Dare to be Bare | Suite101.com

I'll be going to Vegas this summer. That's right-Vegas in July with the temp at about 105 degrees outside. Of course the Vegas temperatures may be high, but the rates on the Vegas hotels will be wonderfully low. You see, I'm going there because I'm meeting my friend that I haven't seen in about two years. I can hardly wait to see her since we've been best buddies since college. I can hardly wait to go to the spa with her, go gamble some of our hard earned cash at the casinos, and enjoy exotic drinks at the numerous bar restaurants. I have a lot to look forward to.

The only thing I'm not looking forward to is the lounging by the pool. Sure the prospect of getting a fabulous tan is always nice, but there are certain parts of my skin that haven't seen the light of day in some time. And that same skin has not seen a workout in quite some time, either. I have been lurking in the brightly lit department stores, trying to avoid eye contact with any of the saleswomen, while I hunted for a bathing suit that wouldn't embarrass me and horrify any poolside witnesses.

To my relief I noticed that black bathing suits with out any decorations seem to be back in style. I'm not an ornamental person. I don't like bows, strings, ribbons, buttons, belts or fake flowers on my bathing suits. I like things simple, simple enough not to draw any attention to myself when I make a beeline for one of the lounge chairs with the biggest beach towel I can find.

Okay, so maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit about my fear of bathing suits. Hey, I'm a writer-that's my job, but I have never understood that necessity of all the frills that they put on bathing suits and bikinis. I'm mean...aren't you going to end up in the water any way? My boyfriend is rooting for a sexy black bikini. My boyfriend is a great guy, but he doesn't understand why I make such a big deal about exposing a little skin. Of course, this is coming from a guy who will be stationed at the Black Jack tables wearing Bermuda shorts and a Hawaiian shirt for the majority of the vacation. If he even sees the sun while we are there I will be amazed.

I will admit however that bathing suits have changed a lot since the last time I dared put a bathing suit on-Bush Senior may have still been in office then. Far more designers are creating suits that cover up the areas we don't want to see while we're enjoying ourselves. My favorite outfit is the bikini shorts that cover the hips, about a quarter of your thighs and your stomach. This is heaven to someone (me) who wants to feel comfortable and still be technically wearing a bikini! Bikinis also come in halter tops for so the exposure of the midriff is minimal. A lot of bathing suits and bikinis now offer a small sash that you can put around your hips so you can walk around the pool without feeling self-conscious.