May your tiger stripes be your strength, your resilience, and ultimately, your grace.
Here’re the right ways to deal with them in swimsuits.
What you may not know about stretch marks
There are many other body issues that can trigger our anxieties, stretch marks should not be the one that bothers you anymore.
But before telling you how normal they are to a human body, and before you do anything stupid to try to remove/hide them, here are the quick facts.
- “90% of people have them.”
- Men also have stretch marks.
- Many celebrities have them too.
- They can appear everywhere (your stomach/thighs/butt/back/breasts/shoulders/arm/etc.)
- They don’t just come from pregnancy/childbirth, you can also gain them from growth spurts, sudden weight gain or loss, etc.
- They are simply “scars that lay underneath the lower layer of the dermis.”
- Early stretch marks may appear reddish, but the color of matured stretch marks may be slightly lighter than your skin.
- Most of the remover oils and creams will not work, they only do one job: to keep your skin hydrated.
- Laser treatments may be effective for some but cost somewhere between $500 to $8000.
Bear the above information in mind and let’s talk about swimsuits.
You can always hide your stretch marks in a swimsuit, but there’s no need and you don’t have to.
i like the way the stretch marks
milk and honey, Rupi Kaur
on my thighs look human and
that we’re so soft yet
rough and jungle wild
when we need to be
i love that about us
how capable we are of feeling
how unafraid we are of breaking
and tend to our wounds with grace
just being a woman
calling myself
a woman
makes me utterly whole
and complete
Wherever your stretch marks are on your body, there are bikinis that can cover them for you.
But why bother doing so?
You are self-conscious about your stretch marks because some skincare ads you encounter tell you to, it’s sad that your first thought about wearing swimwear is how you need to hide your marks in them, and just like body hair, they rarely get normalized by the media.
Ask yourself the real question: am I okay with what I look like with stretch marks?
If the answer is yes, to hell with the rules and what others and society think.
If it’s a maybe or a hard no, what makes you dislike/hate them so much? What’s crippling your confidence? And why do you view them this way?
Whichever situation (pregnant/after birth/adolescence/etc.) you are in with your life, if you don’t figure your inner self out, you will never get the swimsuits you want.
How you want to wear swimsuits with stretch marks is totally up to you
Knowing your body is the first step to self-acceptance, and the best swimsuits for stretch marks are not the ones that conceal your whole body as wetsuits do, they should be the suits that make you want to start packing for the beach right away.
You specifically search for suits that can hide your stripes only because you think they are unsightly and you want them to stay unseen, you are afraid of other people seeing them.
You should find certain swimsuits lovely for their designs, prints, cuts, etc. first, and then if those swimsuits happen also to provide coverage for your stretch marks, great!
If they don’t, no big deal!
Remember, the choice is always yours.
Swimsuits that cover your stretch marks
Seea Bolinas One-Piece Swimsuit
$165
Slow Dance Black Rash Guard One Piece Bathing Suit
$29.99
Carmel Bikini Bottoms
$125
Offshore Life Printed Zip Front Long Sleeve One Piece Swimsuit
$52.99
Plus Size Plain Sailing One-Piece
$89
Offshore Life High Waist Swim Shorts
$39.00
Kotiya Mid-Rise Bikini Bottom
$44
Waffle Scalloped High Waisted Bikini Bottom
$36.95
One Shoulder One Piece Swimsuit
$54.95
Waves Mid Waist Bikini Bottoms
$68
Short Sleeve Multifit Front Zip One-Piece Swimsuit
$114.95
Retro high-rise bikini bottom in brilliant blooms
$79.50
Bow one-shoulder one-piece
$118.00
Twist High Waist Bikini Bottom
$155
Carlie One Piece
$148
Tummy Control Adjustable Swim Skirt Swim Bottoms
$67.95
Wrap-Front Swimsuit Dress for Women
$64.99
High-Waisted Printed Ruched Bikini Swim Bottoms for Women
$29.99
Swimsuits that flaunt your stretch marks
Pure Grace Pearled Black Bikini Bottom
$37.99
RHINESTONE TIES BIKINI BOTTOM
$65
ALWAYS FITS BETTER BIKINI BOTTOM
$49
THE ARIANA
$198
THE IRIS CHAIN
$108
Port de Bras Antillas One-Piece Swimsuit
$295
Mila Side-Tie Bikini Bottoms
$76
JOAN BOTTOM FUCHSIA PURPLE SHINE
$98
CELINE ONE PIECE GREEN
$148
Terry Low Rise Tie Cheekiest Bikini Bottom
$26.95
The Cheeky V-Front Low Rise Bikini Bottom
$60
The Cheeky High Leg Bottom
$45
