GIRL whether you’re a long-time reader of DTC’s blog OR it’s your first time paging through our 100+ posts of inspo, you’ve likely realized by now that we’re all about celebrating everyBODY!

BUT as a curvy girl myself (SheEO Rachel K Grim here!) I have a special space in my big heart for my fellow mid-size to plus-size ladies – ESPECIALLY in the hot summer months. An increase in temps means a decrease in clothes but occasionally as a curvy girl….well, that’s easier said than done! So to empower YOU to love the skin you’re in this summer & BEYOND, I’m sharing a few of my confidence boosting Curvy Girl Summer Essentials!

1. PICABOO – anti-chafe cream

FACT: I HATE being hot and GIRL, I’m ALWAYS hot (especially in NYC where the AC is hard to come by!) We all know hot leads to sweat, sweat leads to chafing, and chafing leads to a major blow of the ego. Thankfully our fellow curvy-queen Samanta Moise of La Parea Wellness created PICABOO – an anti-chaffing balm for under boobs, arms, thighs, or anywhere you need! In full transparency, she gifted me this life-changing product last spring (2021) but I have sweat through may pucks of it since! I particularly love PICABOO because it’s clean, calming ingredients create a barrier on top of the skin, allowing your skin to glide rather than rub, irritate, and chafe. And as a curvy girl with thick thighs who’ve fallen victim to chafing too many times, I mean it when I say this cream has changed my life (and made me SO much happier on long, sweaty walks around the city too!)

I personally reach for the PICABOO balm on repeat but recommend the Under Breast Deodorant and Soap set for summer too!

2. TrueKind – seamless undie shorts

& speaking of long, sweaty walks around the city…

The ONE thing that may be worse than chaffing, sweaty undies stuck in your bum! I know *CRINGE* but also…TELL ME I’M WRONG – it’s the worst! So when my friends at Truekind sent me their seamless stretch undie shorts for Summer 2022, my tune for the season completely changed. Not only are they super stretch (coming in 2 sizes: S-XL and 2XL-4XL) but they are breathable and cut to avoid chafing too! I personally love these seamless shorts under summer dresses and ordered EVERY color possible after loving the black pair they’d sent me so much. Talk about a sweaty summer bummer turned confidence booster!

Find a size + shade for you here!

3. cURVE LOVING Swimwear – Bravissimo

Though sweating and chaffing absolutely SUCK (sorry mom, no better way to say it) I’d argue finding comfortable, supportive, confidence boosting swimwear is the greatest challenge of all! At the kick off of 2022 I was introduced to Bravissimo – a UK based intimate and swimwear brand designed with bigger boobs in mind (for real – their tagline is “made for D cups & up!”) To be sure I had the *FULL* Bravissimo experience, they invited me to a complimentary bra fitting and have been setting me up with the BEST bras and swimwear since. Like seriously – the swimwear features underwire that doesn’t dig into my skin AND the intimates are quality! Plus, thanks to my fitting, they suggest styles tailored to MY SIZE + SHAPE like the Cancun One Piece Swimsuit, Montana Wire Bikini and (my favorite of the summer!) the Las Cabanas Bikini I wore for my shoot with NY Magazine!

If you’re local to New York I HIGHLY recommend setting up a complimentary bra fitting at Bravissimo OR trying their virtual fitting too (check out my virtual fitting here!) – I promise you won’t regret it!

But now I need to know…no, WE need to know YOU essentials to surviving curvy girl summer so we can ALL live our best lives this season and BEYOND! Comment your favorites below and connect with us @ditchtheclique on Instagram for more confidence boosting resources at your fingertips.