Have you ever had the experience of spending time on or near the water, but you felt like you had to cover up because your body wasn’t where you wanted it to be? Fused Hawaii has heard this, and is changing the game of swim-suit marketing. Women come in all shapes and sizes, and each one is unique and beautiful! Fused Hawaii has created a gorgeous swimsuit that makes every body a bikini body.
Check out what our Daily Moms thought of their new swimsuits by Fused Hawaii!
Sporty & Fit
My relationship with my body has never been very complicated. I have played sports all my life, I modeled, I stayed fit and thin without too much effort, due to my active life and young age. I bounced back from my pregnancy within 2 weeks and was back in better shape than before within 2 years. I continued loving my body, being strong and fit, not having an extra inch of fat on my body. Fast forward 6 years and I am in the worst shape I have ever been, due to a crazy travel and work schedule over the last two years. I still love my body and respect it, but I find it harder to stay in shape. The shock of looking in the mirror and not recognizing what I have seen hits me every day and every day I learn grace and to accept what my body looks like while working hard to stay healthy and get more fit under these changed circumstances.
It’s a different reality than what I am used to, where any swimsuit I put on fits perfectly! I have more curves, larger breasts and things don’t always fit exactly as I imagined they would. When I saw Fused Hawaii swimwear and their message, it instantly appealed to me because I finally felt the struggle that so many women go through when it comes time to pick out swimwear.
Read More: A Message to My Daughter About Body Image
Fused Hawaii makes bikinis for all bodies, every body, any body. The point of swimwear shouldn’t be to solely look good, but whether we can still maintain our normal activity level without restriction. I will be the first one to tell you that I spent years wearing things that were too uncomfortable to do anything fun in. I played many volleyball games where my bikini kept sliding, untying, bunching up, but hey, I looked good, right?
Fused Hawai swimwear is made of soft, body-conforming material that stays on during any activities while enhancing your natural curves (or lack thereof). I spent my whole Dominican vacation running around the beach with my family, kicking butt in volleyball and swimming in the pool and never once did I have a single issue with my swimsuit. I felt confident the whole time, comfortable in my bikini and my skin and was allowing myself to love my body despite the changes it has seen over the last 2 years.
Four Boys and Busy
Motherhood is a defining moment for most women – it is a time of change when every fiber of their being adjusts to a new world order. Whether it is birth, breastfeeding, nights up with an infant, career changes to spend more time with the kids, or sending them off to elementary school, it is an ever-evolving rollercoaster of questions, second guesses, and nights of worry, not all of which make sense or serve a purpose but exist nonetheless. Motherhood is not always rational and logical, but a maze of thoughts, feelings, and emotions that each of us on our own must figure out how to navigate.
One of the biggest changes and challenges postpartum for mothers is redefining themselves, their standards of health and beauty, and learning to love their post-baby body. While some bounce back with no trouble at all, most new moms notice the differences, whether big or small and need to learn to practice self-care, self-love and making the most of the body they’re in. While many mothers do quickly lose the baby weight after their first pregnancy (and have great boobs to match if breastfeeding), the time it takes to get back in shape after baby number two, three, or even four becomes more challenging.
Read More: Body Shame And How To Defeat It
As a veteran mama of four rambunctious boys, a breastfeeding mother for the past 10 years, and one dealing with diastasis recti and a hernia, I’m here to tell you that things don’t stay the same. Having grown up overweight, yet extremely self-confident, I am able to embrace my post-baby body flaws and all. While I may not always love the way I look, I don’t let it get the best of me because I refuse to let it take away from the precious time I get to spend with my kids. I have four happy, healthy, smart little boys to keep up with so if that means that I spend more time at the soccer fields (always) than the gym (never), I am okay with that. If they want to go out for burgers or pizza, I’m in, because guess what? In a few years it won’t be me they want to take out to dinner, it won’t be me they want to hang with at the beach, and it won’t be me they want to spend extra cuddle time with in the mornings (another reason not to go to the gym). My body is healthy, my body is strong, I loved every minute of my pregnancies, I have exclusively breastfed each of my children for 2+ years, I can keep up with these boys, and we spend lots of time outdoors. I am proud of what my body has allowed me to accomplish and for that, I will be forever grateful.
Embracing My Postpartum Body
For Floridians like this mom, a bathing suit and flip flops become the uniform of the summer. Every weekend our family enjoys spending the day at the beach, going to pool parties, and boating. Being 4 months post-partum with my second child, I realize my pre-baby beach body is long gone and there are changes in shape and weight from top to bottom. Instead of staying covered up during the hot temperatures typical of a summer day, I am learning to embrace my “mom bod” and actually enjoy fun in the sun with my Fused Hawaii Bikini.
Read More: Postpartum Clothes to Help You Get Your Body Back
I love a classic black bathing suit and even though it is a simple choice in terms of color, the style of the Black Lava Kohanaiki Top paired with the Black Lava Kona Bottoms is trendy and unique. Since becoming a mother I notice that I typically gravitate towards one-piece bathing suits because of the insecurities of weight gain and cellulite. However, this two-piece bikini has brought out a self-confidence in me that I didn’t know I had. Showing off my body despite my flaws has taught me to feel good in my skin and enjoy swimwear of my choice without caring about other’s opinions. Thanks to the comfort I feel in my Fused Hawaii bathing suit I am back to my carefree summer lifestyle.
Loving the Body I Live In
Ask a thousand 49-year-old women who wear a size 12 and have a vertical c-section scar if they would be caught hanging out by the pool in a bikini. I can guarantee you would only need one hand to count the number of women who would answer yes. Everyone knows when you think of a woman in a bikini the first thing that comes to mind is a 20 something-year-old who wears a size 2.
I was given the opportunity to try out a handmade bikini by Fused Hawaii and to see exactly how this bikini could shape the perception of the image I have of my body. When I took the bikini out the packaging, it freaked me out. It was small and tiny and I immediately thought there was no way these hips and boobs were going to fit into this. Once I began to put it on I started shaking my head and saying no way would I wear this in public. I even started thinking there was no way I was going to even take pictures in this bikini and submit them to be posted in an online article. All I could see was stomach, stretch marks, and a scar. None of that gave me any confidence that I could actually wear this on a beach or lounge by a pool.
It took another 2 months and 4 try-ons later for me to start really looking at myself in the mirror with this bikini on. I finally took the time to notice how pretty the color was and how the material was not thin, flimsy, or transparent. I was also very impressed that the bikini top strings were adjustable enough to not allow the girls to hang. You can actually pull the strings to give a nice lift that hold your breasts in place. This was a big plus for me. I walked around the house, bent over, sat down, and did not experience any tugging, pulling or unnecessary rising in any areas. Now the hard part stuck in my mind, could I step onto a beach in this bikini?
As I stood looking in the mirror turning left, then turning right, I start to realize that as a 49-year-old woman my body does not define my outlook on life and it definitely has not contributed to the things that I have accomplished. I began to think why can’t I stroll on the beach or lounge by the pool in this bikini? Instead of looking at being 49, and a size 12 with a c-section scar as 3 negative strikes on my body, I am embracing this 49-year-old body that has earned a degree while working full-time and being a wife and a mother. I am embracing this size 12 body because it was actually a size 18 2 ½ years ago. I am embracing this c-section scar because it reminds me of giving birth to 2 micro-preemie children that are currently now healthy young adults. So whereas this bikini scared the crap out of me months ago and had such a negative impact on how I perceived my body, by giving it time and 4 try-ons later, it has pushed me in the direction where all women should be. Embracing the current body they are in and taking that stroll on the beach in their bikini.
SHOP:
Kohanaiki Top | Kona Bottoms
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Every person has their own perception and reality of what their bodies represent and how they deal with what their body image means in their lives. Whether that body image is a healthy one is a different story. We love that Fused Hawaii has taken this opportunity to create a bathing suit that makes every woman at any stage in her life realize how beautifully and wonderfully she is made. Women are strong and have overcome so much- even in the past 50 years. How is it, then, that our biggest obstacle we encounter is our own mind?
This spring, kick that negative mindset to the curb and live a life that is worthy of the strength and beauty you bring to the world every day. This spring, choose Fused Hawaii.
WANT TO READ MORE?
Check out this article on What to Expect from Your Postpartum Body.
