When Kristin Hensley and Jen Smedley’s swimsuit video went viral in May, they had no idea the clip had started to take off. The moms behind the web series ”#IMomSoHard” were on a flight and when they landed, they soon learned that their video about the real struggle of bathing suit shopping had gained a lot traction online.
Hensley and Smedley, who met 12 years ago and launched their series in 2016, had experienced success with previous videos, but the attention surrounding the swimsuit video was by far the greatest they’ve ever received.
In the segment, Hensley and Smedley try on the latest swimsuit styles, and although they joke about the cut-out trend and navigating the surf with kids, they raise some real questions about body positivity and image.
Hensley told HuffPost during a Build Series interview that the segment idea came about organically.
“I went to my best friend and was like, ‘Ugh, Jen, I went and tried to find a swimming suit today and it was awful. I started bawling in the dressing room.’ And she was like, ‘That’s going to have to be a video.’ … So then she convinced me to shoot it and we also drank an enormous amount of wine before we got the courage to do it,” said Hensley.
“It’s something that everyone deals with, even men, but they have the luxury of wearing pajamas basically to the beach,” Smedley chimed in.
On the heels of their recent success, the gals have dreamed up a TV series. Details are scarce, but Smedley said, “I don’t know how much we can say about it. But we are working on developing a TV show, which for us will be more of the same but a bigger platform for us to access.”
Hensley added, “We’ve been very lucky to find people that want us to just to do what we’re doing. They’re not trying to change us … like ‘whatever you need to do to maintain your voice we’ll help you do that,’ which is extraordinary.”
But before that, Hensley and Smedley are on the road for a nearly 40-city tour, where they’ll showcase their best videos and do a live version of the comedy videos. Swimsuits included.
For more on the tour and web series, check out the full Build Series interview below.
Before You Go
