Beach Body? I Think So!!

Hi all, and Happy December!

This month we're raising awareness for the fight against AIDS and Impaired Driving Prevention. Let's make sure we're all safe, not only in this holiday season, but all 12 months of this year.

While researching stuff for the blog, I came across this video from Refinery29. I'd like to share it with you all because I think it captures the true essence of Oh My Swimsuit.

Body Image Video

I am sincerely interested in finding out what went through your mind as you were watching this video. Were you reminded of an awful bathing suit shopping experience? Or of times you looked at yourself in the mirror and hated something about yourself?

It's OK if you did; at some point in our lives (pretty much throughout all our lives, actually) we end up comparing ourselves to so called "perfect" women, and automatically feel bad about ourselves because we're not the spitting image of what we see on TV or in magazines.

Having said that, I hope you all felt even if a little bit of inspiration from today's post. There are so many things those lovely women said that I could comment on, but bottom line is there are so many different types of women, of beauty, and all we need to do in order to have a beach body is to pick our favorite swimsuit and make our way to the beach!! How liberating is it to know that your body is a beach body! High fives all around!!

What I want you all to remember is to first and foremost love yourselves and your bodies. They're our greatest instrument and we should all be proud of what it enables us to do. Once you've mastered that, anything is possible. If we're all different, why should we all want to look the same in a swimsuit? Fins the one that makes you feel like a queen, then get out there and rock it!

Happy Swimsuit hunting!

Quoting The Quote

Hi all,

I know you all have been waiting for a blog post for a few days now, but not to worry because here I am! 

I've been going around in circles deciding on what to write about this week. Not that I'm lacking topics; there are so many awesome brands out there that I'd love to show you and comment on. But, I guess what's been knowing at my brain the most is our perception of how we look in pictures. Let me get a bit more into this:

Why is it that we automatically have the most critical eye when we're looking at our own reflection? I gotta tell you, it's amazing how many of you all love my blog and tell me again and again how much you appreciate the work I do; but wouldn't be caught dead posing as my model for a day! Now why is that? I get the exposure factor; we all end up facing it from time to time when we go on our all inclusive vacations or at our annual pool parties, and we're happy to pose for pictures then. So why is it that the possibility of someone actually seeing us online make it so terrifying? 

Think about it: we have no problem posting endless pictures of ourselves on social media, a lot of times pictures that are less than flattering. But a little more skin exposure leads to a complete mental block... what exactly is it that we feel we hide behind our clothes?

Now, I know you all may not think that swimsuit pictures are appropriate for social media. And fair enough. Perhaps we don't want to be exposed in our most vulnerable outfit. But here's the thing: if we're willing to go out in public wearing our swimsuits, aren't we exposed already? And what exactly is the point of putting on a swimsuit? Is it to enjoy an activity around water, or to wait on other people's judgements?

All I'm saying is that I would love for you all to put your doubts and fears aside and rock your swimsuits. Always. Whether someone is taking your picture, or you're just out relaxing in the sun, your attitude should not change. And even if you think you look horrible (you don't!), I can guarantee you there will be more people who disagree with your opinion than you think. Again, we want to be friendly to ourselves, not critics.

Before I go, there's a quote I'd like to share with you all from an account I follow on Instagram called The Good Quote. Sometimes all we need is for someone to word things in a way we can understand and relate, ao I'm quoting the quote! Hope that, after reading this, you all understand where I'm coming from, and think about sunsets before criticizing your photos.

Wishing you all a fabulous week ahead!

Bring Out The Feel Great!

Apologies for the delay, I've been busy all week with many assignments. My favorite was writing one of my best friend's birthday cards! I don't know about you all, but I tend to write pretty long card messages... I think people appreciate the effort. 

About my friend: we have a very special history, one I feel is blog material. So I thought I'd write about that today. Hope you all enjoy it; I'm sure you all have that special friend that makes your life a lot brighter.

We've been friends for over 25 years, although we haven't lived in the same city for 21 of them. Yet we've always managed to keep in touch (yes, we're from the time people wrote letters on a regular basis), and throughout so many years we've shared many happy, and a lot of times many funny memories together. We were French public speaking champions at our school, actors in the Christmas play, pen pals for the longest time, lost tourists in Berlin and Prague, almost millionaires (I swear we came up with the perfect book title once, but couldn't remember it the next day), and we've also created a lot of our own traditions along the way. My favorite is our birthday card competition; it's been going on for ages, pushing us each year to become more creative and humorous. 

During our last trip together to Austin, Texas, we went to check out Barton Springs Pool. It was a very hot day and we wanted to get our tans going. While chilaxing in the sunshine, we started to chat about swimwear. OK, mostly me going on about other people's swimsuit choices. Not criticizing them, per se, but pointing out potential enhancements I thought could be made. That's when she started to tell me about her suit: where she bought it, how much she liked it, etc. She must have noticed my silence as soon as she finished talking, because she immediately said: "you obviously don't agree with my choice! " 

So, here's the deal. Yeah, I have opinions about which types of swimsuits look better against certain body types, certain skin tones, and all that, but none of that replaces the "feel great" attitude someone wears when they find what to them is the perfect suit. Sure, I could always give my opinion when asked, but that doesn't mean it's the the one and only truth. It is important to keep in mind that we each have our styles and preferences, and we're not always going to agree. The only thing I insist we agree on is finding the swimsuit that brings out the "feel great" attitude in you. So long as you rock whatever you decide to wear, we will always be good :)

And doesn't she look great? Happy Birthday, my dear!!

Some November Awareness

Happy November, you all! 

This month is filled with holidays and awareness causes. Did you know that, besides Movember, this month is also Stomach Cancer and Transgender Awareness month? 

Not that any of this month's causes less important than others, but today I'm doing my part in raising awareness for Transgenders. Although there has been so much progress made in the last few years, there's still a lot of work to be done, and a lot of respect to be earned. 

Lea T - You're Beautiful!

Since I started sharing my ideas with you all, the main focus has been to encourage self love and acceptance. Once we've mastered that, finding a swimsuit is the fun part. Now, take a moment to think of how many times we've looked at ourselves and didn't necessarily like what we saw, I'm sure it has happened way more times than it probably should have. But that aside, our blessing is that, although we were looking into a mirror and finding flaws, we recognized ourselves in the reflexion. We weren't looking at ourselves thinking "here I am in a girl's body, but really I am a man", or vice-versa. Yet transgender people face that thought pretty much every day of their lives, especially when living without any support or encouragement to become who they really are. And we haven't gotten to the part about the rejection they suffer from the outside world yet. 

I know that a lot of times it's hard for us to support what we don't understand. But the truth is, we could always use our imaginations to put ourselves in another person's situation and have a pretty accurate idea of what they're going through and how they may feel. And once we've reached that point, there's no going back, we can't help but stand by and offer our assistance to those who need it. So I say we take a moment today and put ourselves in Transgender shoes, just to see how we feel. I am sure a lightbulb will come on.

Here at OMS I encourage you all to find your beauty, strength, self love and respect. And I'm here to state that when I say all, I mean it! And I know that you are all out there finding beauty not only within yourselves, but in others around you as well. Make sure you keep on doing that; we never know how far a little support will go!

Wishing you all an amazing month of November, with lots of love and support!

Would a Time Machine Really Be That Helpful?

I've recently experienced the "run into the ex-boyfriend" encounter; it was at a bar in my neighborhood. Those situations are pretty few and far between in my life, but this guy was one of the good ones. For the longest time, I carried the "What if" feeling about him: what if things had been different? What if I'd fought a little bit harder? What if things had worked out the way we'd initially planned?

As soon as I caught myself opening up that can of worms, I immediately shut it down. You see, we tend to fantasize about situations we didn't get to experience (or at least about the ones that didn't go the way we wanted them to) as if there were something we could have done to change their outcome, how our lives would automatically have turned out so much better. We end up forgetting the reasons why things didn't work out in the first place, literally choose to focus only on the good parts, and a lot of times even embellish them, turning what really happened into some fairy tale style occasion. 

Don't get me wrong, there's absolutely no shame in a little day dreaming or trips down memory lane, especially if those memories really were good ones. But that has to stop the moment we start to question the paths we took and the results of the decisions we made. Truth is we all make our decisions based on what we know at the time, and how we feel. Therefore, there's no point in dwelling in the "had I knowns" or in the "what ifs", simply because we can't change the past. And even if it were possible to go back in time, that would only take us back to what we know and felt when we made those decisions, so pretty much all of our choices would be the exact same. Interesting, don't you all think?

So, if a time machine won't help, then perhaps we should all start looking more within when we're faced with decisions. How we felt about things in the past is no indicator of how we'll feel in the future, and trying to predict how things will turn out is an even greater setup for disappointment. Just think of how many times you didn't wear something you really wanted to because you were afraid of what others would think, and ended up frustrated with the outfit you ended up picking instead. It's happened to me, and I've learned that how I feel is the most important thing to consider when making my decisions. 


Let's all vow to look within ourselves the next time we are faced with a tough (or any) decision. There's no better source of knowledge or courage, and it's also the best guarantee we won't have any regrets. And that goes for everything: from "should I move across the country?" to "do I look good in this swimsuit?" Haha, yes! I had to throw that in there! You all know what I'm about!

I know you all will rise to the occasion the next time you need to make a decision. And it will feel great!! 

Happy Halloween to you all!! Remember to wear whatever costume you feel like, and have all the fun there is to be had. See you all next week!!

The Buddy System

Hi you all,

If you’re Canadian, or have been following the Prime Minister elections, you know that a lot of change is on its way. For the first time in a long time, the Liberal Party been elected with a majority government! Pretty impressive stuff, considering how close the projections were. Hope all you Canadians went out and voted; as the great Mahatma Gandhi said, we must “be the change we want to see in the world”. And whether you voted Liberal or not, the important thing is you got a chance to state your opinion. Stop and think for a second how fortunate we all are just for having the right to do that.

But now that the election is over, does this mean our work is done? Absolutely not! Quite the contrary, actually. It’s one thing to ask for change, but another to actually get up and be a part of it. OK, I get it, we can’t all be politicians; to be honest most of us wouldn’t touch those jobs with a 10 foot pole. But we’re still responsible for monitoring our leaders closely, and keeping them in check. We’re their “accountability buddies”, and because we want to make sure they succeed, we have to make sure we follow up with them, correct?

All this politics stuff got me thinking about accountability partners. Truth is, and studies have showed, that we’re way more likely to succeed in situations where we have not only the support of others, but when we can experience challenges together. The bond created during challenge is so strong, most of us would be very disappointed in letting our accountability buddies down. So basically, we’re setting ourselves up for a way better chance at success if we have someone to either support us through the journey, or run the journey with us. So here’s my question for you all: are you really ready to be the change you’d like to see in your life? If the answer is yes, then either you’ve already chosen an accountability buddy, or you’re going over your list of friends and deciding who it is you’d like to pick. Don’t worry if the answer is no; just knowing that there are changes that you’d like to make is a good start. 

Now, here’s a fun experiment for you: next time you go swimsuit shopping, make a decision that you’ll have a good experience, and take an accountability buddy with you. That way if you stumble upon a bikini that doesn’t look so great, you’ll have someone there to say “on to the next one”, or “maybe we should try another color”, or anything else. The important thing is that we’re keeping a positive mind, which will make finding a swimsuit that you like a much easier and enjoyable task. And let’s face it: wouldn’t it be nice, for a change, to put your swimsuit on, look into a mirror, and the first thing we hear to be a compliment, or some encouragement? If your inner voice still needs some training (and don’t let it get the better of you, btw!!), then let your accountability partner do the work. Trust me, it is WAY more fun, and more likely that you’ll achieve your goal.

Happy Swimsuit Hunting!! And let me know how the experiment works for you all!

From Inner Critic To Inner Cheerleader

Happy, Happy Thursday!!

Not sure if any of you all have seen this Special K commercial, but if you haven't, please do so before you keep on reading.

OK, is it just me or is the "I hate my body moment" coming around way too often? Please tell me this number made you think! I guess what's also scary is that we probably saw that and thought "yeah! That sounds about right!"

Don't feel bad if you did, that is what we call a habit. We eat, sleep and breathe this behavior: to look at ourselves in the mirror, overlook all the positives, and focus strictly on the negatives. Negatives that, most of the times, are way more obvious to us than they are to everyone else. And, negatives according to us; because to some people (and by that I mean a lot of people) the things we like least about ourselves are exactly what they think  makes us beautiful. 

But let's forget about what people think about us for a minute, and focus on something different. If hating our bodies is a habit we've developed, then learning to love our bodies is also possible, correct? What if we took that negative thought we have every single day and changed it to something positive? How big of an impact would that be?

Honestly, huge! Feeling good about yourself unleashes all sorts of positive consequences. It's a ripple effect; one which depends completely on us! Now, if changing a negative thought into a positive one can have such a big change in ourselves, imagine the size of the change if each and every one of us did that exact same thing! 

Even more than owning it all, I'd like for you all to make a moment to think of the amount of change we could generate if we, once a day, thought smiling more, or learning something new, or anything that is considered encouraging. We could dream big and think daily about how to cure cancer, end world hunger, conquer world peace... Wouldn't that be a much better use of our time, and our thoughts?

Yes, I completely agree that we should "tell that inner voice to shut up and proudly own it all", that's what you all have been hearing me say since I started this journey. But I know that we could go beyond that. So I'm counting on you all to dream big, and listen to your inner voice; because it'll be saying: You're awesome! Keep going because you're doing great! 

So here's your homework for the week: let's change the term inner critic (inner voice, little voice inside, etc.) into inner cheerleader, inner support, inner friend, and see what happens. 

See you all soon!!