Media Appearances

True Beauty: How to Stay Sane While Swimsuit Shopping

By Jessica Weiner

 I am stronger than this. I keep repeating these five words over and over. They've become my mantra. My eyes are focused, my attention fixed. I'm scouring the racks along with throngs of equally deranged shoppers, frantically trying to find the perfect bathing suit. Praying that I am not forced to ponder the rest of my summer wearing a tankini. Welcome to the seasonal madness of swimsuit shopping.

I venture into the dressing room to try on a suit. Why not just buy it and try it on at home? the voice in my head begs of me. Because I am stubborn and apparently a glutton for punishment. I slip on the swimsuit and admire it under those horrible dressing-room lights. My leg hair runs rampant, and I haven't done crunches in weeks. What was I thinking? I've had the past nine months to prepare for swimsuit-shopping season. I knew it was coming. I mean, I've been bombarded with images of tan, lean, bathing-suit-clad bodies since right after New Year's, serving as a reminder that I need to join a gym and that I was born into a mutant alien race of women who have butts, hips and thighs.

But before I allow myself to go down that slippery and dangerous slope of body loathing, I decide to do something quite out of the ordinary. I decide to smile and laugh at this ridiculous situation. I know there is no such thing as a perfect body or a perfect swimsuit. The laughing allows me to breathe, and the breath is a welcome distraction from my destructive thoughts.
Since my life's work is focused on helping women create inner style through taking action in life, I decide that these lessons can also apply to swimsuit shopping. So, I make an action plan.

#1: Get a reality check! You know what your body really looks like. Be honest with yourself before you shop. You haven't grown 10 inches or morphed into Gisele. So take it easy on yourself and get real about what you have to work with.

#2: Get some self-tanner and use it! Do a little tanning before you try on a swimsuit. It will help deflect some of that ungodly fluorescent lighting. And it is a proven fact: We feel better when we're tan.

#3: Get some perspective and gratitude! The truth is, no one is really looking at you anyway — they're all thinking about their own bodies! Just be grateful for the beautiful outdoor opportunities you have with your family and friends — and enjoy.
Following these three steps has helped me stay sane in the swimsuit-shopping pressure cooker. Try them and tell me what you think!
PS I'm still planning a painful and public humiliation for the man (couldn't be a woman) who designs the lighting in dressing rooms… but that's another article.