Last year we set out to find 5 everyday, beautiful women to be the faces (and bodies) of Swimwear Galore and our #IWillEmbraceSummer campaign and what a journey it has been since! The campaign aimed to encourage all women and young girls to embrace and rock what they’ve got! We want every BODY to be confident and proud in their swimwear. Along the way we met our 5 fabulous new faces of SWG, Mikayla, Hannah, Krystal, Emilie and of course Helen. We thought we would catch up with the girls to see how this summer has changed their outlook towards to body love and body positivity.
Mikayla Wain – 20 NSW
If you had asked me last year what I did all summer my response would have been that I hardly left the house and all I would do during the day is sleep and watch TV. However, this summer has been completely different and definitely one to remember! I have created so many lasting memories and discovered a completely new found confidence and self love in not only my appearance but who I am as a person.
Every day I am embracing new adventures whether it be beach trips around the central coast with my friends, hiking, trying out great new places to eat and even wearing my first coloured piece of swimwear, my biggest achievement yet!
Becoming one of the faces for the #IWillEmbraceSummer campaign has helped me in many ways, my confidence and self love has sky rocketed and I no longer notice or care about the opinions of others. It has allowed me to have the most amazing and colourful summer yet! The campaign has also encouraged me to share my experiences on body confidence and positivity through my own YouTube channel so that I too can help others in similar positions to me. I’m excited to tell everyone about my new self love and about the very happy and positive person that I am today!
Continue following Mikayla's journey - @mikaylawain
Hannah Smoorenburg - 25 VIC
It’s been a long journey to love my body and find confidence after I was bullied at such a young age. I was told that my body wasn’t “good enough” and those words shook me, but I was ready to strike those words and find the self love I deserved! It hasn’t always been easy to love my body but thanks to Swimwear Galore I’ve found the strength to embrace my body and share my body positivity story!
I decided that this year I would stop worrying about what people might think of my body and rather embrace and enjoy my summer! I have challenged what magazines say I ”should” wear and instead worn swimwear that I love and crop tops out on walks and runs and I have felt more confident than ever!
Becoming a model for Swimwear Galore helped to boost my confidence and has encouraged me to be more body positive in order to become a positive influence to other women! I hope all women get to feel as empowered as I do to fight the “beach body” stereotype. I believe that no matter your body shape or size, we each have our imperfections and ultimately these traits are what make us unique and beautiful!
Continue following Hannah's journey - @hannahsmoorenburg
Krystal Menzel 29, SA
Previous Summers I would dread going to the beach, I used to be so conscious of my thighs and hips. At times I would often see people snicker to themselves and have a laugh at my expense. I was inspired by Swimwear Galore’s #IWillEmbraceSummer campaign to make a difference and encourage women to rock what they’ve got! I discovered so many women with different body shapes owning and embracing their bodies and I LOVED it! That’s why this summer I decided to ignore the haters and embrace my body!
This summer has been incredible, I have finally been able to let go of so much negativity towards my body and I have no more excuses to avoid seeing people and hiding myself away. Instead I have been loving any chance to show off my gorgeous swimwear! I have enjoyed filling my social media feeds with body positive women in similar positions to myself, it’s helped me to see that there is no standard size and we should all love and embrace our bodies.
This whole experience has been made even more special for me as my partner and I will be welcoming our first child later this year! We have been trying for almost two years, so this new found confidence and self love couldn’t have come at a better time for me! As a mum having a more positive mindset is so important! I can’t wait to be a positive role model for my child.
Along this journey I have inspired others and it has been so heart-warming to hear and witness. I love that I can help others overcome the same insecurities I once had. I am so thankful for this entire experience and for Swimwear Galore for standing up to the unrealistic standards set by industries today. I feel incredibly proud to have been a part of such a positive and much needed change in this industry.
Continue following Krystal's journey - @krystal4eva
Emilie Rohan – 29, ACT
I never thought I would feel that comfortable in my body…ever. I’ve always considered body confidence to be a mix of good and bad days but since being part of Swimwear Galore’s #IWillEmbraceSummer campaign there’s so much more good than bad. I’m still learning to love all of me, but I have come to a point where I wouldn’t change a thing about my body.
I have always loved the beach and it feels so good to finally go and no longer care about how I look in my swimsuit. My self-worth and self-esteem have both increased so much by choosing to stop caring what others think of my body. I feel free and happier than ever with my state of mind.
I wish that one day all women can feel the same as I do and not care so much about this fake perception that we all need to be flawless. I’m not perfect and I have flaws, we all do! But this journey has helped me to get rid of the negative thoughts regarding my body and has taught me to embrace the body I’ve been given and love my waist, hips and love handles! I think it is so important for women to get out there and just enjoy life!
I plan to continue embracing all my life has to offer and being the positive and happy person, I have become today since starting this journey with Swimwear Galore and the #IWillEmbraceSummer campaign!
Continue following Emilie's journey - @miliegram__
Helen Bairstow – 53, QLD
When you reach my age, you learn that little things, like the rolls on my stomach are mildly insignificant in the big picture. Although I have always been a harsh critic of my own body, a huge wake up call for me was when I was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and had to undergo a mastectomy. The smaller thing’s no longer bothered me as I was simply happy to be alive.
For over half a decade my wardrobe has been full of high-neck tops and dresses that would help cover up my scars. Revealing my radiation scars has always seemed like such a big deal to me but with the help of the Swimwear Galore’s campaign I have finally found the courage to embrace them.
This summer has been especially meaningful to me because for the first time since my diagnosis I wore a V-neck dress in public and swimsuits that didn’t allow me to hide my scars behind fabric! Seeing the positive reactions of those around me was heart-warming. Recently a friend of my sons approached me and told me I was an inspiration to her and it was incredibly touching for me. I hope all women and young girls can find the confidence, self love and happiness that I now have.