By: Jordan Hasty, Staff Writer
It is no secret that as the weather gets warmer and the summer season approaches, the media can be a rough space. Individuals are scrutinized, sexualized, and generalized in every feasible way: by our height, weight, eye shape, skin color, hairstyle, fashion choices, age, and particularly our body shapes. Hot weather means we are more likely to don our splashy summer outfits, displaying our bodies more to align with the seasonal heat. While the idea of wearing our favorite summer shorts, tanks, and jumpsuits may sound exciting, the headlines we come across in our go-to forms of entertainment can be destructive. Many headlines mention getting into bikini shape, losing weight, and trying new fad diets. In addition to these harmful captions, images of what the media believes to be the “ideal” beach body are everywhere, for example, the Kardashian-Jenner family. As the forefront of pop culture, the ladies’ social media accounts, filled with pictures displaying their cosmetically altered physiques, set high standards of beauty that are unrealistic and unattainable to the average person. Seeing and being constantly reminded of these depictions as often as adolescents do, we begin to believe that these nearly impossible standards are normal. This can be extremely undermining to our confidence, particularly for teens who are already insecure about their appearances. In turn, we subconsciously curate a desire to change the way we look, searching for quick weight-loss methods, digitally altering pictures until they reach ever-more unrealistic proportions, going on potentially harmful detoxes, or paying to reconstruct different parts of the body in attempts to replicate the unattainable.
In actuality, these looks, especially those exhibited by celebrities and supermodels such as the Kardashian and Jenner women, are decidedly not normal. As the thin ideal becomes increasingly normalized, the line between obtainable and implausible, fiction and reality, can be dangerously blurry. With this overwhelming drive of body concerns, comparing, and body surveillance, the immense psychological damage can be quite ruining to our perceptions of our bodies. Failure to live up to these impractical expectations is inevitable, because we are attempting to reach a level of flawlessness that simply does not exist. Fixating on the toned arms or glutes of public figures can diminish one’s self-worth drastically. Low self-esteem can negatively affect teens’ everyday lives, leading to a multitude of issues with the self, such as experiencing feelings of anxiety, loneliness, stress, and engaging in self-deprecating behaviors due to feeling inadequate for not looking like the individuals in the magazines. The exertion of influence doesn’t stop there — the close relationships in our lives are impacted, too. Lack of self-worth can lead to issues with friendships, problems in relationships, and familial conflicts to boot. Lastly, absence of confidence can impair our work and academic performance, as the tendency to doubt the capacity of what we are able to do and capable of increases. Speaking from personal experience, this doubting behavior can take a larger toll on your life than what meets the eye. Oftentimes, I found myself carrying out every action in my life with the targeted intention of pleasing those around me, constantly keeping in mind what others thought of me. Swiftly, these thoughts began to consume the forefront of my mind, slowly diminishing my body confidence. Relying solely on others’ opinions, despite their little significance, became the center of my being — determining how much or how little I valued myself. Not only was this exhausting, but circling through the constant loop of thinking about ways to improve my looks, engaging in negative self-talk, experiencing a deterioration in mood due to the reflection staring back in the mirror, etc. was soul-crushing.
With that being said, fostering a healthy relationship with how you depict yourself is not only key to life, but essential to our overall well-being. Shifting your mindset and perspective is a vital beginning step in the process of accepting yourself for exactly the way you are, regardless of your shape or size. Everyone is uniquely beautiful in their own way, and allowing yourself to acknowledge and trust that is truly eye-opening. Finding comfort in your own skin looks different for everybody, but the most tangible ways to practice loving yourself that were most beneficial to me began with first prioritizing self-care. Self-care does not have to be a lavish and expensive priority; it can be as simple as turning your phone on silent to read your new book, or enjoying a nice cup of tea after a long day. Allow yourself to find and indulge in something that brings you joy every day and make it a priority. Secondly, remaining present and patient. Realistically, practicing self-love cannot be a one and done kind of attitude. Time and consistency is required to cultivate a new attitude towards self-worth and growth. Allow yourself to be present each day and celebrate the victories, whether they are big or small, every small step counts! One of the most trying steps personally is to stop comparing yourself to others. With the ever-broadening growth of social media, it becomes easier and easier to compare your looks to others in just a single post. It is crucial to remind yourself daily that each person has different genes, shapes, sizes, and lifestyles, and no two bodies look the same. Taking a break from social media at times can be helpful in your journey to accepting yourself as well. As obvious as it sounds, surround yourself with people that make you smile. It is easy to ignore this practice altogether. Take a moment to go through those who are closest to you and determine if they make you genuinely happy on a daily basis. If you are finding difficulty in establishing whether they do or not, it may be time to do what is best for you and your health. Lastly, heed the mantra that you have a right to wear and eat whatever you want, and enjoy yourself. You have the right to eat, the right to take up space, and the right to wear whatever makes you happy. Clothing is an expression of your personality, it should not be confined – wear what makes you feel like your best self. Good health looks different on everyone; clothing is made to fit our bodies, not for us to fit into. It is not what we wear, but how we wear our clothing and the attitude that makes our day feel easy, breezy, and secure. Simultaneously, summer barbecues, indulging on holidays, etc. are part of life. You are allowed to partake in pleasure and nourish yourself, expressing your body in the shape and size it is genetically meant to be. You do not owe anyone anything. Every individual is beautiful in their own skin, exactly the way they are – no exceptions. Be mindful that these practices are not linear, you will encounter trying thoughts, and that’s okay. Identify them, consider their validity, and recognize that you are above them; use them as a force to move forward and continue on. The process will require you to endure highs and lows, but in my experience I realized that maintaining an optimistic attitude throughout is absolutely critical. Body confidence and acceptance come over time, so don’t beat yourself up if at times it feels like things are impossible. Just keep going, you got it.
The pressure to look good and show off our bodies is high during summer. Developing a healthy body image and being confident from the inside out takes concentrated effort and practice. Rejecting the body-shaming trend and speaking positively to yourself are just a few ways you can practice developing a healthy body image. External factors, such as properly fitting clothing, eating well, and exercise can aid in bolstering your body-to-mind confidence, and include benefits like feeling healthier, as well as lowering risk of disease. With the right frame of mind, the warm weather can be such a joy, which everyone deserves to bask and fully immerse themselves in. Bear in mind that summer beauty does not have a size. Have a wonderful, fun, and healthy summer, remembering to not only be kind to one another, but be kind to yourself.
