Hello,

I have been invited to spend a week in Italy with my boyfriend's family. I would love to go, but there is a problem: it is at the beach.

I have very white skin and red hair (under the sun I burn start burning in less than 5 minutes). I am very skinny and flat chested. I refuse to go along with this "love yourself" stuff: no one wants to see my pasty bony body on the beach. On top of all that I can't swim. Needless to say, beach holidays aren't for me.

I am worried about telling my boyfriend's family this. They all love swimming, are slim and have nice olive skin. They will think I am weird. Plus I really want to go.

Any solutions?

Wear a wide-brimmed floppy hat and stay under or carry a parasol. You can wear a bikini with a light, breezy shawl clutched around your shoulders and a long skirt.

But I wouldn't worry too much about how you look. It's not about "love yourself"... Simply put, for every body type, there are people who appreciate it, and once you're on the beach you'll see that not everyone is a supermodel. No one cares, they're all just trying to enjoy themselves.

Oh and wear sunscreen. Lots and lots of sunscreen.

Any sort of tingling, headache, nausea, swelling, etc. means that you need to get out of the sun and inside somewhere quickly. Depending on the severity of the symptoms, you may need to seek medical attentoin.