Thursday, July 8, 2010

Poorly Thought Out Promises

Outside of a few forced hours as a camp counselor, I have not been swimming in about 12 years. I have several reasons for this. 1) I do not like being immersed in water. 2) I get cold in the water very quickly and feel quite miserable. 3) Have you actually watched exactly how much snot kids leave behind in public pools? I have. 4) I hate wearing a bathing suit. I know, I know, long legs slim waist, NOW people are all, "Oh I wish I had your figure!" Where were those people in my formative years? During the years when my self esteem/self perception was being formed I was surrounded by people who mocked me, told me I looked "disgusting" and like I "should be dead" and was offered help for my imagined anorexia by complete strangers. I have about ten billion issues at this point in my life in this general area, but that's not all that relevant. The relevant part is, I have a horror of appearing in public in a bathing suit. Which is why, I DO NOT EVEN OWN ONE.
I have stated before, I work with children. This summer, part of my work with the children is taking them twice a week to the community pool. And of course, they all want me to play in the water with them.
I love my children. I adore them. I would do and have done a LOT of things for them. I would get over my dislike of water immersion, and I would deal with being cold and miserable, and I would try very hard to forget about all that snot. The bathing suit thing...that's pretty deep rooted. But these children, they can get me to do anything for them. So only one week into swimming, after swearing up and down that there was absolutely nothing those obnoxious little brats could do or say to convince me to get in the pool, there I was promising them all I would go out and buy myself a bathing suit JUST so I could swim with them.
This was already a Poor Decision. But then I took it further. They were so whiny and so...large eyed and C and A and M and J and all the others make those FACES and when they do that all I want to do is make them HAPPY so I told them that if I failed to do as I promised I would just get in the pool in my CLOTHES.
I really thought I would have a bathing suit by tomorrow. I did try. I went to all kinds of stores. The thing is, whoever designs bathing suits seems to think that if you are a size 2-6, you want to flaunt everything. As far as I can tell, no one even MAKES one pieces for those sizes anymore. And not only are there no one pieces, the two pieces are so tiny that it would be less scandalous to run around in my smallest under garments.
I technically still have this weekend, but I'm quite busy and not at all hopeful and running out of places to bathing suit shop.
I am in trouble, you guys.

1 comment:

  1. Google "modest swimwear". They make suits for women like you, and even less revealing ones for LDS mormons that are designed to display absolutely nothing exciting.

    If your body issues go deeper than that, you can look to any of the hundreds of companies that cater to Muslim women. These shapeless bags are designed to obfuscate the eye and thwart any attempt by leery onlookers to divine what your general body shape might be. Even your hair color will remain a mystery.

    Can't wait for the thrilling conclusion. If you don't find one, what will you wear when you jump in clothed?

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