Becoming Apparel

This post is kind of a continuation on the thoughts of my last post.  Seeing as it's almost bathing suit season (how many ladies just shuddered? haha), I thought I would give a different spin on what most people think of as a horrible, self-esteem plummeting, awful experience - a.k.a. buying and wearing swimwear!

Now I have much experience in the area of hating bathing suits.  Ladies - be honest - how many of us have at some point or another (or still do!) wore a huge t-shirt and shorts as a "bathing suit" to avoid actually wearing anything spandex or revealing?  I know I have!  I've wore everything from a bikini (yes I do not want to go back to that memory hahaha), tankini, bathing suit with a skirt, and everything in between.  And not one of them did I like or feel good in.  Let's face it - bathing suits are nothing but immodest, unflattering pieces of "clothes" that most people feel they don't have a choice in  wearing because it's either that or forgo swimming ever again.  

Now this is something I have never been able to figure out - if a girl was walking down the street in nothing but her underwear and bra, she would be super embarrassed and people would wonder what on earth was wrong with her that she would even consider doing that.  But lets just do a little teleporting here for a minute and change the street to the beach - all of a sudden we don't call it a bra and underwear; we call it a "bikini" and it's totally fine and accepted.  The same with a tankini or one-piece: would you go walking around the mall wearing a tank top and your underwear?  Of course not!  Is it any wonder why most women feel completely uncomfortable on the beach in traditional swimwear?  I personally have always felt so uncovered and naked in a bathing suit and I secretly hope no one sees me as I make a mad dash to the water and then back again to my towel.    

So with that being said, I decided to do a little looking around for "alternatives" to bathing suits.  I won't lie - there are some very, um, interesting options to say the least  :)  But I was very pleasantly surprised to find something called a "swim dress" by Becoming Apparel (the name of my post).  The tag line on their website is "Modest, feminine, body-covering".  Now THAT'S what I'm talking about.  Being able to go to the beach and feel feminine yet covered.   So I bought one :)  And I love it.  It's so comfortable, flattering and dries really quickly.

There's a few different options but I love how they all look like a pretty sundress.  I got the one in the picture above in black and the black is definitely slimming!  There's also really cute ones for little girls that I got for Ella as well.  

This is what the homepage of the online store www.becomingapparel.com says:
"Becoming Apparel is excited to bring to you our all original Swimdresses.  The design and develoment of the swimdresses came out of a need for modest, body-covering swimwear that is also elegant, feminine and sophisticated.

For years I looked for something like this and never found it so I took the challenge myself.  Becoming Apparel is a dynamic company ready to change styles and colors to meet your needs.  I know that my swimdresses have put me "back into the water," as they have many other women around the world who thought their swimming days were over, because they refused to wear a swimsuit ever again.  I always say that, "I wouldn't be caught dead in a traditonal skimpy swimsuit, even the ones with skirts showed my 58 year old flab and cellulite.  That is why the Becoming Apparel swimdress covers below the knee or can even be pulled down below the calf in some cases if you desire.

We also have a travel dress out of the same durable, colorfast, wrinkle resistant nylon/lycra that is so versatile it can be worn many ways and lengths."

I encourage you, if you're like me and hated anything to do with bathing suits, to give this one a try.  Check out the website as there's lots of great information, testimonials and a video demonstrating how practical and great the swimdress is.  

Go ahead and REALLY enjoy the beach this year!

Fortunately it was raining today.......

Not something you hear many people say they're happy about unless they're gardeners who want the rain.  But today I was glad it was raining.  Let me explain why.

It seems that in springtime, people are getting anxious to get the summer clothes out in hopes for warmer weather.  It always happens that even when it's only a few degrees above zero, if it's sunny, you see people in their shorts and t-shirts.  But has anyone else noticed that as soon as the temperature increases, the clothing on many women DECREASES?  It's become a real noticeable thing for me in the past couple years.  It seems that less clothes is the trend and younger and younger girls are embracing this idea.  I can't even go into Walmart without thinking there should be an "R" rated sign on the door warning us of what we might see if we choose to go in.  Shorts are getting shorter, skirts are right up there too....shirts are getting tighter and lower cut, not to mention more see-through.  Why is it that even 10-15 years ago, if a movie or tv show had people in it wearing these types of clothes, it was deemed "not suitable for children" but now it's the children that are wearing those things.  

I feel so bad for women who feel that they need to dress in a provocative way.  As a woman who has been there, it all comes down to how much attention we get when we dress that way.  Some may say "I feel good when I dress this way" or "I look good in this so why not wear it?".  But if we're honest, it's about how much attention we're getting.  Men look, and we like it.  But is that what our self worth boils down to?  We should be looking to attract the attention of our husbands and if there is no husband, then we just need to be dressing in a way that doesn't cause anyone to have any kind of impure thoughts about us.  Because how would we feel if we were on the other end of it and someone else was dressing in a way to attract attention - and got the attention of our spouse/boyfriend, etc.  I personally don't want to cause anyone to give me attention that is meant for their significant other.

  

This is a quote I read on a blog recently "So then, think for a moment about messages clothes give… we all know it when a woman who is wearing immodest or suggestive clothing walks into a room.  The eyes of all are on her… she may or may not acknowledge it, but she knows it.  And if we were sincere, we would all admit to liking the admiration of  others.  But when that admiration causes  someone to stumble, it is wrong.  Again, our attire must not provoke lust in a man.  Men see things differently than we do and what might not be offensive in our eyes is probably provocative in a man’s eyes." 

So that's why I'm glad it was raining today....because people tend to be a little more "covered up" on days like today :)