How to encourage women to join Masters post-mastectomy

Here's something I feel like a lot of outsiders to swimming don't comprehend: The huge majority, I'd venture to say 99.99%, of adult swimmers do not care what the body of another person looks like. I've been beat by people bigger and smaller, older and younger and when you have spent so much time in your suit and in locker rooms, all bodies just look normal. From a young age, I knew what a fit elderly persons body looks like, I know what an average and obese elderly body looks like. I've seen scars from heart surgery, *** surgery, cesarean sections and amputees. These things are normal in the locker room and on the pool deck as very few bodies are "perfect". Society may be fixated on a certain look in a swimsuit but swimmers are not. Swimmers just want you to show up, have fun, and if we're lucky get a bit of competition.

Sweet! Thank you for this advice. This is the vibe I get in my local group too. I'll definitely include this in the article.

Here's something I feel like a lot of outsiders to swimming don't comprehend: The huge majority, I'd venture to say 99.99%, of adult swimmers do not care what the body of another person looks like. I've been beat by people bigger and smaller, older and younger and when you have spent so much time in your suit and in locker rooms, all bodies just look normal. From a young age, I knew what a fit elderly persons body looks like, I know what an average and obese elderly body looks like. I've seen scars from heart surgery, *** surgery, cesarean sections and amputees. These things are normal in the locker room and on the pool deck as very few bodies are "perfect". Society may be fixated on a certain look in a swimsuit but swimmers are not. Swimmers just want you to show up, have fun, and if we're lucky get a bit of competition. I whole-heartedly concur. If you've swum long enough, a body is a body, and the only trick to it is how to make your body swim. Growing up in Speedo briefs there's no place to hide any scars or imperfections on mine, and I never feel self-consciousness on a pool deck or at any open water venue. I may feel self-conscious about my body fully clothed, but never while swimming. The water is and always should be a safe place.

Resurrecting this thread, as a friend who survived *** cancer asked me for tips on selecting a bathing suit post-mastectomy. She wears Lands End suits, which allow her to insert a pad for a symmetrical appearance. She said the pad moves around when she swims laps, which detracts from her enjoyment. Any recommendations of suits more suitable for a serious lap swimmer that would hold everything in place more securely? (I understand that some women, including the previous poster, do not wear the pads, which I think is great, but my friend wants to.) FWIW, she has a slim to average build and is not planning on racing.