I didn’t wake up today and decide to be courageous. I decided to go to the beach…those are not the same thing. 💯 bikinis are made of fabric and elastic, not bravery. my body doesn’t need a pep talk to be in public. it doesn’t need main-character music playing while I walk to the water. it’s just there. doing what bodies do. EXISTING, in a bikini, on a Thursday. 👙 most often when someone finds my safe space here on the internet, they struggle with needed permission to show up in a swimsuit looking like this…stretch marks, soft belly, thighs that touch. like their body has to earn the right to be seen near water. 🌊 it didn’t. it doesn’t. it never did. 💯 we don’t call a thin woman “brave” for wearing a swimsuit. she’s just wearing one. the second my body doesn’t match hers, it’s suddenly an act of defiance? NO. i’m not defying anything. i’m just existing in the body I have, in the outfit appropriate for the weather. ☀️ so no applause needed. no “you go girl.” just let us exist in peace in the bikini! 👏🏼 wear the suit & skip the speech queen, OWN THE BODY YOU ARE IN.