos to share with you:)

Weekly Wishlist: Colorful Swimwear

My beau, Mike, and I are brainstorming ideas for a beach vacation. I spent most of my childhood living in South Texas, so I spent my weekends, and sometimes my weekdays at the beach from April- October. Even when I lived in Maryland there were river/ bay beaches right at my fingertips and trips to Seabrooke Island, SC with family in the summer. I long for the sand between my toes, the breeze off the water, the fresh seafood.

What I don't long for is swimsuit shopping.

Although I am definitely on the road to body acceptance, I'll be the first to admit that I'm not quite there yet. I don't mind showing my stomach, arms, chest, but I prefer to hide my upper thighs. I feel most comfortable in a skirted bikini or one piece. The problem is that skirted suits tend to fall into two categories. 1. Matronly, shapeless, or simply too much coverage or 2. not enough skirt to provide the coverage that I need.  The other obstacle I face is that I'm bigger on the bottom than I am on the top.

I can usually get around these issues by purchasing separates. I have two plain black swim skirts that I pair with cuter tops from more trendy swim wear collections. This has suited me fine for the last few summers (pun intended), but I really want to add some color into my swimwear repertoire. Here are a few colorful suits I've got my eye on.

Image via Alwaysforme.com

Salinas Print Twist Front Bandeau One Piece- $89 from Always For Me

I love the bright blues in this suit. The website shows the back of the suit and it appears to provide a good deal of booty coverage. Also the straps are removable! I recently discovered Always for Me. They are a plus size retailer specializing in swimwear, activewear and lingerie. I love so many of the suits on their site, but I think this one is my favorite. it would be a great one-piece option. Solid color option here. Available in sizes 16W-24W.

Mossimo Plus size Swim Skirt in Boysenberry- $22.99 at Target

Colorblock halter bandeu top

Paisley Halter top

Striped Bandeau tankini top

I have this swimskirt from Target in black from a few summers ago, and it is one of my favorites. I am really pleased to see it online in some bright colors! This boysenberry color is my favorite because I found the greatest variety of tops to go with it, but I also love the turquoise! The swim skirt is available in the plus sizes 1X-3X. The tops all come in sizes XS-XL and are $19.99 each. When buying separates, I like buying multiple tops so I can choose how much coverage I want.

image via jcrew.com

image via jcrew,com

Seersucker Skirted Bottom $64 and Halter top $48 in Bright Citrus, both from JCrew

I've never tried on a JCrew Suit before, so I don't even know if their largest size bottom would fit me. I am a sucker for seersucker and yellow. This suit is just too cute not to include! Top and Bottoms available in sizes XS-XL.

image via mindbodylingerie.com

Strapless Polka Dot Swimdress $59.95 from Mind Body Lingerie

 I had to throw in one last suit, because y'all know I can't pass up a polka dot. This suit is adorable, but I don't think it'd be good for any actual swimming as it doesn't have straps. I've never heard of Mind Body Lingerie, and the site appears a little risque, but they have cute retro inspired suits in a variety of sizes. This suit is available in XS to XXL.

What is your favorite style of swimsuit? Know of any good plus size swimsuit retailers?