I’m a little scared to put my body out here. I’ve loved fashion and design for all of my life. However, I quickly realized that my body was not represented in the magazines I flipped through at the supermarket. I felt out of place, awkward, and eventually gave up on perusing something I’m passionate about. I’ve had a lot of health related things that happen to me. After twenty-something surgeries, multiple chronic illnesses, and twenty-six years in the medical world, humiliation and degradation to your self esteem are ground down to a point that is hard to comprehend unless you’ve been through it yourself. My hysterectomy was the first surgery where I got to choose what happened to my body. It was freeing in a way that I didn’t anticipate. It made me realize that it’s 2025 and we still don’t see enough of our bodies in the media we consume. So? Today, I did something that I said I would never do: I posted a video of myself in a bathing suit online. After much introspection, I realized it was mostly a fear/rejection thing. Now, I’m not afraid anymore. Anyway, here is my body in a $30 polkadot bathing suit I love. I ate nachos, drank two margaritas, and didn’t think about sucking in my stomach once. Things do get better! Xoxo, Lady Samantha LTKMidsize LTKSwim LTKFindsUnder50