Fighting the Beach Body Stigma

With summer here upon us so many people are getting anxious about the idea of showing skin or having to put on a bathing suit. In the U.S, 69-84% of women are dissatisfied with their body and the majority of them prefer a smaller figure than their present frame [1]. So if you're amongst the women this summer who are anxious or unhappy about how they look, you aren't the only one.

There is such a stigma surrounding women and their weight. We are constantly told that women with bigger bodies have bad bodies. That women should have a flat belly, small thighs, and no cellulite. These beliefs have become ingrained in young girls who eventually grow up and have to deal with these feelings in adulthood.

As adults we frequently need to remind ourselves that our bodies change. Weight fluctuates, our dimensions fluctuate, and it's okay that it changes. Our body is not meant for decoration, it's meant to serve us.

If you're having a hard time this summer, here are some reminders and tips I use to make being at peace within my body a little easier (y'all know I love bullet points).

1. Constant tiny acts of micro defiance- These may look different for everyone, but it's the little ways that we show up for ourselves that our body and mind remember. Sometimes this looks like exhaling when you realize you're sucking your stomach in for pictures or in a group of people. Or maybe it looks like wearing the crop top you've wanted to wear for so long, but haven't because you've been hiding your body beneath the baggy clothes. Fight these negative beliefs that we've been taught about ourself.

2. No one is thinking about you- So many people are insecure about their own bodies that it leaves little time to make judgments about yours. No one is going to be whispering about how you fit into your shorts or the bathing suit that you wear, and if they do it's almost ALWAYS a reflection of how they feel about themselves, and little to do with you.

3. Most people have bellies- News flash!!! If you didn't know, the majority of people don't have flat stomachs. Most people have bellies, have cellulites, and have body fat. And who cares? So what if we have a little more belly than we did before? Are you happy? Is your body still serving you everyday? Life is too short and too precious to spend it wishing away inches on your waist.

4. Stop with the diet videos- Just stop. I know, I know... they are EVERYWHERE, especially during the summer months. Videos left and right showing how much weight people lost, what you can do, the diet you need to follow, blah blah blah. Don't watch them. Skip the video. Move around the post. You don't need to constantly fill your head with ideas that being smaller, losing weight, and dieting is the path to a happy life, because it's not.

5. UNFOLLOW- This one is a harder one for some people because they "like to stay informed" or have certain ties to certain accounts/people. If there are posts and accounts that constantly make you feel bad about yourself, delete them. It may not even be a logical feeling, but you know it when you feel it. Say you follow an instagram influencer who constantly posts and you envy. She looks skinny, toned, tan, everything you wished your body looked like and it makes you feel insecure and bad about yourself. Unfollow them. Is it the account's fault? No, but we are already constantly filled with societal pressures that we don't need to add to the content that makes us feel unworthy. You have no idea how nice it has been only seeing middle sized/plus size girls on my page who radiate joy, love, and acceptance.

These tips are just reminders that regardless of your size you are worthy of everything you want and need: love, compassion, trust, acceptance, and peace.

1. Fallon AE, Rozin P. Sex differences in perceptions of desirable body shape. Journal of Abnormal Psychology. 1985;94:102–105.