PLUS MODEL MAGAZINE June 2015 Big Sexy Summer Issue | Page 58

STEP OUT of your comfort zone by Leyah Shanks iamleyahshanks.com bodyconfidencerevolution.tumblr.com Swimsuit season. It should be a time of excitement and happiness. The sun’s glorious return after months of stubborn hibernation should bring with it a burning to desire to bound – Baywatch style – to the beach, sunglasses on head, bucket and spade in hand, with an almost sadistically delirious grin on one’s face. Instead though, we often feel much like the various crustaceans hiding under the rock pools; wanting to bury away from the gaze and metaphorical jabs of others, scared and intimidated. Of course, the ever present idea that one’s body has to be “ready” before being deemed acceptable to set foot onto the sand doesn’t help. For far too many years, we have been subliminally fed the idea that we must change ourselves before feeling confident in our swimsuits. That things, like cellulite and stretch marks, are not welcome because they’re not “aesthetically pleasing”. You know what I say to that? Bollocks.