Summer Bodies

As the winter snow starts to melt away, the feeling of summer fills the air. With warm weather also comes the opportunity to wear more revealing clothing, such as swimsuits and shorts. Some people find no problem with showing off their bodies, but for others, it can cause stress and anxiety. The thought of being seen in swimwear can cause a lot of problems with someone’s self-esteem. Nutrition therapist at Breathe Life Healing Center, Ashley Lytwyn stated, “With bikinis, summer dresses, shorts, and warmer weather, the excitement of summer comes with the pressure to fit our bodies into a summer body ideal.” As spring rolls in the pressure to diet and work out for the “perfect summer body” also comes along.

One thing that contributes to this body dysmorphic mentality is the media. A study done by The Lexington Line in an article written by Alyce Adkins showed that “80% of women say that the images of women on television and in movies, fashion magazines, and advertising make them feel insecure.” One reason it makes them feel this way is the feeling of having to meet the body standards of others. Another big contributor to body dysmorphia is social media. Social media can be dangerous because you never know what is real or fake. Often times people photoshop their stomachs to appear smaller and more “fit”. With so many ways to photoshop and alter appearances, it is easy to be fooled by the images that are posted. On the other hand, social media is starting to become more open to body positivity by showing that every body is a bikini body. Two examples are @bodyimagepositive and @myselflovesupply on Instagram.

There are multiple solutions to this insecurity problem, but one of the biggest ones would have to be changing the mindset of the people and spreading self-love. One way to achieve this mindset is complementing yourself in the mirror, it might seem weird at first but after a while, it starts to become easier. Most of the time the negativity surrounding a person’s appearance is based on their own self-critiques and not on what they see and or hear. If everybody took the time to stop and focus on loving themselves, the fear of wearing swimwear out in public and getting the “perfect body” would not be as big of a problem.