Story Series: Bridget

The second interview in our story series.

This series is intended to discuss the different experiences we have had with body image over the years and how swimwear impacts how we view ourselves. Although no two bodies are the same, and we all experience life a little differently, we often have a similar internal dialogue about how we look and the negative thoughts surrounding our bodies. Let’s talk about this experience, shall we?

Maybe you’ll find that you aren’t alone in how you think about yourself.

Transcript: BRIDGET'S STORY

"Hi I’m Bridget, I’m 23."

Growing up, what was your experience with your body image?

“I think my experience with my body image wasn’t great in my adolescence because I grew so quickly. And I was considered big by pretty much everybody in my life and that was the word that was often used. So it wasn’t something that I had like a positive relationship with. I as 6’2 by the time I was twelve years old and as I got older, beyond being larger than my classmates I definitely struggled with my weight. And playing sports through high school didn’t really help that just because I never really felt I looked like the strongest version of myself, even if I was."

How did swimwear play into that experience?

“Just looking at magazine adverts and seeing the same body type on the same looking girl over and over and over and over again it makes you think that you’re not enough…Or not pretty enough to wear that bathing suit or not skinny enough to wear the bathing suit. And I think its really discouraging in the long term with buying bathing suits that fit my body type.”

How has your perception of your body image changed, if at all? 

“I think that I can definitely use an objective perspective now when shopping for bathing suits or when looking at my body in the mirror. Everybody’s built differently and everybody has their own unique characteristics and things about them that make them cool and make their body cool and I objectively can understand that. But from a subjective perspective, when I look in on myself I definitely still struggle with my body image. I hope my objective perspective can become subjective. But right now we’re still working on it.”

What do you want to see changed to help you as well as others have a more positive outlook on their body?

“I think seeing the diversity in body types in magazines and adverts. Language is also really important. And there needs to be a lot more care taken and the way that things are worded can damage people and can damage the way people view shopping for bathing suits. Going out and going into a change room and putting stuff on and looking in the mirror and saying that they like the way that they look I think I depends on the model in the picture, I think it depends on the title, like the label on the bikini, or the bathing suit shorts or whatever. I think there’s so many things leading up to consumer purchasing that can impact the way that people purchase and also the way that people want to spend their money."