A Rant-Father in Law you might want to skip this one as it is all about bikini tops. No cute pics of the grandsons or funny stories about them!

I just have to rant for a bit.  I am a large chested woman.  As my husband says, "The good Lord blessed me fully."  I am not, however, a large woman overall.  Swimming suit companies do not seem to understand this one very well.  It is so difficult for me to shop for a bathing suit.  I have one bathing suit, and it is a bikini.  I bought it four years ago at Swimco for over $100.

Some people don't bat an eye at spending $100 or more on a bathing suit, but for our family, that's a lot of money.  I am thankful that I was able to get four years of use out of it.  Why spend so much Stacy?  I know that's what you are saying.  You are saying that you just bought a swimming suit at Old Navy, top AND bottom, for just $30!  No biggie!  Well, see, that must be the problem, you are not a biggie...like me.


I can wear a bikini, in fact now that I am a much smaller version of my former self that's about all I can wear.  It is impossible for me to find a full swimsuit that fits me both on the top and the bottom.  Tankinis don't even work.  I can't just run to Sears or wherever and buy something cheap from last season off the rack.  See, if I buy the tankini big enough to fit my chest it floats around my midsection like a dress.  Not super attractive.  If I buy a suit that fits the rest of my body my chest explodes out of it and looks ridiculous, or even worse, sometimes I can't even get the chest area INTO the suit.

Things have become even a bit more difficult since having children.  Two pregnancies and two rounds of breastfeeding have not been super kind to the ladies.  They need a bit of extra support to keep them looking perky and nice.  I also don't love a suit that exposes them...at all.  I like full coverage, I'm a modest girl.  I don't LIKE people, with the exception of my hubby, staring looking at my chest.  I feel when I am covered well the staring falls to a minimum!

So, there I am.  I am at a bathing suit store with about three options of bikini tops that I can even possibly try on and wouldn't you know it, the one that works and actually makes me look somewhat decent is $122.  Ugh.  I know from the past that this store and their tops are high quality and last for about four years but still...I'm frustrated simply at the fact that my options are so limited and so expensive.  I went to another store and tried on some of their tops but there were none that worked.  I could look online but hate that I can't actually try the tops on.  Sigh.  I just wish there was a way that companies would figure out that there are probably quite a few women out there like me.  Yes, I'm large chested, but I'm a size six in my pants and usually wear a medium in tops.  I don't need something FLOATING around the rest of my body in order to fit my chest.  I would actually be willing to pay close to $100 if I could find a full bathing suit that would fit my hips, waist AND chest.  It can't be that hard, right?  They wouldn't even have to stock a lot of them...just a few would be nice!

I left the store feeling a bit dejected and decided to come home and think it over.  Is it worth $122 for a top???  If I pay that I better expect it to last me another four years or more.  Do you think it is worth it to pay that much if it lasts that long?  Is it worth it for comfort and fit?  I'm thinking yes...now I just have to convince Kevin.  That's it, my rant is finished.  And just for the record, I wouldn't go back to my previous, 180 pound and UNHEALTHY version of myself just to be able to fit into a full bathing suit.  I worked darn hard to get to this point...I guess I will just enjoy it.