Kiss and Tell

Be Comfortable in Your Own Skin

By Taylor Engler, beat blogger

It’s three weeks until Spring Break, and college women across the country are in a state of frenzy. Dreams of lounging on the beach and dancing in clubs are suddenly replaced with nightmares of unflattering bikinis and cellulite-revealing booty shorts. Crash diets commence while gyms fill to the max.

But as you obsess over every pound and inch, stop to think about who you are really trying to impress. If we’re being honest here, most of us are dropping weight to entice potential hook-ups or show off to our own friends. We’re trying to look good for everyone around us, but how do we feel about ourselves?

One of the best things you can do to improve your sex life isn’t to try unhealthy methods to rapidly lose those extra pounds you think you put on after consuming Valentine’s Day candy…instead, work on improving your body image. OK, so you don’t have the figure of Giselle Bundchen. You’re not alone. Most of us will never look like a supermodel, but that doesn’t mean we’re not damn sexy!

Being comfortable in your own skin = being comfortable in bed.  It’s difficult to enjoy sex when you’re wondering if you look thin from this angle or if he can see that part of you that jiggles from that position. The truth is all men are attracted to a particular body type – a different body type – which means what you’re working with is exactly what some guys out there want. But even if you find one of those men, you won’t be able to fully experience amazing sex until you appreciate all your assets, big and small.

Great sex is about focusing on what you feel and not on how you look. The ideal weight for someone of your height and build should be something you are comfortable with and that should, in turn, make you feel beautiful. The way you feel about your body should not revolve around what Brad from Australia thinks when you meet him in Cabo.

So should you eat well and exercise? Of course! Those activities keep you healthy and make you feel good, but while you do that, don’t over-obsess about your weight. Shoot for the body that makes you feel sexy and work it! Draw contentment with your body from how you look and feel, and not what everyone else thinks. You’ll be able to take in that gorgeous view from the beach, dance like a pro on the bar, and have better sex than ever before (maybe even with Brad!)

Taylor Engler is a senior dual magazine journalism and anthropology major. She has written for Jerk magazine, The Daily Orange, and Zipped magazine. She has an invested interest in relationships and sex so she plans to  ”Kiss and Tell” every Wednesday with the scoop on sexual and emotional health.

Her e-mail is tengler@syr.edu.