It's a subject that's been addressed thousands of times before—the pressure exerted by our culture for everyone, especially women, to maintain a fit, thin, "perfect" body.
We go to extreme lengths to fulfill this cultural expectation, from dieting and eating disorders to cosmetic surgery to excessive workout schedules. There's no question that our unhealthy obsession with being thin has damaging consequences for everyone involved, whether it be ingrained insecurities, bullying and "fat-shaming" or long-term physical or mental health issues caused by a fixation on thinness. However, I'm not here specifically to argue against this fixation on thinness; hundreds, maybe thousands, of books and articles have beaten the dead horse with that idea. Rather, I want to address the effect of summertime on heightening these insecurities—especially among teenage girls.
If you've ever spoken for an extended time with a teenager, particularly a teenage girl, you will most likely hear something along the lines of "Gotta get that summer bod!" It's fine to be a little less skinny during the winter and fall, when we can cover our healthy layer of pudge with baggy sweaters and loose-fitting shirts. But once the summer heat hits, so does bikini season. No more hiding your pudge under winter fashion—this is the time of year when you have the opportunity to actually see who's thin and beautiful and who's packing on the extra pounds. Including yourself.
It's almost easy to be satisfied with your weight during the winter. (And note I said almost—it's never easy to be happy with your body the way it is, thanks to our culture's fixation with it.) You only have to see your-less-than-skinny body the few times you change, and the critical stares of your peers, while still grating, do not have the ability to see through your clothes to the pudge underneath. But during the summer, when girls walk around essentially only dressed in lingerie, the pressure is on to be thin.
Our social media feeds are full of celebrities flaunting their perfect bodies, celebrities who manage to simultaneously be thin and curvy with their flat stomachs, small waists and wide hips. Even worse, we see our own effortlessly skinny friends, which begs the question, "If she can be skinny, why can't I?" The irony is that almost every teenage girl—including those who seem to have that to-die-for body—has insecurities about her weight and figure, even if she appears thin, beautiful and confident in her Instagram pictures.
As a teenage girl who is naturally more curvy than skinny, though still leaning on the side of thin, it can be extremely debilitating to my self-esteem to see other girls' perfect pictures and wonder why I'm not that perfectly skinny. It's even worse when I see those same skinny girls posting about their weight insecurities or expressing the belief that they are fat.
It's one thing to see girls with "perfect" bodies dressed in jeans, tall boots and loose sweaters. You can't see their perfect body when it's covered in loose clothing. Bikinis are a different story. In a bikini, you can't hide your curves or your less-than-flat stomach. The pressure to be skinny is worse than at any other time of year.
Weight insecurities are present year-round, of course, but summer seems to underscore them. Right when I'm finally happy with my weight, I put on a bikini, see the little bit of pudge puffing out from my stomach, and all my willpower crumbles. It's back to food guilt and ab workouts, even though I'm a perfectly healthy weight and shouldn't feel ashamed of that perfectly healthy layer of fat over my stomach. Society has taught me to see that fat as bad, and it can be exceptionally difficult to overcome this subliminal conditioning, especially as a teenage girl already burdened with insecurities. Teenagers (myself included) are nowhere near mature enough to overcome weight insecurities, and the notion of needing that perfect "summer bod" only serves to strengthen these insecurities.
Summer should be for tanning, hanging out with friends, swimming a little, eating ice cream and just spending some time outside in the sun. Our culture has made it into a cesspool of body insecurities. After all, what girl wants to go swimming if she'll feel ugly and awkward doing it? What girl wants to tan if she'll feel fat in her bikini the entire time? What girl wants to grab ice cream with her friends if she thinks she'll become "fat" from eating it?
We need to find a way to overcome our obsession with weight. Summer shouldn't represent the fresh blossoming of insecurities for teenage girls—if only we could have fun and be free and happy without the pressure of attaining that impossibly perfect "summer bod." But bikinis hide nothing, after all, and there's no way to fake a perfect body when you're only wearing a bra and panties. Weight insecurities are ever-present year-round, but summer only seems to heighten them, and I hope one day we as a society can wake up and let go of our fixation with weight. It would save teenage girls—myself included—a lot more trouble, pain and stress than is necessary, especially during the hot months of bikini season.
