How A Swimwear Brand Is Redefining Body Positivity

It’s more than just “owning your curves.”

Last year, Nancy Vong, a 24-year-old graduate, started Escape Swimwear with an ambitious mission:

“The reason I created this company is to allow women to feel confident in their own skin.”

And what she means by women is all women. Regardless of size, skin color, ethnicity, age, or stretch marks, Escape empowers women across the globe to love themselves just the way they are.

Their core belief is that every body is a bikini body.

Through their massive community of encouraging women, they’re empowering thousands of ladies across the globe to love their bodies and feel confident in their skin.

While a bikini brand might not sound particularly innovative, they obviously filled the gap between conventional and plus-size brands because, within less than 8 months, the company grew from zero to six figures.

Escape Swimwear wants women to escape the social norms and society’s expectations about the ideal body. Instead, the company empowers women to be confident in their skin, no matter what size, color, or shape.

Instead of building a brand that supports curvy women and designs plus size bikinis, Escape is about inclusivity. They don’t want curvy women to dress differently and cover their flaws but instead empower anyone to love their skin just the way it is.

“You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.”

— Louise Hay

The common misconception about body positivity

There’s a lot that people and brands these days are getting wrong about body positivity.

While owning your curves, skin color, or stretch marks is necessary to feel comfortable in your body, body positivity is not about neglecting your health.

Yes, you can live a great life regardless of your size, but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t care about your body.

Our bodies and health are the most precious resources we own. We all know how much life sucks if we’re sick or have any kind of pain. Thus, body positivity doesn’t mean not worrying about your body but rather the contrary:

If you genuinely love yourself and your body, you’ll take care of it, no matter what size you are.

That’s why Escape Swimwear isn’t promoting being a plus-size brand but rather welcoming anyone who just wants to feel confident in their skin, no matter what size, color, or shape.

They share photos of skinny women just like the pictures of oversize ladies who feel comfortable in their pieces:

While body positivity is often used to describe the acceptance of plus sizes, it’s so much more. Millions of young, skinny women lack confidence and don’t feel comfortable in their skin even though they don’t have any extra pounds.

That’s why Escape promotes healthy, fit bodies just like curvy ones.

They want their community to be confident in anything they do and wear. Thus, they support them to live their best lives through positive, uplifting, but also helpful content.

Feeling confident is about so much more than just a number on the scale. It’s about mental health, doing what you love, and loving who you are regardless of your achievements and looks.

“Feeling beautiful has nothing to do with what you look like.”

— Emma Watson

Telling someone that they’re “too skinny” is not any better than accusing someone of their extra pounds. Instead of promoting an ideal body, Escape promotes confidence, positivity, and a strong community of kickass ladies who support each other regardless of body types and skin colors.

On Instagram, the brand has a fascinating community of females across the globe who cheer on each other and celebrate each other’s bodies through encouraging comments:

They recently also started a Facebook group that is all dedicated to female empowerment, mutual support, and living a great life. However, their strongest channel is still the huge Instagram profile which is a place for women all across the globe who want to spread positive vibes and support each other to be more confident individuals and feel good in their skin.

4 Steps for more body positivity

Loving your body isn’t always simple. Most of us grow up believing that we need to look like the models on magazine covers and end up beating ourselves up for stretch marks or a few extra pounds.

Yet, while health should always be your #1 priority, there’s a lot you can do in order to love your body just the way it is right now.

Loving yourself will not only improve your confidence and the way you act, but it will also help you to strengthen your relationships with others.

Accept that everyone struggles with their body and that nobody is perfect

There’s no such thing as a “perfect body”. We all have different pictures in mind when we think about fitness and a good looking body. Even among different cultures, the ideal body image differs hugely.

Yet, today’s society and media often educate us about an unrealistic body image. We believe that we need to look like the ladies on magazine covers to be good enough while these covers are full of photoshop or even surgeries.

Be aware that almost anyone is struggling with their body. Instead of aiming for unrealistic standards, ask yourself if you want to waste your time worrying about your shape or if you instead want to live your best life.

Almost anyone is struggling with body issues, so you’re not going through this alone. Instead of accusing yourself, connect with like-minded people and be part of an empowering community.

“Your weight doesn’t define your worth.”

— Rachel Pate

Don’t ever compare yourself to celebrities

It’s their job to look good. They have personal trainers, personalized clothes, pictures are photoshopped, and even the tiniest flaws are covered.

Instead of comparing yourself to celebrities and their fake photos, ask yourself how you want to look.

If you want to work on your body, set realistic goals, build healthy habits, and work towards your ideal shape by starting small and taking one small step after the other.

Ditch the diets

The diet industry literally thrives because of your insecurities. Most diets from magazines covers or the web are not made to last but to frustrate you and make you pay money for even more diets and magical pills.

Instead of jumping on every new diet you see, keep the following rule in mind: The food you consume is the fuel for your body.

What you put inside your body is ultimately reflecting in your energy and the way you feel. To feel better in your skin, focus on learning the basics of nutrition, and consume foods that energize you instead of letting you feel sluggish.

Learn about your body & focus on health instead of looks

Our bodies are miracles, and learning how they work can be really fun.

When working on your body confidence, remind yourself that you don’t need to do anything. You don’t need to go to the gym, drink green smoothies, and do a 16-hour fast because everyone else on social media is doing it.

Screw the trends and instead focus on learning more about your body and improving your health: Educate yourself on how your body works, why calories matter, what nutrients are and how they impact your body and try to understand what goes on in your body.

How do you feel after a workout?

How do you feel after a healthy, nutritious meal?

And how do you feel after consuming a fatty, carb-loaded meal?

Feeling healthy and confident is so much more than being a zero size. Yet, it requires a basic understanding of how your body works and what you can do in order to feel energized and confident.