As I walked along the Selinunte beach in Sicily, I noticed how comfortable the Italian women were in their bikinis. They emitted something I rarely see in North America, they were confident and content with their bodies. The women of Sicily obviously take great pride in their appearance and fashion, but they also didn’t appear to care about their size.
It was refreshing. It was empowering.
I asked one of our Sicilian friends why they thought Italian women had a healthier body image than us North American women. She said, she didn’t really know other than a body is a body, and it’s no big deal. She also commented that us Canadian girls cover up too much!!
Raising a tween girl has made me more aware than ever about how I talk about my body. Our family trip to Sicily was a great opportunity to show my daughter and sons that appreciating your body is important. I’m always worried that posting bikini pictures makes me look desperate or trampish, but not once did I think that of the Italian women. I saw confidence, not a need for stares and attention and to me that’s the difference.
When you are content with your body, it’s obvious and it’s beautiful!
I know beauty is confidence and kindness. I know sexiness is swagger and mojo, not what size your pants are.
The Italian women reminded me of that, and now I’m here to remind you! Do not hide your body, embrace it! Celebrate your body and you will teach your children the same! Here’s a little VLOG I recorded while on the beach in Selinunte!
MF