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Bikini season is fast approaching ladies and you know what that means.

Time to shave those hairy legs! It also means time to shop for a bathing suit.

First, a full assessment of your body should be done. It should be done naked, in front of a full-length mirror. This way you can pinpoint your problem areas to work on. I know there are people who would have no problem with this as they like their bodies. I don't personally know these two people, but I do know I don't like them.

While taking a good look at yourself, you realize things have changed with age. You suddenly come face to face with certain facts.

Fact #1 - double chins on a newborn baby are cute, on a middle-aged person, not so cute.

Fact #2 - rolls on the thighs of a baby girl as a result of wearing a diaper are acceptable. Rolls on the thighs of an older woman as a result of wearing a thong are not acceptable.

Fact #3 - dimples on a baby's skin, such as arms and legs are adorable and kissable. Dimples on an older person's skin, especially in places not meant to be see, not adorable or kissable.

Some of us choose to get in shape for bathing suit season early, like January. Every year many people make a New Year's resolution to lose weight and exercise. I am not one of these people. I learned not to make promises I can't keep. However, adding exercise and sports to your everyday life can be a plus in losing weight and getting fit. Only, I would not choose bowling, a sport where you play and eat at the same time. You'll be dropping the ball, but you won't be dropping the pounds.

Luckily, today, suits are made to fit women of all proportions. In theory, there is a perfect suit for every woman, whether she is pear-shape, curvy, has a tummy bulge or no waist at all. Today, different suits are designed for different occasions, be it relaxing by the pool, working out in the pool, or looking for sea shells while strolling on the beach.

All I know is that no matter what suit I pick out, somehow it will look different on me than it did on the super model who wore it while parading up and down the fashion runway. She, by the way, is one of the two people I mentioned earlier.

After all is said and done, bathing suits will be bought. They will be bought by men and women, the young and the old, the fat and the skinny. Some will be a perfect fit and some will not. Some people will reap the rewards for all their hard work of dieting and exercise.

However, I think credit should be given to the guy who you will see strutting around in a speedo, with his stomach hanging way, way, down over it. This guy has guts and is obviously under the wrong assumption that he looks good in his suit. Oh, and need I say it, he is without a doubt, the second person I mentioned earlier.

- Cindy Argiento

Cindy Argiento's first column appeared in the Greensboro News and Record as a Personal Ads feature on April 30, 2002. Later that year, her first "As I See It" column appeared in the High Point Enterprise, where it would become a regular feature for several years. Her columns also have appeared in the Reidsville Review, Eden Daily News, Gilroy Dispatch, Hollister Freelance, Hopewell News and Foothills Paper. Other essays have appeared in Chicken Soup For the Soul books, Family Matters and Married Life. Three of her pieces were recognized as a finalist, semi-finalist and honorable mention in HumorPress.com "America's Funniest Humor" writing contest. She blogs at Cindy's World.