Remember when you were a little girl and your main concern on your trip to the beach was which sand toy to bring along and where was the closest snow cone? You probably threw on the swimsuit that your mom handed you and didn’t think anything more about it. It’s hard to even remember what your childhood swimsuit looked like, let alone how you felt in it.

Today that’s all changed. As women, we start thinking about our swimsuits shortly after the holidays. We really have no choice. As soon as the ball drops, the weight loss commercials and spring fashion alerts hit the airwaves. We think to ourselves, "this will be the year I’ll wear that bikini again." Or "if I just watch what I eat through the winter and start exercising a little more in the spring, I know I can look great at the pool this year." But if you’re like me, as every winter and spring slips by, nothing has changed.

So we enter the dreaded dressing room at the department store wearing a frown and try on swimsuit after swimsuit after swimsuit. I often think, "If I had spent the last 3 hours at the gym instead of in this dressing room, perhaps I’d be happier with what I’m trying on."

So we’re not as slender as we’d like to be, but who is? Luckily, retailers are embracing the new American shape by bringing in new plus size swimwear, plus size clothing lines and designers. In the past, clothing lines carried in most stores focused on fitting fewer and fewer people, the size 2’s. Today, as retailers search for ways to increase sales, the plus size market is one of the few categories experiencing growth. According to a study by NPD Group, a market research firm, the plus size apparel market increased 1.4 percent while overall women’s apparel declined 0.8 percent in the 12 months leading up to April 2010 versus the same period a year earlier.

Still don’t want to visit that dressing room and waste a day worrying about your figure? How about hopping online to shop for that plus size bathing suit? There are tons of online vendors that offer fashionable, comfortable plus size swimsuits and accessories. Stay out of those dressing rooms with those skinny mirrors. Shop online, try on your prospective swimsuit in YOUR home, in front of YOUR mirrors, at YOUR convenience. Most online retailers have wonderful return policies and quick shipping options.

No one fantasizes about being a plus size woman but the fact remains, you have to work with what you have. This spring, I encourage you to find that inner little girl. Worry about your pail and shovel rather than how you look in that swimsuit.

And after you find that perfect plus size swimsuit, enjoy a snow cone!