Braving the bathing suit: For many of us, baring ourselves for open waters is far from easy

There is no greater feeling on a hot summer day than diving into a body of water and floating away - unless of course, bathing suits scare the living daylights out of you.

We all had that friend growing up – you know the one… No matter how hot the day was, no matter how remote the place where you were swimming was – whether it was the old swimming hole, a cottage up north or a friends backyard pool – they always insisted on wearing a T-shirt or cover up even as they waded into the water. Heck, maybe you were that friend. We here at the Succulent Six know that each one of us has had our days when we would rather be dead than caught out in our bathing suits in public, despite desperately wanting to beat the heat.

Though bathing suits come in a variety of shapes, styles, and in every colour imaginable, there's often a whole world of dread that comes with finding "the one" for you, and then taking it out for a spin. This fear can be revived or magnified as our bodies change over the years, whether its age and gravity, health, lifestyle changes or having children — we often find our bodies morphing almost overnight, and with them our self confidence. It's a near-constant battle for some of us to love the skin we're in.

But what's a life without growth and challenges anyway, right?

Whether it's bullying, diehard media brainwashing or that nagging voice in your head that has stopped you from enjoying the pool, the beach, the lake, public pool parties or or just loving the skin you are in – join the Succulent Six as we head "INTO THE DEEP" to tackle the tricky task of embracing our bodies at every size, and challenge ourselves to feel comfortable and confident enough to go cover up free at a public pool party!

Steff Ivory Conover (Ivory) is Toronto based artist and a founding member of the Succulent Six, Canada's team of Curvy Super SHEroes, Canadian Confidence, a collective of plus-sized bloggers, models, artists and and activists fighting to reclaim their right to feel beautiful at any size, and Les Femmes Fatales, Canada's premiere burlesque troupe for Women of Colour, you can follow her antics on Instagram and Twitter @pureivorydotca and online at www.pureivory.ca.