Spring break is just a month away at Mizzou. This comes with anticipation, trip planning and of course, swimsuit shopping. Not everyone goes somewhere warm for spring break, but some lucky people get to go work on their tans for a week.
Swimsuits, like everything else in fashion, have changed over the years. One of the recent noticeable changes is the rise of the one-piece trend.
I don’t know about you, but when I was a kid, and all I wanted to do was wear a bikini, I couldn’t stand when my mom made me wear a one piece. Now I find myself online shopping for one.
Advertisements and store promotions gave me the impression that I needed to show skin, even at a young age, and boy do I wish I hadn’t believed that. There is nothing wrong with it, but I certainly didn’t need to.
The term “one piece,” may be misleading when you look at certain suits that are indeed in one piece but have more than enough opportunity for skin to show. However, there are a variety of options and cuts out there that make them fun, maybe even easy to shop for.
Shopping for a bikini can be a nightmare. Actually, shopping for anything that you feel good in can be a nightmare, but especially when it comes to swimwear. They just never quite fit like they do on the models in the pictures, which would be unrealistic, but it can be disappointing when it feels like the whole world is comfortable with showing their skin and you just don’t want to.
The one pieces on the market give an opportunity to feel confident and avoid fitting room meltdowns. Part of being comfortable in your skin is deciding how much of it you want to show, and there are now a plethora of options out there that make that possible.
The term “one piece” doesn’t have the negative connotation it once did as I was growing up. Women have more options for how much skin they want to show while still being fashionable.
MU junior Kelli Wilson agrees that the one-piece trend is a good one.
“No one should feel self-conscious, and I think one pieces give a lot of girls the option to feel more comfortable,” Wilson said. “It sends a signal that you don’t need to show a lot of skin to look great and feel good.”
Bikinis are still around, and I doubt they will ever go away, but it is refreshing to know there is more of a general consensus that one-piece suits are not looked down upon. People are being uplifted for wearing what they feel good in.
One-piece swimsuits may fade away someday, as many things in fashion do, but right now they are a part of a bigger picture. The importance of body positivity is a hard message to convey, but the variety of swimsuits that are in right now is a testament to a growing movement of achieving confidence no matter your body type or what you wear.
So, if you’re going somewhere warm for spring break, there is a good chance you are or have thought about swimsuit shopping. Don’t stress about what suit you are going to wear on the beach this year because you have options. You’re alive at a time when one pieces are in and better than ever, so don’t limit yourself.
_Edited by Claire Colby | ccolby@themaneater.com_
