Life Is Short — Get In The Water
In Tossa De Mar Spain I Swam In A Cove, Cellulite and All
The Cove That Changed Everything
On my recent Mediterranean Adventure we found ourselves in The Costa Brava, in a town called Tossa De Mar. It’s an ancient fishing village that is now home to a bustling tourism industry. Right outside our hotel was a beautiful cove that beckoned me into the sparkling blue waters of the Mediterranean. This beautiful cove was there for the taking and the challenge to me was, would I take the plunge. It was an irresistible opportunity. When would I ever stand in this cove again? Life doesn't offer moments like this very often. I wasn't going to let insecurity steal one of them. So, at a public beach with hundreds of people around, I bared my body and swam. There I was in all my glory swimming with all of my imperfections, and nobody cared. Why should I? I earned every bit of the marks and scars this body carries and I’m tired of apologizing or worrying about what anyone might think of it. Not only that. When would I see these people again, and why should I care what they think? Get me to another body of water quick. I have been liberated. Have mercy, I’m free at last!
Why Women Over 60 Should Wear the Swimsuit
Fear is relative. Why do we fear showing our bodies in public? We’ve done the scariest things throughout our lives: pregnancy, giving birth, raising children in the hopes they’ll be good humans, helping our parents face death and being with them when they took their last breaths. After all of that, wearing a swimsuit in public is nothing.
My fellow Rebels I’m here to tell you: Women over 60 need to wear the damn bathing suit. In public. Our bodies have carried us through decades of living, loving, working, caring for others, and showing up for life. Many of us have given life. That’s one of the most courageous things we offer. Everything that we paid for it, all the rolls, the scars and the cellulite should be a badge of honor. Because they are proof of love. It might make others uncomfortable but not us. Oh no, not anymore. We earned the right to take over the pools and the beaches. Just like I put on my suit and swam in a cove in Spain, you have the right to feel as liberated as me.
The Best Swimsuit Styles for Women Over 60
The fashion industry has taken note of us. We actually fuel the retail market. Did you know that women over 50 control over $15 trillion in combined spending power and make or influence 70-80% of all consumer purchases? In the US retail economy, this "Silver Generation" accounts for 37% of apparel retail spending.
That’s right we have real buying power and influence over that same economy that tells us we’re too old and we should be chasing youth. However, the retail industry knows that we’re here and we have power. There are more options for swimsuits for women over 60 than ever before. The swimsuit industry has given us tankinis, one-piece suits with materials that hide our less than flattering assets. Neither of those options work for you? How about a suit with a skirt that enhance our once perfect hips. Or bottoms that are shorts. I personally love the idea of a skirt. That’s next on my list.
We also have options for cover-ups when we’re finished swimming and ready to lay out by the pool or on the beach. Lacy ones. Sarongs. Sheer dresses. This Rebel loves seeing so many options than ever before.
Society Can Wait
When are we going to stop listening to the naysayers and make our own rules?
Society has spent the last 40 years telling us to chase youth. They pilfer our hard-earned dollars by trying to sell us the latest quick fix and implying that we’re not good enough as we are. There’s an entire generation of women who hold 70 to 80 percent of all consumer purchases in the palm of our hand. Why are we listening to the voices that tell us what we should look like in public or otherwise? We hold the power. Now it’s up to us to change the narrative.
Encouragement Can Be A Movement
When enough of us say we’re tired of the noise and we’re not going to hear it anymore, we can be the change. It’s easy in the world we currently live in to poke fun at someone, to be unkind and to be judgmental. That’s what media has taught us. It’s glorious to flip the script and to show kindness and encouragement to our fellow Rebels over 60 who just want to live life feeling liberated and joyful in everything we do. Especially when it’s summer and the water beckons. Instead of going with your grandchildren to the beach, the pool, or the water park and sitting on the sidelines covered up, with your only function to hand out snacks and keep track of the towels, get out there. Throw off your cover-up and get in the water with them. Make a splash and show them what fun looks like. After all you were having fun before they ever entered your life. They just might learn something from you.
And always always always be that woman who helps another woman your age. Because a Rebel straightens another Rebel’s crown and adjusts her swimsuit straps.
Proof of Love – Proof of Life
While society is busy worshipping the young, we’ll be at the pool. At the beach. In the Mediterranean. In our swimsuits. In our bodies that gave life and love and carried us through six decades of living. How many great years do we have left? Don’t waste them worried about what anyone else thinks.
Twenty years from now, your children and grandchildren won't remember the size of your swimsuit. They'll remember that you laughed with them in the waves, floated beside them in the pool, and made memories that lasted a lifetime.
These rolls? – Proof of love.
These marks? – Proof of life.
This cellulite? – Proof that we lived, ate, loved and showed up every single day.
We finally have the time. We finally have the resources. We finally have the wisdom to know that the only body worth having is the one that got us here.
It’s a life well lived and a body well earned.
Now get in the water. The Rebel Age has arrived!
With Rebel Love - Jeannie
I want to hear from you. Did this fire you up? Did it make you dig out your swimsuit? Did you send it to a friend who needs to read it? Tell me in the comments — and if you adjusted a fellow Rebel's swimsuit straps this summer, I especially want to hear about that.