How to Try on a Swimsuit if You Don't Like How Your Body Looks [Podcast Transcript]

Title: How to Try on a Swimsuit if You Don't Like How Your Body Looks

Podcast Date: May 16, 2025

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Description

Today Heather tackles a topic relevant to many women in May: How to try on a swimsuit if you don't like how your body looks. If you're struggling with how your body looks but needing some swimwear for the season ahead, Heather graciously and gently walks you through some strategies to find a swimsuit that fits without sending you spiraling into a place of body shame.

This episode is part of the questions series: Me versus ChatGPT, so Heather tackles the question and then turns to ChatGPT to see what extra advice artificial intelligence can offer!

Learn more about Compared to Who? by visiting: Https://www.improvebodyimage.com

The 40-Day Body Image Workbook: https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-Day-Body-Image-Workbook-Christian

The 40 Day Journey (starts week of June 16): https://www.improvebodyimage.com/40-day-challenge

Transcript

Disclaimer: This transcript is AI-generated and has not been edited for accuracy or clarity.

[00:00:02]:

Life audio. Hey there, friend. Heather Creek Moore here. Glad you're listening to the Compare To Podcast, the podcast for Christian women who struggle a little bit with body image. I mean, maybe not a lot or maybe a lot. Maybe you just think about what you look a lot like a lot. And maybe summer, oh, makes that so much worse because you've gotta do things like our topic for today. You've gotta wear a swimsuit, or maybe you're going to buy a new swimsuit.

[00:00:31]:

You gotta try on that swimsuit, and you gotta look at yourself in the mirror wearing Lycra that grabs you in the most unflattering of places, I'm sure. At least it is for me. How do you do it? Today, that's what we're gonna talk about. How do you try on a swimsuit without going into the spiral of, oh, my word, my body. Oh, yuck. I can't go outside this summer. All of the things that we think, they're real. And so today, I hope to encourage you.

[00:01:05]:

Hey. I'm glad you're here. We've got so many great resources on the improvebodyimage.com website, including our forty day journey. You guys, we're like a month away from it. I would love to have you join us on that. If you need some encouragement this summer, set aside six hours. Okay? It's just an hour every week, and join us in a group session. You'll be reading the books.

[00:01:28]:

You get content every day to encourage you every day. Lots of verses to look up, but also some personal work to do, some hard work to do. And then you'll join us on a Zoom call each week, and you will be encouraged. Go to improvebodyimage.com. Look for the forty day journey to learn more. Okay. So our question for today is how to try on a swimsuit. And I'm gonna answer this question and then I'm gonna see what chat g p t has to suggest for us today.

[00:02:05]:

Remember, this series we're in is me versus AI. So my suggestions for trying on a swimsuit are are pretty simple. Okay? First of all, you've gotta find one that fits. Right? So put the swimsuit on and see how it fits. Is it comfortable? Now okay. Granted, right, like, a tightly hugging Lycra is not often comfortable. But you know the difference between Lycra that's holding you in and Lycra that is suffocating you and going to give you irritable bowel syndrome. Okay? So go for the first and not the latter.

[00:02:45]:

Right? And also, make sure there's not, like, straps that you constantly have to be put, like, pulling up or if it feels like when you're trying it on, it's already riding up your bottom, chances are that's not gonna change when you move around. So find one that fits, that feels comfortable. Tip number two. This is a very important one. And actually, I think if you order your swimsuit on Amazon, I don't see these tags as much on stuff I've ordered from Amazon. But it used to be in the stores, the department stores, every swimsuit had a tag with a picture of the model wearing that swimsuit. Okay? And maybe the modern day equivalent, right, is when you buy the swimsuit on Amazon or online, you see a model wearing it. Okay.

[00:03:35]:

Here's what you have to do. Now there are so many sites now that are giving you different size model options, which I think is pretty cool. So if you have that opportunity to look at the swimsuit on a different size model that matches your size a little better, I would say definitely go for that. But in general, you're not that model. Even if she's the same size you are, you are not her. Your body is different than hers in some way. I am positive of it because we are all unique. And so I think where we get messed up in swimsuit shopping is we kinda get this picture in our head, and the picture in our head looks a whole lot like the picture we saw online or the picture we saw on the tag, and we think that's what I'm gonna look like in it.

[00:04:22]:

And then when we put it on and we don't look like that model in it, oh, it's crushing. Right? It's like, oh, man. I thought it was gonna look like that, and instead, it just looks like me in that swimsuit. And so, friend, yeah, we've got body image issues to sort through. That's why I want you to join us on the forty day journey, right, so we can obsess about that kind of stuff less. But to help you in a super practical way today, don't fixate on what the model looks like in the swimsuit. Try to judge the swimsuit for the swimsuit, and try not to objectify the poor woman modeling it. Okay? Because, really, that's what we do.

[00:05:03]:

Right? We're like, oh, she looks good, and we're making her an object. She's a person. Okay? So you're looking at the swimsuit. You're assessing the swimsuit for maybe characteristics that you enjoy or at least feel would be tolerable in a swimsuit. So I prefer swim skirts. My thighs are a part of my body I have never loved, I've always struggled with. And every time I put on a swimsuit that's just more of a traditional swimsuit with a traditional bottom, I feel like my attention just goes right to my upper thighs. And, of course, they're white because I spend a lot of time walking outside in shorts and so my shorts line my legs can are a little darker from the shorts lying down.

[00:05:45]:

But that upper thigh, that part that no one wants attention drawn to, I don't think, is just stark white on me. And so I went shopping for some suit. I'm looking for something with a little bit of a skirt. And so I will look and I will see, okay. I like the way that's cut. That looks like a little bit of a skirt that's just the right length for me. That looks like the kind of top that would be comfortable for me. I'm not gonna be all hanging out of that.

[00:06:11]:

That's gonna keep me in. I like those straps. I like the suntan line I will have from those straps. Right? Because sometimes they're so complicated with all the straps. It's like, oh, man. I don't know if I want all that going on. So just assess the swimsuit for those characteristics and think about how it will look on you, not how it looks on the model. I've got more tips for you right after this quick break.

[00:06:35]:

Strategy three. When you are trying the swimsuit on, you are, again, looking to make sure it fits. Right? So this is not your time to stand in front of the mirror for minute upon minute upon minute analyzing every part. And I don't know. Maybe you've done this where it's like you look at yourself and you're kinda like you suck it up and you get taller and you're like, okay. That's not bad. And then you relax and you're like, oh, man. That would not be a good look.

[00:07:05]:

Right? Don't don't spend extra time in front of your mirror. Okay, friend. Like, reality is you never have to wear a swimsuit if you don't want to. But here's why I'm trying to help you be comfortable in one because you might miss out on some opportunities this summer unless you can find one. And and I want you to hear something loud and clear. It does not matter what size you wear. All women of all sizes have some level of self consciousness around wearing a swimsuit because let's face it. It's kinda like being naked.

[00:07:47]:

Okay? You don't have a lot of clothes on, And so that is normal. That is not about your size or your flabby arms or your white upper thighs. Right? That's just because you are human and you are female. So don't get in your head this obsession of, oh, if I just look different, then I could try on this suit and I'd be like, yes. Look at me. Because I promise you, my friends, I actually I can trust that my sister-in-law doesn't listen to my podcast. I hope. If you do, I'm so sorry.

[00:08:20]:

But my sister-in-law is a fitness queen. She's never had children. She exercises, I would guess, daily. She works on her body a lot, and it shows. Let me just put it like that. And I invited her to something that involved wearing a swimsuit not that long ago, and she was like, I don't even own one. I'm not putting one of those on. No.

[00:08:44]:

I'm not gonna do it. And I was shocked because I'm thinking, oh my goodness. Like, if there is anyone I would expect to not be worried about wearing a swimsuit, it would be her. And yet, that was her position. She didn't even own one. And so when I invited her to a family gathering that involved time at the pool, she's like, Nope, not coming. I don't have anything to wear to that. Friend, I don't want that to be you.

[00:09:10]:

I don't want you to miss out on people you love and friends you love, and maybe getting on the boat or sitting at the beach or just even sitting around someone's pool or going to someone's lake house because you don't have a swimsuit and you don't feel comfortable wearing a swimsuit. No one is thinking about you and your body as much as you are thinking about you and your body. So you're gonna try that swimsuit on. You're gonna see if it covers all the parts. You're gonna see if you can breathe in it. You're gonna see if you can walk in it. You're gonna see if you can bend down in it without it going up your butt or without your, your assets falling out. And then you're gonna go with it.

[00:09:53]:

You're gonna say this will do. This will work. Okay? And then tip four, find a cover up you love. Okay? You may never find a swimsuit you love. Like, just we can just all face that fact. I'm okay with being a realist. Right? They're swimsuits. But you can probably find a cover up you love, like a long dress or I don't know.

[00:10:16]:

There's all kinds of cute skirts and I don't even know what you call them, robe kind of things. There are so many options for fun cover ups. So find a cover up that you feel really great in because chances are, like, most of us spend a lot more time, like, around as adults. We spend more time, like, around the side of the pool than we do actually in the pool or in the lake or in the ocean water. Right? I want you to have that swimsuit on so you have that option, so you don't miss out. But find a cover up you love. And maybe you'll have to do what I've done. You just you keep ordering them from Amazon and then you keep going back to Kohl's and returning them.

[00:10:54]:

Like, that's a thing. But but make that a bigger priority knowing that that's how you are going to be dressed most often when you're at these beach summer pool activities. My last tip for trying on a swimsuit is remember that you are more than a body. Remember, god made you on purpose for a purpose, and that purpose for you may not be modeling swimwear. Okay? That's not the purpose he had for me. And so let's just, again, be realist. Let's just face it. Okay? I am not a swimsuit model, but that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to wear one.

[00:11:34]:

If only swimsuit models were allowed to wear swimsuits, water parks would not exist because they would go broke, and there wouldn't be pools everywhere. Right? I mean, the whole boating beach economy would tank. Right? Most people, dare I say, 99.9% of the population are not swimsuit models. So, friend, that's okay. You're not alone. You're just like everyone else, awkwardly wearing a swimsuit, not really feeling awesome about it. But, hey, you are doing it. You're you're doing it because you don't wanna miss out on your real life in the hope that maybe someday you'll look like a swimsuit model because, friend, let's just face it.

[00:12:18]:

Okay? It was easy to hold on to that maybe someday I'll look like a swimsuit model hope when I was in my twenties. But now it's gone. It's just gone. It's just not gonna happen. Right. So I have two choices. I can either obsess over what I look like in swimwear and miss out, or I can just put on a bathing suit that fits and go forward with my life. And that's what I'm choosing to do.

[00:12:41]:

I hope you'll choose that too. Okay. Now let's see what AI had to say. Oh, okay. So I typed how to try on a swimsuit into chat g p t, and it has some good suggestions. So maybe this will help us too. It says if you're trying it on at a store, you need to wear proper undergarments because most stores require you to keep your underwear on, and it could look really weird, I guess, depending on what underwear you have on under some suit. We've all been there.

[00:13:05]:

Right? So that's helpful. It also says check the lighting and mirror situation. Find a dressing with good lighting and mirrors that'll give you a three sixty sixty view. I don't know if you really want the three sixty view, but okay. Chad GPT also says you should move around a bit, so we agree on that one. Sit. Oh, that's interesting. Sitting in it, stretching, raising your arms.

[00:13:25]:

Make sure the suit stays in place and feels comfortable. Okay. I'll buy that. Tip four, look for support and fit. So for tops, it says specifically to make sure there's enough support and no, this is the word they use, no spillage. Don't want spillage, folks. Or gaping. That's yeah.

[00:13:43]:

That's good. Gaping. We don't want that either. And then for bottoms, it says check for wedgies, slipping, or cutting in at the hips. Oh, yeah. The cutting in at the hips. I was trying to kind of mention that earlier where it kinda cuts off your circulation where your legs, meet your trunk. Oh, goodness.

[00:14:00]:

We've all had that happen too. And then number five from chat g b t is try on multiple styles. Oh, this is helpful too. I think sometimes what looks meh on the hanger actually slays on the body. Wow. That's probably a bit of an exaggeration, but okay. Don't be afraid to experiment. I I agree.

[00:14:17]:

That that's that's probably good advice. It says if you're trying them on at home, it says to use natural lighting because that'll give you the most honest look. And then oh, this is interesting. It says do a water test if you're bold to lightly splash water on the suit to see how it behaves, but that could be weird if you're gonna send it back to Amazon. So I guess know your return policies before you do that. And then the bonus tip from chat GPT is confidence is key. Here we go. Ready for your pep talk? Don't judge yourself too harshly.

[00:14:50]:

Swimsuit shopping can be weird, but the right suit will make you feel great. Oh, I don't know about that, GPT. Maybe I should have said trying on a swimsuit for women with body image issues into the chat. But I guess we agree on this one because it says wear a cover up. And you visualize the whole look if you're planning beach or pool days. So I guess there's some helpful stuff there. Thank you, Chad GPT. And thank you for listening today.

[00:15:21]:

I really hope something today has encouraged you, and more so, I hope this helps you stop comparing and start living. Bye bye. The Compare To Podcast is proud to be part of the Life Audio Podcast Network. For more great Christian podcasts, go to lifeaudio.com. Hey, friend. Have you left a review? Yes. Please. Would you consider doing that? That helps podcasters so much.

[00:15:41]:

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