The Sea Doesn’t Care What You Look Like. Neither Do We.
There’s no getting around it, as we get older, our bodies change.
I’m 53.
The body I have now is not the one I had at 18, dancing around Ibiza in hot pants and a bikini top without a second thought. This body shows up in a full-coverage swimsuit, with tummy control and a sports-bra-style top.
And you know what? I wouldn’t swap it.
This body has served me well.. It’s carried me through pregnancy and birth. It’s kept going through stress, heartbreak, exhaustion and joy. It’s shown up when life was messy and unpredictable and it’s still going.
Now it wobbles. It has cellulite. My feet hurt in the morning. My fingers have early arthritis and I’m keeping an eye on my blood pressure.
How lucky am I to have the body I have.
We Don’t Care:
That’s one of the things I love most about The Big Swim. We don’t care what you look like. We don’t care what size you are, what you’re wearing, or how confident you feel in that moment. We just care that you’re there.
There’s a moment before you walk onto the beach when the noise gets loud.
Not the waves — the voices.
The ones in your head asking:
Should I cover up?
Don’t cover up — wear a flower garland or a leopard skin outfit
Do I look like a swimmer?
Look around. You’ll see mermaids and lobsters. Is that what a swimmer looks like?
What will people think?
Add some sparkles. Make a hat out of seaweed. Wear a cape. Crown yourself.
Then look around and soak up the total menagerie of swimmers beside you. I see a woman dressed as a butterfly.
A lady with a flamingo on her head.
Another in a giant green frog hat.
I see rock chicks, queens, mermaids, flower fairies and monsters from the deep.
So if you love fancy dress, embrace it.
If you’ve got a crab outfit, now’s your moment.
If you want to make a headpiece covered in fruit and golden pineapples — this is your chance.
Or don’t.
Turn up in costume or in black neoprene, goggles on and a big smile.
At The Big Swim, there is no right way to look.
There is just your way.
Come if you feel fat and wobbly.
Come if you have scars and cellulite.
Come if you are hurting and feel sad.
Come if you are happy and want to celebrate.
Come if you’re short or tall, loud or quiet, confident or unsure.
I’ll be honest — I totally despair at the images of women I see in the media. Everything feels so highly sexualised. Invisible dresses. Breasts out. Performative nudity dressed up as high fashion. Or “peekaboo” fashion — a phrase that conjures up something cheap and nasty rather than empowering.
When did seeing your boobs through a dress become ok a night out? Apparently, it’s called illusion dressing.
I didn’t even know bum cleavage was a thing until someone told me it was.
If that’s your choice, fine.
But when that becomes the version of womanhood we’re shown every day, the only one that’s celebrated, amplified, or deemed desirable, something gets warped.
Our bodies carry shopping, children, stress, joy, grief, work, care, life. Our bodies ache, they change and we should learn to love them more!
This is the point where I wish I had the wit and wisdom of Caitlin Moran, because I know she’d articulate this far better than I ever could — and Caitlin, if you’re reading this, you’re officially invited to The Big Swim in your finest stripes or leopard print.
At The Big Swim, your body does not need to be perfect.
It just needs to be there, exactly as you are is more than enough.
For me, The Big Swim is a totally glorious space to rock up and be you. It’s the opposite of the perfectly curated female body. It’s hard to look good in neoprene, trendy in goggles, seductive in wetsuit boots, or sexy dressed as a mermaid and honestly, we get to the age where we give fewer shits!!
The sea doesn’t care what you look like.
Neither do we.
Come and visit us at the Brighton swim hosted by Sea Lanes, Brighton and Poole hosted by Land and Wave.
What Next?
Are you ready to plan a new Adventure?
Join our brand new 6-week online course for 2026. It is designed exactly for you, if you feel like you’re standing at the edge of a new chapter, but aren’t sure what or how to bring it to life.
You’re ready for a change but lack ideas, confidence, a community and a plan.
Maybe you want to:
- Visit a new country
- Meet elephants in India
- Write a book in Provence
- Visit book shops around the world
- Walk the South Downs Way
- Take a solo trip to Peru
- Learn to cook a curry in Thailand
If you’ve ever felt a pang of respect or envy hearing about another woman’s adventure and wondered whether you could do it, this course is for you! Whatever your age, situation or comfort zone, I don’t believe it’s ever too late to embark on a fresh start.
