It’s more than a Bathing Suit baby, it’s about being Happy in the “Skin You’re In” at any Age.
Updated: May 21, 2022
By: Laila Lee she/her
Fashion Traveler, Influencer and Realtor; Expeditions to worldly destinations to experience the greatness in life.
April 4, 2022
This past month, I had the opportunity to chat and interview with Rosemarie Zack, the Founder and Creator of Pretty Worthy, a sublimation and bathing suit company based in Las Vegas, to learn more about this innovative collaboration with other women being photographed in their bathing suits. Before we sat down to talk face to face, I asked her how she sees herself, and her quick reply was, “I am an artistic gypsy, floating around and having fun doing the things I love.”
“Yet, is this supposed to be just another bathing suit campaign?”, I asked. “What’s so special about this one?” continuing with a double question.
She just smiled as said, “Not really, it’s all at how you see it. For me, it’s a group of women wearing awesome swim suits and expressing their inner and outer beauty in pictures. It’s not rocket science. It’s called art of expression.” “For me, it’s more powerful to film several models at one time, to show the diversity of each person, rather than photographing one-on-one.”
*Model Samantha for the Black Bathing Suit Campaign 2018
As an expressionist myself, who loves the ocean and being outside in less clothing than more (especially living in Vegas), I was yet, intrigued with this swim suit campaign designed and formulated by artist and bathing suit maker Rosemarie Zack, who currently resides in Las Vegas, Nevada. For the fact that I have read and viewed another photo shoot she was involved in several years ago, as you can click on this link: Pretty Worthy to launch swimsuit campaign promoting beauty at every size - YouTube . It is about being confident in your own self-worth, and really enjoying being “in your own skin” while acting proud and confident of what you look like. Without any negative talk or excuses of what we look like of the real self-talk that we let run rapid in our heads. It’s not all vanity, let me express this, for it’s about having fun without worry or stress of what you look like in a swimsuit. It's not your wedding day, it's a summer bathing suit, so chill out a little. As children, running around in our wet bathing suits after jumping out of the local pool or beach, we as kids never judge how we look or too concerned on what we are wearing. Summer fun is just that – we wanna' have a little fun, without the daily anxiety of our lives.
*Pretty Worthy to launch swimsuit campaign promoting beauty at every size
440 views - Jun 2, 2018
196K subscribers
“It is about having fun, as adults and owning who we are as women and to be happy, really happy with how we look and feel”, Rosemarie expressed to me. “And if we feel insecure, well – get over it – and be present in the moment of what life offers you. Wouldn't you agree on that?” she ended with a justified question.
Since this interview was via phone, I could just imagine Rosemarie sitting there with this girlish grin on her face anxious to begin speaking, my first question to her was:
What is the purpose of this give-away?
To spread the word in a fun photo shoot about getting a “free” suit, and to just feel pretty worthy wearing it! Well, you know Laila, nothing is really for free. Except air and love. I have done a campaign like this before in the summer of 2018, and it felt like magic of collaborating with my friends to express the joy of wearing a bathing suit. You know, a bathing suit does not cover very much in today’s world, and it’s kind of like lingerie or underwear, but you cannot wear your silky see-through bra and panties prancing outside with a pair of heels or flip-flops. You’d get arrested, most likely, or people would look at you cross-eyed. But your swim attire can pull that off, and a string bikini is sometimes even more skimpy than your pair of undergarment panties. To me, everything is about liberation and expression of the body, no matter what age you are or even what you look like. We all have something we love as well as hate about our bodies, but most focus on the negative. The older we get we tend to be full of excuses of why or why we shouldn’t wear a particular piece of clothing. Did you ever notice that the typical women will experience high anxiety around bathing suit season, because we then push ourselves to exercise, or eat better or just wax, tweeze and shave our bodies to look more presentable with less clothing. Sometimes being a woman, is a little exhausting to be going through the motions of being primped all of the time. So, wearing a bathing suit allows us to let our hair down, to get sand between our manicured toes, and to be expressive again in the sun perhaps at the pool or even walking down the sandy beach.
Also, the purpose of the photo shoot and the free suit give-away is to put my little business on the map again and to “shout out” that I am here. You see, I moved out of Vegas in the late fall of 2018, and recently moved back here in October of 2021. Life seems right again, and I spend my time just inventing projects to express the things I creatively do. And honestly, we all love “free stuff”.
So, you get a free bathing suit? Who does? Is this really free?
Yes, anyone who wishes to participate, and yes. However, I have to still cover my expenses to make it “free”. It’s a suit that is available for free, but the participant must pay $12.99 for Shipping and $6.99 for a Handling cost. You see, I have to purchase (1) mailer envelopes, (2) clear plastic protective mailers for each suit, (3) the printed postage labels, (4) a paid employee to place the item in the mailer and package, (5) pay for the percentage in processing fees for all credit card transactions, and then (6) and then distribute them to the Post Office, everything takes time and money.
But if you had to pay full price, my suits are anywhere from $60.95 to $69.95, plus tax, plus shipping cost, plus a handling cost. Hope that answers that for you.
What size bathing suits are you offering?
There will be two 48-hour campaigns. (1) The first one is a 2-day giveaway, where the participant gets a free suit of their choice but has to pay a shipping fee as well as a handing fee. My entire collection is not being offered in the 48-hour giveaway, due to the cost of the bathing suits on my end. (2) The second campaign is where I am offering 50% off of my entire collection of bikinis and one-pieces, where the shipping is free. With this campaign, I will have sizes range from Small to 5XL. (The BLAKE, CHER, GAGA and MADONNA, CHER suits are the only 4 suits in available a 5XL size.)
For the fact that these suits are China made, I am suggesting that the participant orders-up (with some of these suits) when placing their choice of bathing suit. I do mention a few suits to order up in, under their description, so you will have to read before placing your order.
I see that you have named all of your bikinis and one-pieces, are they titled after your friends?
Well, one or two maybe with a friend in mind, but honestly, I randomly chose a name when I was listing each suit. The reason for selection of each product being numbered and then named, was to keep it organized with the array of merchandise I am offering. Yet, I wanted to also offer my bathing suits with a sense of a soul, and names can be charming where we relate to something that may be familiar. To be named after something is always memorable and it feels more noteworthy to do so. Wouldn’t you think?
“I did name a bikini after my mother, Millie, because it looked fun and playful with a gathered ruffled red top and black and white polka-dot swim bottoms, kind of “old fashioned” in a modern way. Using my mother’s name, I wanted to give her homage to my little collection.” - Rosemarie stated.
Are you offering these suits internationally?
No, not this campaign, as the shipping and handling can only be processed in the United States. Only because the shipping to different countries would have been too expensive. Plus, it takes a less time to ship a product to another neighboring State than it does to another Country. For now, I am only going to be offering my bikinis and one-pieces to the U.S. Perhaps the destination will change in the near future.
Is it hard to get women to come together to take off their clothes and to put on a bathing suit to be photographed?
You would think it would be, right? But this and all of the other projects I have done my models participated with excitement. Most of the time, I will do a Facebook post or a “shout out” on my social media accounts. This way, I’m not pressuring anyone to take part. Eventually word gets around fast, and then others want to join in. However, I do have a few favorite friends whom I’ve worked with in the past, who I forever solicit and attempt to have them be in my upcoming photo shoots. Yet, as life changes and time moves on, so do many of my friends. However, living in Vegas one always has an abundant of choices. It’s like a revolving door where we come and go, and fresh new faces always appear. From all of my experiences, I am quite grateful. You see, while living in Indiana for the 3 years of being away from Vegas, it was hard to get women to understand my projects, let alone photograph them. Different energy of expression. So, while being back home in Nevada, events like this are free-flowing and around every corner. Grateful.
Do you have any women who you look up to?
Besides my mother? If you mean celebrity wise – it would have to be Jane Fonda. She is my go-to-girl. That woman is still so sexy in her 80’s and that is what I aspire to be. Life today for women, has drastically changed. Around 1855, swimsuits consisted of bloomers and black stockings while drawers were added to prevent the problem of exposure. Could you even imagine wearing 2 pounds or more of clothing while swimming in the ocean? Let alone you had to cover up your body to be displayed as a respectful woman. Now, most things in life, especially when you have earned your medal of honor at the age Jane is experiencing. That to me, is gumption, femineity and brains. I did name a suit called Jane in my selection.
What requirements are you looking for with models for your Red+Black Campaign?
When it comes to photographing, in this photo shoot I wanted women of any age from 20+ to their mid 50’s to participate and model for me. In today’s era, age is power. And in a magical way it just kind of happened where women of my age wanted to be involved in this bathing suit launch; where I will be photographing women from the age of 21 years to 55 years. Pretty cool, wouldn’t you agree? When it comes to beauty, it’s all from the soul. Plus, my models are beautiful, in every shape and form. I am blessed to be able to allow the universe to come together to make this happen.
How will this campaign work or what details would you like to explain?
The campaign is a 48-hour free suit give-away, where anyone who wants a free bathing suit, whether it’s a bikini or one-piece can get one by paying Shipping plus Handling during the 2-day event launch. These bathing suits are in red, black and red/black (and a little bit of white) combination. Ranging from small to 5XL with the Madonna bathing suit as an example. Yet, several of my suits will go up to 4XL with some designs. My website at prettyworthy.com is the place to get it, and the event is an on-line participation. Now obviously, I want others to know about this, so I am asking all participants to tag, post and follow my Instagram account @prettyworthy.
How do you personally feel wearing a bathing suit?
That has many answers. Esthetically, I still feel intimidated. For me, I am not sure I have ever been happy with my body. Even though I have always been thin during my 40’s and younger years, now, it’s a touch of a struggle to keep the figure that I have always been accustomed to. But strangely, when I look at the history of the bathing suit, to be able to wear one is a revelation and a huge mark for women empowerment. Regarding the history behind how bathing suits evolved.
How so, can you explain?
Of course. What I do know is that swimsuits were invented in the mid-1800's, but it was considered proper to keep the skin white and untouched by the sun. Even In the mid-19th century bathing dresses covered most of the female figure, made of a heavy flannel fabric which would surely weigh down the swimmer. But the bikini, now that was an incredible invention. In 1946 Parisian designer Jacques Heim, debuts the world’s smallest swimsuit, and history was changed forever. Because it has taken centuries for a woman to be privileged to showcase her body, yet, a great majority of us still struggle with accepting what we look like with one on. Does that make sense? Meaning that for centuries women had to cover up, do to perhaps our religion or the politics of the era she lived in. Now, we have the freedom to wear a small patch of fabric over our nipples and vagina and we call it a swimsuit and can prance around with pure freedom. But there are women like me, who still feel even though we have this privilege, I personally feel intimidated by it through my own expression. Perhaps if I were on a beach all by myself, I would not care, but sometimes get too self-conscious of what others may think of me. I am still learning to embrace the power that I have, and perhaps that is why I want to embark with another bathing suit campaign.
Did you read the issue on the latest Sports Illustrated where there is a transwoman?
No, not as of yet, but I have read a few Internet articles on her.
How do you feel about the S.I. article?
Quite frankly, it’s about time. I have a little secret. For this year’s campaign I am photographing a transwoman with my swim wear collection and looking forward to the entire creative journey of it. That is all I wish to elaborate at the moment. Life is changing, whether we like it or not, and for me, it’s all about the expression of soul.
“In the end, this project is to collaborate with other women and to express the joy of being in the moment. Plus, in Vegas, the weather here is always beautiful and forever feels like bathing suit season. It's the perfect time to wear a swim suit and enjoy the time we have.” - Rosemarie Zack; Owner and Founder of Pretty Worthy.
To discover the 48-hour RED+BLACK Swimwear collection give-away, click here: bathing sui