I was thrilled that Rachel of Waffles and Cereal responded to my call for happy swimsuit memories. If her post takes you back to some of your own adventures in a swimsuit like it did for me, please share them in the comments!

swimsuit memory
My dear mother had four children all under the age of seven, and we were all quite rambunctious. One of her common “threats” to encourage good behavior was, “I’m going to sell you to the circus!” In our heart of hearts, we knew she was merely joking and loved us too much to send us away anywhere. But I, being the responsible older sister that I am, encouraged my siblings to join me for “circus rehearsals” . . . just in case we ever DID end up needing to swing from a flying trapeze or perform other circus-y theatrics.
Most of the time “circus practice” consisted of my sister and me deciding what costumes we would wear. Obviously, the best base for an acrobatic costume is a swimsuit! Pictured is one of the only pieces of photographic evidence of these glorious ensembles –featuring my most favorite shiny turquoise daisy-embroidered swimsuit. Somehow my sister ended up with the tutu that day, and I remember us constantly arguing over who got to wear the Pocahontas swimsuit that we both shared.

We always had a vast selection of swimsuits to choose from. Living in the Midwestern United States, where the summers are nearly unbearably hot and humid, meant that we were allowed (and even encouraged!) to wear swimsuits every single summer day. Aside from the moments spent as an aspiring circus performer, I also wore my suits to the community pool, running through the sprinklers in our yard, climbing trees, riding my bike to my best friends’ house . . . the list goes on. My childhood was defined by those summers and those swimsuits.To this day, I’m happiest when I’m in my suit! Even though my body is definitely shaped differently and I am somewhat more self-conscious, I still feel the most like myself when I’m running around in a swimsuit and splashing through water.