Summer is a lovely time. A time of cookouts, swimming and sunny weather. But if you're a " thick girl," summer sometimes brings more unpleasantries than it does for slimmer women. No matter how beautiful and confident you are in your body, it can bring some struggles.
1. The living hell that is shorts shopping
Step 1: Find the biggest size the store has.
Step 2: (If you can even get those on): Realize your stomach is being squeezed into the top, your butt is falling out of the back and your thighs are having the life squished out of them.
Step 3: Realize why winter isn't so bad.
2. And dealing with them even after finding a pair that "fits"
Nothing like taking a pair of shorts home you remember fitting you okay in the store and then walking for 45 seconds and pulling them out of your butt or crotch 17 times. Truly a magical experience.
3. And every bathing suit you try on shows more skin than you'd planned
Even the most conservative bathing suit turns into cleavage-city and a non-cheeky set of bottoms turns into a thong. I promise, older people glaring at me in my sexual bathing suit, I didn't mean for this to happen!
4. Chaffing. So much chaffing
No better feeling than 4 minutes into wearing short shorts realizing that your inner thighs are literally tearing themselves apart. Body Glide and baby powder are a thick girl's #1 necessity.
5. Loving rompers. Rompers not loving you.
Rompers are made with short and skinny girls in mind. Heaven forbid you're not short, and heaven forbid you're not skinny. Rompers are like a mystical article of clothing that, no matter what, always just barely doesn't fit.
6. Imagining wearing a sundress with a strapless bra and just laughing
Of course, not all thick girls are well-endowed in the boob department, but if you are, you understand how hilarious the thought of you wearing a strapless bra truly is.
7. And bralettes are a thing of fantasy
Once again, bralettes are designed for a very specific body type. One that I do not fall into.
8. Feeling like you need to constantly defend yourself for dressing like you want to
There are so many posts and tweets and just general ideals that people have that certain sized women can't wear certain clothing. You shouldn't feel the need to defend yourself for wearing a cute crop top or a bikini, but you will.
9. And always feeling looked at when you're rocking your swim suit
Yes, I see your judging eyes, and yes, they are making me feel like shit. It doesn't matter how confident you are in your body, people looking at you like you just killed somebody just because you're wearing something typically made for smaller women doesn't make you feel good.
10. Did I mention chaffing?
I just felt like something so horrible couldn't just be mentioned once.
11. Online shopping for cute summer outfits and then none of them fitting you correctly
There's always the dreaded "one size fits all" for plus-sized women. As if there's just one way to be plus-sized. No matter how much they promise online that it'll fit well, it won't.
12. Seeing tiny girls complaining about losing their "summer bodies"
So many tweets talking about choosing food over a summer body. So many profile pictures of traditionally skinny women. I'm not saying that thick girls are the only ones who can complain about their summer bodies, and thick girls do not have a monopoly one not feeling confident in their bodies. But it is hard to see those posts knowing that those women would be glorified in their swimwear while you'd be gawked at.
13. The "you go girl!" comments on your oh-so-brave bikini photos
Compliments are nice, and positive comments while wearing a bikini go a long way. But the dreaded "you go girl" comment just seems so condescending. Just treat me like anyone else you'd see wearing a bikini. I promise, I'd like to feel like that.
Sheikh Hamdan
