I am wondering how many of you girls wear a bathing suit or dont and why.

I havent been swimming since i was around 220lbs and I still felt like all eyes were on me.

I am larger than that now and next month I will be on vacation and a pool party is part of the plan.....I am wondering should I just go for it and take the plunge. I just worry that I will embarrass my family and friends if people stare or make comments.

Any suggestions on styles or coverups or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Go for it! They're are lots and lots of flattering and super cute suits out there for plus size. And there's a lot of different kinds of accesorries for covering up parts you're not as comfortable with (light skirts, mesh, crocheted tops, ). Walmart and Target has some cute cover up stuff. You may have slim pickings now, but they're on clearance I found this one at Target.com : http://www.target.com/gp/detail.html...sin=B000MKA6NO

I've always LOVED swimming, and I regret the nearly 5 years I didn't go near a pool because I was too embarrassed. I've only owned three bathing suits in my life: one my mom bought me when I was 12, one I bought last year, and the new one I bought this year (all the same size too). I never owned a plus size bathing suit, although I was plus sized for 5 years.

I LOVE the water, and HATE the walk to it. Once I'm in the water, I feel fine (which I think is funny, because after all, the water IS transparent). I have an adorable suit, with a nice, long skirt. The one I had before it was about the same length when dry, but when wet, it would stretch to my knees.

I usually don't wear a coverup into the water in an indoor swimming pool, but outdoors I do. I'm very light skinned, so I wear it, along with sunscreen to help prevent sunburn (the extra coverage is just bonus).

I am in the go for it category. My attitude is that if anyone has a problem looking at me in a bathing suit, that is their problem, not mine. I want to be able to have fun and enjoy the water. Due to the delicate nature of my skin I cannot sit out in a suit for long anyway (I am one of those people who has two color shades - pale and lobster red with nothing in between). So I have to wear a cover-up, use 50-sunblock and an umbrella not to burn, but I will definitely go for a swim.

Another thing that I always point out is that your clothes really don't hide much. Anyone that sees you with clothes, should have a pretty good idea of what you look like without them, so if you've been invited to a pool party, no one (unless they're a bit of an idiot) is going to be shocked, offended, or surprised at what you look like in a swimsuit.