When Mehruba R. agreed to help her slim friend shop for a swimsuit, she figured it’d be a cinch.
But after hours of searching, “we didn’t buy any swimsuits,” Mehruba said. “She wanted a two-piece suit with shorts that came up high enough to cover her bellybutton, because she thought her stomach wasn’t flat enough.”
No luck. Mehruba, a Chicago high schooler, then suggested her friend try on a one-piece suit, but “she said it would make her chest look too flat.”
When boys pick a swimsuit , they usually want one thing: a suit that stays up when they hit the pool. But the idea of a swimsuit can make girls panic.
For lots of girls, a swimsuit shows their flaws – and insecurities. Lori Berger, editor in chief of Jump, told KidNews the teen ‘zine receives hundreds of letters a week from girls who complain about their bodies. “We’ve had girls who have been in panic for months. They tell us they hate going shopping for bathing suits with skinny friends.”
Jump’s July cover announces: “How to buy a bathing suit without having a breakdown.” Inside, four girls list their chief body complaints (no curves, wide hips, an out-of-proportion body), then model suits that minimize these. “A couple of these girls had fine bodies but were completely humiliated,” Berger said. “They didn’t want to be photographed. Even if you have a perfect body, you can look in the mirror and think it’s never right.”
But a breakdown? Isn’t that extreme? Nope, Berger says. “Instead of saying, it’s OK, you should be happy with the way you are, we give readers tips on how to deal with what they believe are their figure flaws. Trying to convince a population of 19 million girls to be happy with their imperfections is a big jump.”
Other ‘zines must feel the same, because most give girls ways to hide “flaws” instead of accepting themselves. (Excuse us if we’re into self-acceptance.)
Before you try on a suit, girls (c’mon, just one)…
Promise yourself that before you look in the mirror and wail, “I’m so fat!!!,” you’ll try to imagine a boy doing that. Most wouldn’t – so why should you?
Hang out at an art museum and gaze at the bods that artists drew and sculpted. “Beautiful” females through history have had some flesh!
Read a handful of “Cathy” comic strips. Ask yourself, “Do I really want to be that self-absorbed, insecure and annoying?”
Feel too scrawny? Make a list of celebs who say they were too skinny as kids, starting with Julia Roberts and Kim Basinger. You’re in beautiful company!
Think you’re OK? Cool! And the next time someone compliments you, fight the urge to say, “No way; I’m huge!” Just say thanks.
