Swimsuit Season!

Spring is here! Well, sort of. Anyone who's privy the whether around here knows that spring is a timid and fleeting friend; ever welcomed, rarely there to receive our hospitality. But I'm not going to rail against the whether or speak of rash petitions against the sun, or the seedy government agents who plot the courses and contents of contrails...

No, instead I'm going to talk about the one thing that almost all girls enjoy with the coming of sunny rays: swimsuits!

Some use 'em for tanning, some just like to swim in 'em, but whatever the reason the approaching end of the school year means it's time to start shopping! But what makes a good swimsuit? Better yet, how do you find the perfect swimsuit for you? Well, I've been mulling over this question and have decided to respond with a diagram:

I hope you can read all those. That took me about ten minutes :)

1. You definitely should get a one piece. Try going for something with mid to low-cut hips. Then style it up with ruching, metal rings on the straps or at the neckline, cute patterns, or a sweetheart neckline. Cover up with a flouncy sarong skirt, cute board shorts, or a matching swim mini.
2. A well fitted one piece can be adorable, but they're a pain when you have to make a run to the ladies room. The solution? A tankini of course! It's just a like a one piece, but it's split at the waist and allows for a little midriff display. These can be really cute because they come with so much variety. You can style up the tops with fun necklines, gathers, rings, or other types of structure. As for bottoms, you can try boy shorts, sarongs, mini-skirt bottoms, bikini bottoms, high cut, low cut, the sky is the limit. You can do it all and still stay relatively covered. Once the midriff display exceeds four inches you're moving in to bikini territory, which is fine as long as you're comfortable.
3. You're all about being sexy, and that's great! But remember that there is a fine line between sexy and skanky. Feel free to experiment and try every type of cut out there. But make sure to bring a good (honest) girlfriend to help sign off on a new bikini purchase. Remember, you can only take cut-outs so far (beware of weird tan lines). Keep track of the message you're sending (you want to be able to have conversations with guys too). And be aware of the sensitivities of the general public. Thong bikinis in public are an ABSOLUTE NO-NO.
   
4. Get a one piece. With all that swimming you're doing there's a chance that the adorable triangle top you just bought is going to come undone. At the very least get something with straps and support (avoid anything that has to be tied) so that with all that racing around in the water you can be sure it's your speed, and not your wardrobe malfunction, that elicits 'wows' and whistles.
5. Whatever is comfortable is right for you. But make sure that you're covered. Dance around in your swimsuit a little when you first get it. Check yourself out from every angle, and make sure nothing is going to slip around the bottom or neckline. It's most important that you're comfortable and can move freely.
   
6. Hey, if lets you get wet wear whatever the heck you want!
   

Banquets

There's something about shelling out an exorbitant dollar amount, donning ridiculously formal and uncomfortable evening attire (gowns and monkey suits), and settling in a mediocre dining hall to chow down on bad vegetarian food that really makes a girl feel like a princess...

Okay... so banquets aren't all they're cracked up to be, but there was one part of that intro that was totally serious. Girls love banquets because they make them feel like princesses, especially when asked by a charming prince. But unfortunately for some girls, this dream never becomes a reality, and often long before this (usually some time during junior year) the girl who's always been the forward one, the leader, the maker, puts her foot down. She's done running after simpering puppies of men and begging one of them to escort her to school-sponsored events. She's done being the creative and romantic one. She refuses to spend her time, energy, and nerves hatching plans she would rather someone else spend nerves executing for her. She's had it. She will not ask another boy to the banquet. If she's going to go, he is going to have to ask her.

I remember what this felt like. Trust me girls, just because I'm attached now doesn't mean I don't feel your pain. You see, it was little more than a year ago (okay, maybe year and a half), that I similarly dug my heal in the sand. I was NOT going to ask another boy to the banquet. See, formerly, I had negotiated all my past dates. One turned out pretty well, the other (through no fault of anyone) turned out to be a near disaster. The winter banquet of my junior year I decided I was done. I was either going to get asked, or I wasn't going to go.

My story ends much like a fairy-tale. I got asked to the banquet by a nice guy whom I incidentally had a crush on. We went to the banquet together (he was a perfect gentleman, pulling out my chair and fetching me punch), then crashed at his house for a post-banquet game night with some friends. It was a blast, and as it turns out, only the beginning of a wonderful relationship. Now that unexpected banquet date is my boyfriend.

Not every girl is so lucky, and so I have a message for the men:
In short: STOP BEING WUSSIES, MAN UP, AND ASK SOMEONE! There are dozens of girls out there who are just waiting to be the belle of the ball. Girls with a sense of humor who are more than ready to have fun. It doesn't have to be a lifetime commitment. It's 1 night--a few hours, not more than two if you don't want to be. You can sit in a boring class for almost that long.

Tomorrow is the last day to buy banquet tickets, so get on the ball already! Even if you're totally strapped for ideas you can always consult a good girl friend, or guy friend who's dating, or a teacher for heaven's sake. Just DO IT ALREADY! You only get one senior banquet (as does she), so why not take a risk?