I Wore a Bikini. That’s What I Did.

“It took me a long time not to judge myself through someone else’s eyes.” – Sally Field

Do you watch Girls? If so, do you remember the episode where the girls of Girls head to the North Fork for some R&R and Hannah spends the entire day in that green bikini? I have watched that episode from start to finish 19 times. It was around the 11th viewing when my friend Ali posted to Facebook: “I cannot stop thinking of Hannah’s green bikini”.

I popped up out of my constant recline (What? Whenever I’m home I lose all ability to sit up straight) and said “YES” which deserved all caps.  I realized that I had to watch that episode over and over, not because of the writing or the storyline or empathy on the progression/regression of friendship as an adult, but because homegirl wore a green bikini for an entire episode. Never mind my questions on comfort and chafing, but a woman who is not a size two rocked that bikini all over Long Island and I wanted to give her a high five through my TV screen.

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Obviously, I’ve seen a woman in a bikini before. I’ve even seen a larger woman in a bikini before, and you know what my thought is? Get it, girl. Will I be putting my ample ass into a bikini? NO. Because AMPLE. I tell myself that I shouldn’t be in a two piece bathing suit. I don’t have the body for it. I can do yoga every day for the rest of my life and while I will always be able to bend over and place two palms on the floor, I will never be lithe and graceful. I look at photos of myself or take a peek in a full-length mirror and say that perhaps I should do all a favor and stay away from anything that shows my mid-section. My body is very apple shaped, everything goes straight to my stomach; no one needs to see all of that. So, when Ali mentioned Lena Dunham in a green bikini my natural response was this: I AM BUYING ONE.

And then I had an outer body moment where I was like, um, what? Who said that? And then I added exclamation points and went directly to the Forever 21 website and PURCHASED A BIKINI. And then it arrived and I was still like, this is not happening. But we know F21’s return policy, or lack thereof, so I found myself the not-so-proud owner of the bombshell top in neon coral and the retro glam bottoms in black. And then I put that sucker in my bag and brought it to Miami. Why waste a perfectly good bathing suit even when you are going to a place known for its supremely beautiful people? I don’t know what they put in the water there, but no one’s thighs touch in Miami and all the men have muscles and a six pack.

When you are a woman of plus size, the idea of putting your body in a bikini is less than appealing. I had to take a Klonopin before putting on my bathing suit because, what would the others think? I, a woman who normally doesn’t give a damn as to the opinions of others suddenly found myself reverting to my 11-year-old self. The 11-year-old who deemed herself fat, so she swam in a giant t-shirt. Always with the t-shirts in the pool and on the beach. People ask if I ever wore a two piece as a child and I honestly have no idea because every photo is of me in a giant tee but no pants. That’s how I spent my summers.

Then there is the natural comparison to one’s stunning and hot friends. Somewhere, my traveling partner Jumana is reading this and she’s going to be embarrassed that I referred to her as hot, but let’s all be real here: She’s like a size 2 and I am like a size 2X and there would be no way on God’s green earth that I would be wearing a bikini next to her.

I’m sure you’re now wondering what I did with that bikini and all of my pent up fear and anxiety and the body issues that I thought I had long gotten over:

I wore a bikini. That’s what I did.

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SPOILER ALERT: I survived the ordeal. Though it wasn’t the profound, liberating experience, with other women admiring me from afar and giving me a thumb’s up while I strutted my stuff on the beach. I was a woman in a bathing suit on a beach with other women and men in their bathing suits on the beach and we were all trying to forget our daily lives and remember what the sun feels like. I had read and heard about all of these other plus size women — including dear friends — who put on a bikini and had this grand epiphany about their own body image and women and the human experience and so, I thought I’d put on a bikini and discover the meaning of life. Instead I discovered sun burns and that it’s far easier to go to the bathroom when wearing two separate pieces as opposed to a one piece.  I’ve had Tuesday afternoons more exciting than wearing a bikini. I wore it, it looked cute, I took it off, the end. And then I purchased another one.

TL; DR I am fat, I wore a bikini. I went about my day. How mundane this story is of a plus size woman wearing a bikini is possibly the greatest discovery of all.

This piece originally appeared on Poliogue.com.

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9 Responses

  1. Editor’s Note: No-Makeup Selfies, A Bikini Road-Test, Finding that Discontinued Lipstick | Tue Night

    […] I Wore a Bikini. That’s What I Did. Heather Barmore road tests a bikini and lives to tell about it. […]

    Reply
  2. lyoungbk718

    Props to you, Heather! Way to rock the bikini AND ballerina pose.

    Reply
  3. AdriannaDufay

    I’m inspired. I bought a bikini. I’m over 40, two kids. Yikes! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Abby Sher
    Roberta

    Love this and it’s so inspiring. YOU. GO!

    Reply

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