No one is immune to doubt. It creeps in slowly, and once it takes hold, it is harder to shake off than un mosquito. Even the most confident person we know can experience doubt. For many Latinas and Latine femmes, their bodies are a sensitive topic, especially when it comes time to put on swimwear.
Feeling self-conscious about our bodies has become something that can take on a life of its own. That’s why surrounding ourselves with the right people is critical. Having the right tribe to support us despite the ongoing monologue in our head is pivotal to our mental health.
This is why Denise Bidot‘s latest campaign is so important. The model of Puerto Rican and Arab descent partnered with Swimsuits For All for their SwimStar All Star campaign.
Credit: Swimsuits for All
The fashion industry has always played a significant role in how Latinas and femmes have viewed their bodies
Bidot made history in 2015 as the first plus-size Latina model to walk a New York Fashion Week runway. She acknowledges the “huge leap forward” that has been made since despite its imperfection.
She admits that while “a lot of key players” had big fashion moments, diverse body visibility has “decreased.”
Bidot tells Latinidad Collective, “Whether that is that a lot of brands felt that it was tokenized or it was a cute moment and didn’t really follow through on extending their sizes and really believing that we deserved a place in fashion.”
That’s why she continues actively reclaiming the space and considers the SwimStar All Star campaign necessary.
“Back in 2015, me and Swimsuits for All partnered for a really important campaign that went viral. And it was this ‘Sorry, I’m not sorry’ campaign. And I thought it was really cool because they let me be featured completely raw and unretouched,” she articulates.
“As a woman who’s just getting older with a young teenage daughter, I think it’s pivotal to keep on showcasing ourselves and showing up exactly as we are”
Denise Bidot
Bidot recalls how revolutionary it was to show “all the stretchmarks [and] all the cellulite.” It was the “first-time” people experienced that, she believes.
“When they circled back last year trying to work with me again and asked me to come in and mentor up-and-coming models and help them find the next wave of swimsuit models — I was honored,” she explains.
Bidot continues, “Because, again, it’s only so much if you do it, if you don’t continue to open up seats at the table. And so being able to work with them in selecting the girls, being able to mentor the girls, going on their photo shoot with them, and doing this great campaign just felt like a full circle moment on everything that I worked for and that I have been honored to do.”
The model credits her summers in Puerto Rico on the beach as something that influenced her view of her body
Clothing sizes have been a big struggle for many. Whether it’s limited sizing options or not feeling seen in high fashion, it chips away at one’s confidence.
The puertorriqueña admits a vital part of her development was her being surrounded by “different body types.”
“I grew up on the beach. My mother’s from Puerto Rico, and I grew up every summer with my family. I just always saw different body types, and I saw them living freely and unapologetically by the ocean,” she proclaims.
Credit: Swimsuits For All
Bidot continued, “And so I understood that beauty came in different sizes and colors and shapes. And some people have stretch marks. I have stretch marks and cellulite. And I wasn’t going to sit here and hide because of the body that I have. I’m going to embrace it.”
“I turn 38 [this year,] and I just think about that. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I was so shy and insecure at like 17 [and] 18.’ And here I am, you know, 20 years later, so much happier and freer and more confident than I was then,” she says.
Bidot asserts that the community with which people surround themselves influences how they move through life.
“We talk about it all the time — the steps that we take are only relative to the community that we can continue to build and to the brands that continue to uplift by extending the sizes,” the model notes.
She continues, “And so I have to say ten years [or] 20 years ago, I couldn’t find a bikini that fit my personality. I do think that we live in a generation where we can finally find things that make us feel good. It’s no longer just the abuelita one-piece bathing suit that we have as an option.”
Credit: Swimsuits for All
At the end of the day, the proud mamá wants to continue fostering a safe space for everyone
Bidot believes that part of the SwimStar All Star campaign’s success was that it spoke to so many women. That it allowed everyone “room for growth.”
“As a woman who’s just getting older with a young teenage daughter, I think it’s pivotal to keep on showcasing ourselves and showing up exactly as we are,” she adds.
The model continues, “Whether that is a woman who is my mother’s age, who connects with me, or a young teenage girl who connects with me. I think it’s really just creating a safe space where we all just feel pretty and beautiful and just not from a physical space, but from [an] internal space because I think that’s when it all shows.”
“I know it’s so corny and so cliche, but when you feel good, you look good. And the reason why we say it, and we continue to say it — is because it’s true. And words of affirmations matter and the company [you] keep matters,” Bidot proclaims.
The model concludes, “And the things that you see in the media and that you digest daily matters. And so if we can shine a little light into something that feels good, hopefully, that can just be understood and felt good by other people, too.”
