the life-changing magic of wearing the swimsuit

This post contains sponsored content.

Swimsuit provided complimentary for review by Lime Ricki

Here’s a real confession: Two weeks ago was the first time since I was maybe 10 that I wore a swimsuit by itself. In public. No ten layers on top.

You might think I’m kidding. But in fact for a long time, I really believed that the only way to swim was in an oversized t-shirt and men’s board shorts. 

Some credit may go to a fairly conservative youth ministry growing up, as well as a personal consciousness about modesty. No regrets on either front.

But I think the truth of it all is, I like covering up. I want to hide. It allows me to retreat back into my comfort zone. Sometimes rather than admitting I have curves, I prefer things to be shapeless. It makes me feel less like I’m drawing attention to myself.

This vacation, I took it all off.

Whoa, okay, not all.

But this is seriously the least amount of clothing I’ve worn in public since I was a kid. And surprise! Even at age 31, I felt very self-conscious.

I put it on to swim on the cruise ship. Resisting it at first, I wore a cover-up and shorts. I wrapped a towel around me. I looked around suspiciously. Bit by bit, I got down to just the bathing suit.

But slowly, I realized that everyone around me was not looking at me. They weren’t scrutinizing my body or how my bathing suit looked. Just as I wasn’t doing the same to them. (I was more worried about me than about them.)

And I became more confident. I walked a little taller, and not hunched over. I stopped frantically glancing around to see who was looking at me, and started actually playing with my kids and enjoying myself. 

A good suit doesn’t hurt either.

Even though I wanted to wear the swimsuit already, I also still feel strongly about being modest, and not showing off too much. I don’t want to wear something ill-fitting, or that hones in on certain parts of my body I want to keep private.

But my definition for it is changing. I’m learning to love and appreciate this body I’m in, and to not be afraid of it, or hide it in a paper bag. It’s amazing that you can do both – be modest and confident – at the same time.

I wanted a swimsuit that would help me feel confident.

So I after some research, I found Lime Ricki. They are a modest swimwear company that offers swimwear to fit every body. They actually show their suits on a range of differently sized models on their website, something I love. 

Going through the pages, I saw tons of glowing reviews from their community of customers. I even got in touch with customer service for help with sizing, and they were quick and responsive.

After finding all that for myself, I reached out to them, and was thrilled when they offered to send me a swimsuit to try. 

This one is a perfect fit (thanks to sizing help from customer service). The top offers full coverage and decent support, and is adjustable. The bottoms are high-waist, giving me more security.

And Lime Ricki has the prettiest prints and colors you can mix and match. Plus the suit feels well made and customers compliment how long their suits last.

They completely won me over.

Wear the swimsuit.

Modesty is a personal choice, and it is different depending on your culture or preference. But there have been times I’ve used it as an excuse instead of the real reason why I keep covered up. 

As cute as the swimsuit is, it wasn’t what gave me courage (although it helped). It was choosing to wear it, to feel comfortable in my own skin, that really made me feel so much more confident and not embarrassed. And it helped me actually enjoy my time, which is the whole point, isn’t it?

How about you? How do you feel when you wear the swimsuit?