How can we change the way we feel about our bodies this summer?

Every body is a summer body. 

Summertime is coming. During this time of year, everyone seems friendlier – we’re more relaxed, and it feels like our serotonin levels collectively increase. In Melbourne, the warmer months usually consist of grabbing your friends and heading to the park, pool or beach with a pet nat in hand. 

Sounds fun, right? Don’t get me wrong, it is. But it’s also hot and sweaty. There’s lots of skin on show, and trying to sit on the ground is an awkward and uncomfortable dance, especially if you’re feeling self-conscious about your body.

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I naively thought I would move past many of my insecurities the older I became. At the very least I expected that by my mid-twenties I would’ve figured out how to successfully combat any negative self-talk. But the constant pressure to have a ‘hot girl summer’ is starting to make me anxious.

Despite the recent rise in body positivity and acceptance and a more diverse range of bodies being represented in the media, it feels like enjoying this time of year (and all the revealing clothing and swimwear it entails) is something that’s exclusive to a small group of people. In Australia, we’re still bombarded with the ‘beach babe’ ideal, and that person is almost always a thin, tanned and able-bodied White woman. 

Often, we blame social media for our fraught relationships with our bodies, particularly apps like TikTok. Since downloading it nearly four years ago (I was an early adopter) I’ve been exposed to insecurities I didn’t even know I was supposed to possess. Every second ‘trend’ is actually just a thinly veiled excuse to body check, and seeing other women check their ‘back-profile’ has ruined my self-confidence and given me another insecurity that I really don’t need. 

In search of some practical advice, I spoke to Alex Cowen, The Butterfly Foundation’s Communications Manager, to ask her how the warmer months affect our self-esteem and mental health and what we can do about it

Why can summer be a hard time for those with self-esteem and body image issues?

The warmer months are often an exciting time for many. But for people with body image issues, summer can be a really daunting time as they face increased pressures to look a certain way and heightened anxiety about their bodies being on display. Warm weather typically means less clothing and for people dealing with body image issues this can lead to a hyper-focus on their body, feelings of social anxiety and for some may even result in obsessive body-checking behaviours.

Australian researchers have actually coined the term ‘seasonal body image’ to refer to the changes that occur in body image leading into the summer months, identifying pressure from peers on social media and appearance comparisons as leading risk factors.

How is this perpetuated in the media/social media?

Diet culture reigns supreme at this time of year and the media does a great job of perpetuating the message that our bodies need to change for summer or in the new year. We’re bombarded with advertising and content that revolves around weight loss or tells us we need to get ‘summer ready,’ as if the body we occupy for the majority of the year is now suddenly not enough for the warmer months. For someone with existing body image issues, this can be particularly distressing and can ultimately reaffirm feelings of body dissatisfaction.

In the age of social media, many of the summer pressures we’re faced with go beyond just our bodies and extend to self-optimisation in terms of our overall appearance. Those who identify as female are in particular faced with a barrage of ‘summer beauty’ products and trends on social media that make us feel like we’re not worthy of simple summer activities if we do not engage in them. Even phrases such as ‘hot girl summer,’ popularised by social media can imply a harmful narrative that in order to enjoy summer or even partake in it, an individual must make themselves as ‘hot’ as possible, which in today’s society usually equates to being thin. 

How do self-esteem and confidence affect our overall health, particularly when talking about confidence in our visual appearance?

Self-esteem is directly related to how much worth we place on certain aspects of ourselves or our life. For many, their body and their appearance are something they use to determine their worth. When people don’t feel like their body or appearance meets certain expectations, whether that’s by their own standards or society’s, they can be overcome by a sense of unworthiness which ultimately results in negative body image. Negative body image directly feeds into low self-esteem, and when we’re in the depths of this mental loop we are less likely to feel confident in ourselves and our abilities, and may even withdraw from social activities.

We know body image issues are one of the highest risk factors for the development of an eating disorder, so Butterfly and our community are keen to encourage people to be kind to themselves and their bodies over the summer months, particularly as they’re inundated with toxic diet culture messaging. Look out for Butterfly’s upcoming summer campaign with tips and resources on how to navigate what can be a tricky time of year.

What’s important for our readers to remember?

• Every body is a summer body. Every body, regardless of your weight, shape, size or appearance, is worthy of participating in and enjoying summertime activities such as going to the beach.
• Be kind to yourself. Rather than getting swept up in diet culture messaging and TikTok proclaiming ‘summer bodies are made in winter’ get swept up in celebrating you. You and your body have made it through another big year, so plan some extra self-care activities that leave you feeling body confident in the lead up to the holiday season. For example, wear clothes that make you feel comfortable and if you have to go up a size from last summer, that’s okay too. Clothes are meant to fit you, not the other way around.
• Spring clean your socials. Mute or unfollow people who are making you feel negative in the lead-up to summer. Remember, you’re the master of your social media, so follow accounts that make you feel good in your body!
• Stop comparing. Although it is easier said than done, try to stop comparing your body to someone else’s, whether that’s in real life or online. Even if we all ate the same thing and exercised the same way, our bodies would still all be completely different.
• Check yourself. If you find yourself critiquing someone else’s body this summer, check in on yourself and ask yourself why? Is it coming from a place of fatphobia, reinforced diet culture messaging or your own insecurities with your body? The more you can unpack this, the more you are likely to improve your relationship with your own body as well as others’ bodies.