It is officially summertime, which means that it is time for the beach. The words beach body and summer body are everywhere as descriptors of perfection, something you wish you had, or maybe something you are working toward. These words are harmful. Here's why.
1. Summer body crazes objectify human value by making life about looks.
The concept of the beach body says, 'You are worth something if you are nice to look at.' Summer bodies make self-worth a social construct and bikini size. Subjective beauty does not dictate who gets to go to the beach and to say that specific body types and swimsuits are for the beach only suggests that the beach is for pretty people to look and be looked at. Features like washboard abs, lack of stretchmarks, and perfectly shaven legs and armpits are the tolls due to enter the beach.
Let me tell you right now that people go to the beach to enjoy themselves, not to be on display. The beach is lucky to get whatever body you give it. No beauty pageant or contest of any kind is involved with simply going to ocean. In the words of Wesley from Princess Bride, "Anyone who says differently is selling something" - namely unhealthy appetite depressants and detoxes.
2. Striving for "beach bodies" is dehumanizing.
Beach body objectification places so much worth in appearance that people become self-conscious enough to hide themselves, change their appearance (to even toxic extents), or avoid the beach entirely. This concept completely voids people of their value as human beings and their right to simply enjoy themselves while appearing as they appear. There are and have been too many instances in history where people have been excluded from spaces because of factors of their identity that they cannot change. It is wrong to take something that is meant to be fun, innocent, and open to everyone of all ages and identities away by gate-keeping the entrance with a body shape people must fit into to be permitted to have a good time.
3. Body crazes facilitate prejudice, genocide, and oppression.
This sounds extreme but bear with me. If you can look at someone's surface appearance and establish (even unintentionally) that you are better than them, prejudice of all kinds will be facilitated, taught, and up-kept within you. Toxic masculinity, racism, and the mistreatment and fear of all people you do not understand will be cultivated by internalizing the belief that physical appearance is the quantifier for worth in a person. Superiority of looks does not stop at just looks. It will pervade religion, race, identity, physical ability, nationality, and so much more. It sounds extreme and far-fetched, but trust me when I say that through my study in sociology freshman year of college, I discovered that every single case of genocide that has been recorded started with this trivial, frivolous kind of prejudice. Every single case of genocide stats with something as simple as that. Perfect appearances allow for caricatures and propaganda to be created that lead people to feel like they have the license and even the right to kill people because of differences exacerbated by the belief that they were better than someone else. Do not let that start in you - especially not with something like going to the beach.
Let it also be said that the mindset of trying to meet a physical appearance that you will strive for to the point of harming your mental and physical well-being is also a problem caused by beach body crazes. This is so harmful for mental health and is another reason these ideals and mindset must be eradicated from societal consciousness.
I challenge you to enjoy the beach, be confident to wear what you want, and let other people do the same as you go to the beach, the pool, and simply exist this summer.
