No Products in the Cart
I'll be honest with you: the first time I put on a swimsuit this summer, I stood in front of the mirror for a solid two minutes doing that thing where you turn sideways and suck in. And then I stopped, because I remembered I'm in my early thirties and I have approximately zero minutes to spare on convincing myself my body needs to look like a magazine cover before I'm allowed to enjoy a pool.
So let's talk about "beach body season," and why I'd like to respectfully retire that phrase forever.
Here's a wild concept: if you have a body and you bring it to a beach, it is, by definition, a beach body. That's it. That's the whole qualification. I know that sounds like something printed on a tote bag, but it's also just true, and more of us need to hear it every single June through August when the ads start ramping up.
The pressure to look a certain way before you're "allowed" to wear a bathing suit is exhausting, and it's also completely disconnected from what actually makes summer trips good — which is usually the company, the snacks, and whether or not you remembered sunscreen for your part line.
What I do think deserves real planning energy is logistics. If you've ever tracked your cycle against a vacation calendar with the focus of someone planning a heist, you're not alone. Nothing derails a beach day like realizing your period showed up early and you packed exactly zero backup options.
This is where I've become genuinely evangelical about period underwear for travel. No need to pack a separate bag of products, no emergency drugstore run in a country where you don't know how to ask for what you need, no bulky stuff taking up suitcase space you'd rather use for a fun sundress. I've been living in my Lyra 3-Pack — they pack flat, they layer perfectly under a swimsuit for peace of mind on a beach day, and I can hand-wash a pair in a hotel sink and have it dry by morning. Genuinely one of the best packing upgrades I've made in years.
Summer heat also means more sweat in more places, which can mess with comfort down there regardless of where you are in your cycle. Breathable, moisture-wicking fabric matters more in July than it does in January, so if you're shopping for new underwear anyway, this is the season to prioritize breathability over everything else.
If you want to go deeper on body image and how it shifts as we age, this piece from The New York Times on summer body pressure digs into where a lot of that anxiety actually comes from culturally, and why it tends to hit women harder than anyone else. It's a good reminder that the discomfort isn't a personal failing — it's a design flaw in how we talk about bodies.
Wear the swimsuit. Eat the ice cream cone with both hands. Pack the underwear that lets you stop thinking about your period and start thinking about whether the water's too cold to get in past your knees (it's never too cold, get in).
Until next time, take good care of you.
xo, Debbie
