Swimsuit Shopping

Disclaimer: I mean no offense to anyone who wears bikinis or wears size 10 and up...

But...I need to vent.

Is there such a thing as a modest swimsuit anymore? Or how about a modest swimsuit in a size eight or smaller? And maybe I'm just getting way too greedy here, but is it too much to ask for a modest swimsuit, in something size eight or less, that doesn't look like something my grandma would have worn?! (also no offense to all the grandmas who may read our blog - I think your swimsuits are darling, just not something a 24-year-old wants to wear :)

I have put off buying a new swimsuit for a few years now, because, as women everywhere know, it just plain sucks shopping for a new one. If you're anything like me, you're already self-conscious as it is, especially right off from a long winter, with the pasty white legs and a little pudge here and there...sigh. So you're searching for something that is going to camouflage all those flaws (lets face it, we all have them, unless you're Heidi Klum - although she's had a couple babies now so I bet even she has flaws) and you're looking for that suit that's going to make you feel like a million bucks, or at least make you feel like you're not the ugliest duck in the pond. That perfect suit.

Swimsuit shopping...aka hell on earth. For me anyways. Am I the only one?

I bought the suit I currently wear back in high school. It's a basic black one-piece, nothing special; in fact, I wasn't that thrilled with it when I bought it, but it was the best I could find. Eight years later, I'm still wearing it because I could never bring myself to shop for a new one. I even had my aunt repair the stitching in the bra when it came unraveled (let me point out that I had her repair it NOT because I was being thrifty, but because I seriously couldn't handle having to buy a new one.)

Brandt and I are planning a trip to Vegas again this year (love that place!) so I figured now would be a good time to bite the bullet and get a new suit and retire the old. But now, after exhausting every store Idaho Falls has to offer over a three-week period, I am beginning to think that I will use my old suit until the day I die (good thing black is always in style right?)

Seriously though, why does this have to be such a stressful, frustrating, make you want to hit someone thing? There's always a huge selection of super cute bikinis and then a few frumpy one-pieces that I swear Satan himself helped design because he wants to lead you astray into buying the cute, sexy bikini. I would even go for a tankini, but even those are hard to find in a cute style. And THEN, I finally find some cute ones that could work...and they don't have my size. It's the same story everywhere I shop. We went to a couple of stores that seriously had a LONG rack full of suits and six inches on that rack were devoted to suits in my size...and the other twenty FEET of rack space were for swimsuits too big for me. So if you happen to be small, you're just S.O.L. Freak! Does anyone else see anything wrong with this?! They'll carry up to size 22 or so, but it's just too much to ask for them to carry a couple sizes down. And in my desperation to find a cute, in-style swimsuit, I'll admit I even looked in the little girls section at Kohls, thinking maybe if I bought the biggest size in the section I could make it work. And if I wasn't so voluptuous I would have bought one!

So, needless to say, I am frustrated. And angry. And tempted to buy this really cute bikini I found today (it was pink, brown, and white stripes with glitter - and I have a fondness for sparkly things :) But I've always felt that modesty is important and that's why I want a one-piece or a tasteful two-piece. But not only that, but I want to feel pretty and confident. I want to be comfortable, and not all exposed to the world and afraid an apple may pop out if I get hit by a wave or somethin' (not that there are waves in Vegas, but I hope to some day take my suit to a place where there are waves and sandy beaches (i.e. Hawaii maybe?!) - and dang it I want to be comfortable!).

Any advice? Maybe I'm over thinking it; it's just a swimming suit for crying out loud. I've thought about shopping online, but it makes me nervous. A swimsuit is something you need to try on first - what may look good on the model may not look good on me. Or fit the way I thought it would. I seriously have gone to every store in I.F. that I know of that would carry suits (ask Brandt, he came with me to every single one! What a sport :) but maybe I need to widen my search to other cities. Where have you found luck in your search for THE suit? Let me know! Otherwise, I may end up on a nude beach somewhere...dreaming of that perfect suit that never was.

P.S. I ventured into online shopping and found this picture...and it made me smile :)