The shape of things to come

Summer is sizzling!  As the season escalates, the endless exodus to exotic destinations, pristine beaches and party islands begins and with it comes the showdown of beautiful swimwear. 

Women adore swimsuits like  they love lingerie; they invest on a handful every season as they plan their much awaited vacation. More often than not, women don’t repeat a pair unless it can be mix-matched. Or, maybe, they do the repeat on their second trip to the beach. Aside from skin-deep aesthetics, wearing a swimsuit is an expression of the self. It is about loving one’s body, loving oneself.

Mainstream fashion commercialism through the decades has imprinted in our minds a stereotype image of a sexy model in the perfect swimsuit. Fashion magazines and the likes have showcased the most beautiful bodies with killer curves, longest legs and perfect breasts — the “standard” to wear a swimsuit. In reality, however, women come in different shapes and sizes.  This “standard stereotype” has alienated most women and as a result, many subject themselves to cosmetic surgery while others simply avoid wearing a swimsuit at all.

This summer, top swimsuit label Agua Brazilian Swimwear addresses the issue by celebrating all kinds of women and their bodies with a campaign “Suit your Shape.”  The haute brand, in its attempt to break the stereotype, honors five real women who love themselves and their bodies. They are photographer Sara Black, writer Monica Araneta Tiosejo, entrepreneurs Lia Andrea Ramos and Mikka Padua and marketing and events manager Penelope Uy. These brave young women have journeyed beyond the mold and embraced their natural bodies.

Swimsuit perfection is all about being comfortable in who and what you are. Being comfortable in one’s skin is an achievement that encompasses a persona in all levels. In a fashion lookbook and clone-like generation, many succumb to the pitfalls of being mimics of a top model, celebrity or fashion personality.  Understanding the beauty of the perfect swimsuit begins from understanding what comes from within one’s body. 

Agua Brazilian Swimwear empowers women this season with swimsuits for every body type. With the latest trends, prints and hues, every woman is fashioned just the way she is. The  brand strongly believes in empowering the mindset of the modern woman to embrace her own uniqueness. In a world that is seemingly filled with illusion, real fashion for real women is the essence of the times.

The stereotypes will remain but bear in mind that fashion is about the new, now and next. Like everything else in the world, change is constant. In this modern age, the mindset is changing, too. So don’t think twice of getting and wearing the swimsuit you love. As Agua Brazilian Swimwear puts it, “To embrace your truths, understand and love yourself fully is the real essence of beauty.”

(Check out the latest swimwear this season at www.aguabrazilianswimwear.com. For inquiries, e-mail aguabrazil@gmail.com. Visit Agua Brazilian Swimwear on Facebook and @aguabrazilianswimwear on Instagram.)