I’m not BRAVE for wearing a bikini. 👙 Having unapologetic confidence in your body at any size, now that is an act of courage.
I’ve done a lot of brave things:
🥇Completing 2 IRONMANS
✈️Traveling Europe solo
🏖Moving to a new state
💻 Launching a business
👙Wearing a bikini in public & posting a pic on social media is “normal” for most people. 👙 But the second a curvy/fat/plus size/ person does it the comments come rolling in:
“Omg you’re so brave”
“I wish I had your confidence”
“Omg I could never bc of my cellulite/rolls/back acne or whatever”
Can we just not?? Wearing an item of clothing does not make someone brave. No one's going around telling Wonder Woman how brave she is for wearing a corset and short skirt, she's brave for being an ass-kicking warrior not afraid to take on the bad guys. You can have my confidence (see below) and cellulite, rolls and acne are NORMAL. We all get them and no one is paying more attention to them than you are.
Look I didn’t wake up one day and just decide to wear whatever I wanted and own the ish out of it. I did a lot of mindset / mental work, cried dressing room tears, and I still have days where I feel like shit in my body and want to hide in sweats. More often than not, I feel confident, curvy, and sexy because I choose to.
Accepting body neutrality and finding body confidence take time, here are 5 tips to improve your body image and start owning your curves.
LOOK at your body with neutrality and without judgment every day: the more you see the more you'll accept it. Say things out loud like "I have legs" or " I have cellulite"
FOCUS on what your body is capable of: did it give you children or have your legs carried you through a marathon?
SEE it from a loved one's perspective: how do your friends, family, or spouse see your body? Is your partner always complimenting your juicy booty? Or does your mom tell you how beautiful your eyes are? Try to see what they see.
SAY nice things to your body: "thank you legs for holding me up" or "thank you boobs for nursing my babies" or "hey booty you're looking good from all those squats"
CARE for your body: give it the nutrients it needs, move it in a way that feels good to you, drink your water, moisturize & take care of your skin.
Repeat these steps every single day. If you catch yourself saying something negative about your body, stop right away. Your words and your actions become your beliefs (this goes for commenting on other bodies too, unless you have something nice to say don't).
BONUS: Buy clothes that fit and flatter the body you have RIGHT now. Don't buy something that is 4 sizes too small hoping it'll motivate you to lose weight. It'll likely still be in your closet 6 months from now collecting dust. Oh and those skinny jeans you're holding onto from high school, go ahead and donate them, you've grown up and your body has too.
Remember it's not brave to wear a bikini (at any size) but it is brave to choose to accept and love your body in all its shapes and sizes. Society, diet culture, and fashion may not have caught up yet, but one day they will.
No woman should ever feel that they have to wear one-pieces, tanks, and swim skirts at the pool or the beach to cover our belly rolls and cellulite. Wear what makes YOU feel good. And don’t ever call me (or anyone really) brave for wearing something they love ❤️
ALL BODIES CAN BE BIKINI BODIES IF THEY WANT TO BE
If you're looking for a way to move that beautiful body of yours in a safe place come take a class with me at Gem Fitness. Your first one is FREE! Register Here
xoxo,
Briana