One thing I love about Italy is there is an abundance of tattoos. I now have 6, and most are quite small. My most recent tattoo is larger than I had projected , due to the intricate work. It’s taken awhile to get used to, but now I fully embrace it. 
Going to the beaches in Positano and Capri, it was comforting to be around others with tattoos showing them off. Express art on your body , however big of small. The covert tattoos that exist beneath button down shirts and work trousers , momentarily are available to literally shine in the sun.
It was also a relief to be around people of all body types. Bathing suits leave little for the imagination , and although we aren’t naked , we are exposed. I tend to feel that in America (especially LA) we become so obsessed with having the perfect body, that it prohibits us from showing our skin. But in Italy, there were loads of women with tiny panzas (bellies), and it was awesome to see that. It helped decrease my self criticising thoughts about my body. I could embrace my Brazilian bikini which perhaps is slightly too small , but reframe “it enhances my curves. ”
Maybe I don’t go to the beach often enough anymore to witness this throughout the world. But here it seemed different. People didn’t walk around meekly, ashamed of their bodies. They walked around boldly, strutted and swayed their bodies . It was beautiful to witness.
A pregnant woman wore a bathing suit that said “sun’s out, bumps out.”
Our defeating thoughts about the faults in our bodies keep us from enjoying not just the beauty of the sun, or the soothing coolness of the water , but the fullness of life .
In Positano there is a trail that is supposedly the Hike of the Gods. But on the beach, us mortals reside. We have our imperfections, and we embrace them! La Dolce Vita is available for us all to drink in .
It Only Takes A Smile 