Swimsuit Season

The other day, I was eating a snack in the afternoon of rice cakes with peanut butter, when a I offered to share with my coworkers. A male colleague said “No thank you” as he munched on some bread. I jokingly said “Swimsuit season is just around the corner, so I cannot eat bread everyday. If I want a smaller ass, then I have to eat healthier.”

He replied to my comment saying that “Some guys like a curvy lady.” Quite frankly, I told him that I did not care what guys like. It’s more important how I feel about myself.

I was a bit perturbed that he would say something like that, but more so I began thinking about the unrealistic expectations society places on women’s appearance.

From a young age I already felt awkward because I did not fit the ‘typical girl’ mold. Prior to puberty I was somewhat of a “Tom-Boy”, who enjoyed playing sports and video games. When I first began growing breasts, I wore a sports bra for three years to disguise their shapeliness. It was not until I was thirteen that a friend encouraged me to start wearing make-up and buy a ‘real bra’.

I am now unlearning all of this and embracing my natural beauty.

I have not burned a bra yet, but it is not out of the question. Why do we, as women, allow the world to tell us how we ought to be?

It is exhausting and can even be expensive. I am no longer buying in.