A while back, my mate Jenni approached me and some fellow Radelaide bloggers about doing a photo shoot to highlight body diversity.

In bathers / swimsuits / togs / cossies [insert your regional preference here].

At the beach.

I believe my exact words might have been "OMG YES TOTALLY" but after it had sunk in, I thought to myself, "wow, am I really up for this?" (spoiler alert: yes, actually)

I've never been one to look in the mirror and automatically hate everything I see but not going to lie; there are times when nothing fits, everything looks awful, I've been self-conscious about my nose or my teeth, I can't find a nice formal dress that allows for my rack. My thighs are dimpled and the way I carry weight has changed since being pregnant. I totally delete photos that I think make me look fat.

However, I've always felt like I've had a pretty decent relationship with my body. It gets me up and about (with a few more aches and pains than I'd like but whatevs), it's carried a child, it has stayed reasonably illness-and-injury-free throughout our 38 years and it can still drop it on the dance floor from time to time. If I could be bothered to exercise it more than once a week and stop filling it with pasta and hot chips it could probably be a bit slimmer but my drive would be having a fitter and healthier rig, rather than a skinnier one.

Anyway, this is all well and good but I was still mildly concerned about showing up on a public beach, exposing my guts and getting my photo taken. You can only suck in so much, you know.


We were each kindly gifted a swimsuit from the Curvy by Capriosca range. I decided to push myself right out there and chose the Black Retro Check two piece, the first since I was a kid (that wasn't a tankini / board shorts combo) and was really pleased that I did. Finally, a proper pair of pretty togs that supported what my grandmother gave me. I've had to swim in a normal bra, long tee and shorts before, due to lack of available options, and it's so dragging and uncomfortable and heavy. Swimming should be something that allows you to enjoy the weightlessness sensation of the water, not like you're going for the life-saving module in the bronze swimming certificate.

The morning of the shoot dawned bright and clear so naturally there were half a million people on the beach enjoying the sun. We wrapped ourselves in our sarongs and kimonos and braved the sand. Jenni kicked off and owned it, so we followed her lead and well, here's me . . .







I mean, how is this for #squadgoals. Baywatch, you ain't got jack.


By the end of the shoot, the wraps and cover-ups were forgotten and we were standing on the beach in our bathers, laughing, joking, splashing around JUST LIKE WE SHOULD BE. And do you know what? Nobody pointed and laughed. Nobody gave us the side eye. We had some interested onlookers wondering what we were doing and what brand of bathers we were wearing, otherwise NOBODY CARED. So why on earth should we?

Anyone with a differing view, well . . . here's four you can kiss.


Thanks to our photographer Jackie Reichstein who got up early on a Sunday to snap us down at Henley Beach.

Thank you also to Curvy Swimwear and Sequins & Sand for our apparel.

Want to see more? Obviously. Check out my fellow beach babes and their take on the experience:

Jenni at Styling Curvy
Caitlin at Twist of Cait
Jazz at Just Wingin' It

Finally, follow along on le socials with hashtags #yourbodyconfident and #cossieconfidence

*******************************************
I was kindly gifted a pair of bathers from Curvy Swimwear for this shoot. For more information, please see my PR and Media policy.