Hey, you! Are you ready for sun, sand and a stroll down the boardwalk? We are! Summer's here, and that calls for ditching your textbooks and heading to the nearest corn hole game. And did you know that you can leave your worries behind, and still bring your feminism to the party? (She's an awesome conversation starter BTW.) In fact, you can practice feminism every day of your beach vacation without ever leaving your lounge chair.
Read a book by a fabulous woman
Are you a fan of adventure? Romance? Cringe-worthy embarrassing moments? Dig your toes in the sand and enjoy these hilarious, insightful and unabashedly real ladies. Their stories are witty and juicy, and by the end you'll wish you could hang out with them IRL.
"The Perfect Find" by Tia Williams, "The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl" by Issa Rae, or "How to Be a Woman" by Caitlin Moran
Don't shave if you don't want to
Nobody likes to shave their bikini area. If you do, you're lying. So why do we submit to painful, irritating hair removal? Because somewhere along the line, society decided that female public hair is gross and dirty. Wrong. Pubic hair actually serves as an important barrier against friction and harmful bacteria. And when you remove that barrier you leave your downstairs vulnerable to infection and harmful inflammation of the hair follicles. Your nether regions deserve better than that.
Some people, however, especially women of color, feel that removing their body hair isn't a choice due to additional societal pressure surrounding race and gender identity. So shave or no shave, do what feels right to you. But remember that no type of body hair, be it dark or light or pink, course or fine, is more acceptable than another.
Stay away from the dirt
Oh, vacation. Land of sun, sand and gossip. Maybe it's the heat, but as soon as you lay out on your towel it's so tempting to start dishing out the latest who-said-what and who-did-what-with-whom and why that makes them a skanky b*tch. Having the latest scoop feels so good- you get all the attention and credit for the juiciest information. But that solid b*tchfest actually only serves to break other people down. And that's not cool. Gossiping doesn't solidify friendships, it just creates the fear that whichever friend will gossip to you, will also gossip about you.
Skip the sh*t talk and you'll create a much more positive, empowering experience. I know it's hard, but real friends support and encourage each other. So go ahead, ask your friend about the rad new book she's reading (see above number 1,) or congratulate her about her new summer job (and mean it.)
Remind your friends that every body is a beach body
The beach is a fantastic place to feel shitty about your body. It's so easy to get caught up in feeling self-conscious that you forget to have fun. Now that's truly shitty. So if you or a friend are struggling with self-confidence, remind each other that no one has the right to judge your body or determine its value. You are amazing regardless of how you look or feel about your body. But if you want to just let loose, try to leave bodies out of the conversation. Don't compliment your friends on their physical appearance, tell them how happier you are to spend time with them! It's a much more meaningful compliment.
There's nothing sexier than confidence!
