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It’s summer and the sun has finally heated up enough for us to warm up our pasty skins. We feel like we have lost enough of our natural skin color during the cold winter months and to go to the beach means getting a great tan, and a possible sunburn. But we have to go to the beach. After all, if you don’t beach, did summer even happen?

Here are 6 struggles that every woman who frequents the beach deals with and pretends to be okay with (we know you’re not okay with most things that happen at the beach, so stop pretending!).


 

1. Getting sand (and/or seaweed) in odd places.

It’s a struggle enough to make up your mind in what bathing suit you’re wearing, if you’re feeling confident enough, and who you’re bringing with you. We have to make enough choices for such a trip and on top of that, we have to dread the amounts of sand and salt we will wash away in our showers. Even by just sitting on your towel, you will gain a coat of sand over your body that the Sahara Desert will be jealous. There will be sand in places you didn’t even know sand could get in to.

 

2. Not being able to wear sunglasses or a hat because #tanning.

We always risk looking like raccoons if we wear sunglasses and no hats to cover up our faces. But sometimes, we also want to get a bit of more color on our cheeks without looking like Rudolph the next day.

 

3. Not being able to eat or drink without getting interrupted by sand.

Chips, hot dogs, soda, and beer. Sand will get all up on that and there’s nothing you can do to prevent it. You either have sand clinging to your fingers or under your nails, or sand has already made its way into your food or worse, your mouth.

 

4. Trying to achieve beach waves and failing miserably.

Unless you have hair that never gets tangled, beach waves won’t be achieved with just sea water. After a dip in the ocean, the sea salt and the sun will dry into a crunchy mess and you might gain some great hair accessories, like seaweed.

 

5. Getting tan lines (and not getting tan lines when you wear too much sunscreen).

No matter what type of bathing suit you wear, you will always end up with tan lines. Most of the time, painful ones. You want one of those new strappy and fashionable bathing suits? You better get used to the idea of tan lines until the winter returns. Oh, and you want to go to the beach multiple times with different strappy bathing suits? You’ll have a map of tan lines over your back and chest.

 

6. Dealing with itchy legs.

Shaving the morning of going to the beach or the night before is probably the worst mistake of your life. As soon as your baby smooth legs hit the water, you’ll be scratching to no end until you can find some nice soothing lotion to calm down your itch. Never shave the day of or the night before.


 

Going to the beach is the best though. Don’t let the struggles get you down.

Author

Sophia Melissa Caraballo graduated in May 2016 from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications with a master's degree in Magazine, Newspaper, and Online Journalism and from the University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and a minor in Communications and Writing. She wishes to focus her professional writing in immigrant and underrepresented groups' rights in the US.

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