Swimsuit Season: A Talk on Body Image
So we’ve all heard those infamous phrases like “Sky’s out, Thighs out” or “Sun’s out, Buns out” right? You know, the ones that seem to resurface every year right around summertime and promote the idea of wearing more revealing clothing? Ah summertime… One of the hottest times of year (unless you’re in the south, specifically Texas, where it’s pretty much hot year round). This seems to also be one of the most anticipated and yet dreaded times of year.
For some of us, we spend this time soaking up as much sun as possible, somewhere near the water and trying to get that summer glow. It’s a time for vacations and enjoying the warm weather. For some of us, we’re dodging and escaping the heat waves and every possible scenario that requires us to be outside. We’re taking advantage of the A/C and wishing for winter to come sooner. Regardless of how we spend this time of year, there is a universal experience that most of us share at some point when the heat is in full effect… swimsuits. Whether we’re the ones in them or are on the outside observing others, summer seems to call for teeny bikinis and extra short shorts. The thought of wearing a swimsuit can be a little anxiety provoking at times (even for me), let alone seeing others with your “dream body” in them… yeah, the negative self-talk is slowly increasing this time of year. Body image concerns are a year-round discussion but the peak of summer heightens these feelings and causes us to look inward, perceiving often an altered reality.
Typically when we think about our bodies there’s a lot of negative connotations behind what we see and feel. Constant comparison of our old selves or people we see on social media. Oftentimes we spend portions of our day looking in a mirror pointing out our flaws or the opposite, avoiding looking at our current physical state due to the feelings of unhappiness in how we feel in our bodies. How often do we think of the positives? And now you’re probably asking “What could be positive when there’s x, y, and z?” Trust me, I had the same reaction when I first thought about it. But really, there are positive aspects of our bodies regardless of shape and size. The constant negative thoughts and feelings around our appearance can be so emotionally draining and cause our confidence and self-worth to drop, so what happens when we look through a different lens?
Let’s take a moment right here… we can look in a mirror or just close our eyes. Think about or point out some features you like about yourself, surface level stuff, (your eyes, your hair, your left dimple in your smile, anything!). It can be one feature, it can be many. Now stop and notice how you felt in that moment highlighting those loved features of yourself… felt good right? Okay let’s dig a little deeper… same idea but internal features, your personality, (kind, funny, smart, again this can be anything!). Notice those feelings… similar? Okay again now… this time we’re thinking about things we’re capable of doing, physically, (running, walking, dancing, etc.) I promise I’m going somewhere with this! Okay lastly, name some emotions you can experience, how you can express yourself, (joy, sadness, accomplished.) Notice how the deeper we went the less focus was put on our weight, our shape, things surrounding how we physically present ourselves. We start to view ourselves as more than a size and shift the narrative towards being a multifaceted and well-crafted “machine”. There’s so many layers to us and the top is just one of them.
Now this exercise isn’t what I’d call a “quick fix” to the problem, but it’s a start. A start to changing the perspective of how we view ourselves. Practicing something as simple as thought changing/exchanging and positive affirmations, in regard to our body, can make the difference in our overall self-image. How we view ourselves won’t change overnight (though it’d be so much easier that way), but taking small strides towards shifting the focus can aid that process.
So wear that swimsuit, those short shorts, that tank top, whatever it may be! Your body does so many amazing things, be proud to show it off and all that it’s done for you thus far. Here’s to a summer of loving the skin we live in!
Supervised by Shannon Lynch McFarlin, Ph.D., LPC-S, CSC
