This weekend, I participated in the 5th annual
Galveston Beach Revue Bathing Beauties Contest. I kept my swimsuit project pretty top-secret, as usual, so now you get to see what I've been working on whilst under my rock.
Photo courtesy of the lovely Formica Dinette (Alice) <3
That's me on the left, in a 60's inspired fringe bikini with clip-on seashell accents, a shell fascinator on my beehive, and shell shoe clips. My mancreature and I scavenged for shells at one of my favorite beachcombing spots. The top is made from a vintage pattern, and the bottom pattern was drafted and further modified by yours truly. Karen (center), who works for the
National WWII Museum, is in a 1940s chenille two-piece, with which she wore an adorable multicolor-striped chenille beach cape and orchids in her hair. Alice (right) is in a late 50s/early 60s sea fan print sarong swimsuit, accessorized by her handmade sea fan, coral, and pearl tiara and a hand-painted hand fan. My friend Alex's wife Amalie in the background is hiding her 40s-inspired suit (we had to be in robes until the contest started).
Every year, whether I place or not, I have a lot of fun. The best part of the whole thing is meeting some nice ladies, some with extraordinary stories, and helping each other behind-the-scenes. One lady had battled scoliosis and had bionic-woman rods in her back. One had lost a tremendous amount of weight and looked fabulous. Some had recently given birth (I couldn't tell!). A few were over 50 and were still super cute. I met several new ladies, reconnected with friends from years before, and got to know a couple of ladies that I hadn't gotten to know in the past events.
Some ladies were shy or anxious, but I really think we all get at least a little nervous back there, so some of us Beach-Revue-Veterans reassured others and encourage them to just have fun with it. The bottom line is we all work hard to make ourselves into our own ideas of beauty while working within guidelines of certain fashion eras, and everyone would like to win. There are so many final touches and detail-tweaks (and sometimes small wardrobe emergencies) that happen in the dressing room and in the contestant tent, and girls always help each other. We're all girls. We're all pretty and doing our best. We all want the same thing. My favorite thing about participating in the event is the camaraderie that develops as these women help, reassure, and encourage each other. Nothing is more beautiful than kindness and love.
However modest any given suit may seem, however pretty any of the ladies may be, just about any woman knows it's not easy to get out there in a swimsuit. In daily life, women are self-concious about random people judging them; on days like these, we literally walk past actual judges. Even the youngest and prettiest and most physically-fit girls have things about themselves that make them think twice. None of us are perfect, and we're all our own worst critics.
The effort each lady puts into her entire look and the confidence and poise one must conjure up to get out there in a swimsuit all goes into making the event fun for locals and tourists alike, and benefits the island by officially kicking of the tourist season that is so essential to Galveston's economy. I'm so glad
IBC revived the Bathing Beauties Contest, and that it has grown every year, thanks to their efforts and the benevolent help of
sponsors. I'll be back again next year, supporting the event and
my beloved hometown.
