there has never been a time in my life where i was not plus sized.  there has also never been a time in my life where i did not love being in the water.  whether it was in my godmother’s backyard pool, working as a swim instructor at my local pool, day trips to the beach or extended trips to hawaii, mexico or the dr, i live for the water.  it just brings me calm.

 

something i always hated was how matronly the swimsuits were for big girls like me.  while i have no interest in being in a string bikini, i also did not want a bathing suit that matched the grandmothers who took my senior citizen water aerobics class.  additionally, it was a hassle to have to take off my entire suit when i had to run to the restroom.

 

tankinis served as a happy medium for awhile but did not really do much for my shape.  during that time, i was still self conscious about my midsection so i figured beggars cannot be choosers.  once i turned 21, i started traveling more with my friends.  i noticed how often i saw guys comfortably strutting their stuff on beaches or at pool parties in miami or vegas.  some of these guys looked like they could have been carrying octuplets and no one said anything, grimaced at them or threw them a shirt to put on.  i then started thinking to myself – would i be fat shamed in a bikini or was i personally just ashamed of my body?

 

a few years passed and i started seeing more and more bathing suit options for plus sized girls and places like torrid, forever 21 and asos.  i went out on a limb and bought my first high-waisted bikini.  i brought it to hawaii to celebrate my friend alan’s 26th birthday back in 2016 and i haven’t looked back.

 

since then, i have added a few more to my collection and wear them proudly whether it be in an intimate setting or to go snorkeling in the dominican republic.  i have found that people tend to just feed off of the energy i give off.  the energy i give off is typically calm and confident.  i channeled that same energy when i wore this suit in mallorca recently and did a quick post on my story about it.

 

 

i knew i looked good in the suit but more importantly, i felt good in it.  this floral stripe swim set is from torrid.  i bought it last summer for my trip to the dr but have shed some pounds since then so it fits much better.  for my other plus sized girls who are looking for fun suits, here are a few of my favorites:

one!

two!

three!

 

now, not to worry.  if you are not plus sized but love this high-waisted look, here are a few for you:

one!

two!

three!

 

where do you like to shop for your summer suits?  how do you feel about mixed prints?

 

xoxo,

k.tap