Now that Spring has arrived, meaning Summer is not far behind I have noticed an influx of adverts often entitled with some reference as to how to go about getting a Summer body. Now I am all for a healthy lifestyle and exercise, but the way these adverts try to draw us into believing we need to do what they suggest to achieve a Summer / bikini suitable body somehow makes us feel that without doing what they suggest that we are inadequate. It all comes down to personal preference, some of us love to jump into the gym to achieve a body we feel more confident about, myself included, and thats okay. But what does a Summer body actually look like? My idea and your idea might be entirely different things altogether. We all have a body, right, so how come putting a bikini on doesn’t equate to us having a “bikini body”.
How have we gone from being a world dominated with beautiful woman in movies circa 1950, comfortable and confident in their own skin like Marylin Monroe, a huge sex symbol and an icon lusted after by many, her figure that now I dare say would come under harsh criticism from the media. Now in 2017 we see a high number of actresses and singers maintaining super slender figures. Don’t even get me started on runway super models, give them a good meal! Seriously.
Its hard not to being sucked in by it all and think that if we don’t conform to a certain look or size that maybe we aren’t deemed good enough in society. I am so happy to see such a big body positive movement more and more now encouraging us to all love the skin we’re in, and why the hell not! We are fabulous as we are. These adverts are designed to feed on our insecurities about ourselves, basically its a business ploy for someone else to cash in by making us feel we aren’t good enough and we need their help to be better.
The change does not need to happen physically to our bodies, unless it is for our own personal lifestyle choices, but rather a change mentally inside our heads, our minds, we need to change how we think. If you have already achieved this, more power to you! You are inspiration to us all.
The media is so damaging and it is hard not to compare ourselves to what we see all around and what we are made to think is the right way to look. Its hard not to put pressure on ourselves if we don’t feel that we live up to the image of what we feel that we should be. We aren’t the problem, media and society are. We are all different and that should be embraced rather than something to make us feel bad. Our bodies are all different, we are all going through different things in our lives. As cliche as it may sound, believe me when I say this, we are all beautiful and unique as we are. I’ve not been without my own struggles with feeling that I am not good enough, but it is my life and although I can’t control what the media put out there I can control how I feel about it. If I go to the gym and slave away its 100% for me, not because I feel I need to conform to a certain look. Nobody has time to put the sort of effort in for anyone other then themselves. If I want to change how I look, I will change it for myself and myself alone.
Heres to self acceptance and empowering one another and promoting body positivity moving forward! We are all perfectly perfect, just as we are.
Follow my blog with Bloglovin
34 Comments
Great post. You are spot on with the points you made. We make such a big deal about what should be the perfect body, but all that should matter is health and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
I love this post so much, I’ve always found the ideal of a summer body so damaging. All bodies are summer ready x
Fantastic post! The term “bikini body” bothers me, it’s ridiculous, the only thing that qualifies in having a bikini body is that you have a body and it’s in a bikini! (: xx
I love the positivity of this post. So well written I love it <3
Morgan // http://www.justmorgs.com
Great post. We are all so influenced by the media these days and it’s so hard to focus on what’s right for you and your body rather than what the ideal is. As you said, you should only do it for yourself no one else.
C x
http://Www.atartanrose.com
Totalllyy agree! It’s all mental honestly, I think. We should never define ourselves based on the media and society’s expectations. And it is crazy to think back years and years ago when people like Marilyn Monroe were seen as the ideal symbol of beauty – she had curves and everything, but for some reason today we have taken that as the UNIDEAL symbol of beauty. I say screw bikini body and screw the ideal symbol -do you and be you!
Preach! I’m so glad someone has said it! This is all a business scheme to play on our insecurities and it’s so wrong! Everyone’s body is different and beautiful! Great post lovely!
Robyn // http://www.midnightandlace.co.uk/
Great post, a lot of people need to read this!
Abbie
Chasingmydesire.com
This is a great post! You’re so right! We’re all unique and everyone has their own ‘summer body’!
PaleGirlRambling xo
I completely agree with you! I think that, unless you want to get healthier for your own wellbeing, there is no need to feel like you have to lose weight to get that “summer bod”. Brill post x
Claire | clairesyear.com
Love this post – super inspiring! I always worry about my body, and I think I always will, but this has reminded me that it’s really not the end of the world and in reality i’m in the same boat as a lot of other people too!
Lauren | http://www.thelifeofastudentblogger.blog
Love love love love this! And i couldn’t have read it at a better time either, felt very disheartened today about what to wear since it was so sunny so i really needed to hear this it was so uplifting.
There’s so much pressure to look picturesque at every moment, especially within the blogosphere where there’s ootd’s everywhere to be jealous of. Having confidence in yourself is key and all you need for a bikini body is a body and a bikini 🙂
Lovely post my dear!
Laura xo
http://www.wartsandallweb.wordpress.com
YAAAS! I love this! Screw bikini bodies, ain’t nobody got time for that! Having confidence in yourself is so important and it something I am just getting to grips with! Love posts like this that go a little extra to show that!
Kirsty | The Monday Project | themondayproject.co.uk
Such a perfect post that everyone needs to read this time of year! Its so easy to get caught up in the concept of ‘beauty’ perpetuated by society….
Take body + add bikini = You now have a bikini body! That’s my motto 😉
Britt | http://alternativelyspeaking.ca/
Loved this!! In order to have a bikini body you just need to put on a bikini! No need for the extreme pressure to look a certain way or be certain size. All we need is confidence and empowerment 🙂
Sarah | What Sarah Writes
Adore this post- the message is so empowering and positive! I used to be incredibly unhappy with the way I looked until recently, where I decided to exercise and eat well just for my own wellbeing and embrace my figure- one of the best decisions of my life! If only the media promoted being happy in your own skin than having a certain figure or looking a certain way haha…
Gabija |
Every point you made was totally spot on! Body confidence isn’t about having the skinniest body, or the biggest thigh gap, it’s about loving the skin you’re in!
– Chloe
chloetommo.co.uk
xoxo
This post is spot on! Media has had a major affect on younger girls these days and their self-confidence which is really upsetting to see. I hope some day this whole ‘image’ of a bikini body is destroyed and girls start to love themselves more for who they are.
Great post and very true. Nicely summed up st the end ‘We are all perfectly perfect, just as we are’.
I never dream of aspiring to this bodies. I am naturally curvy. Even if I starved myself I would not be stick thin beacuse that just is not my body type. I just wished the media.would be more positive about different figures not all bodies are the same!! x
Lola Mia // http://www.lolitabonita.co.uk
The media can be our best friend but also our worst enemy. Body confidence & healthy choices is what we need with a side of I’ll have that slice of cake without feeling guilty. Education on different body types needs to come a long way.
Oh my god thank you for posting this. The amount of people who get themselves worked up because they are told they’re not “summer ready” is silly. Great post and I love the positivity xx
Itsallzara.blogspot.co.uk
You’re so right! I think it’s really damaging, especially the media who really apply the pressure to get the ‘perfect summer body.’ I feel a bit more positive about myself after reading this – Everyone is beautiful!
Fantastic post! We all need to remember this! Every point you made was completely spot on! x
Victoria | VictoriaaHelenn
Its crazy how body shapes change over time. One day its hourglass the next its all out VS models!
This is seriously so perfect! I’ve never honestly thought much into the whole “summer body” statement but this really has my brain thinking! And you’re so correct in the, it doesn’t need to be a physical change but mental change, statement!
I always used to be scared of going round in a bikini because I wasn’t super thin but now I’ve given up on that concept. So long as I have a body, no matter what shape, I can wear a bikini. I think we’re slowly getting there on size representation, but there’s definitely loads of progress to be made.
Ah I love this post so much, thank you for sharing it! You have a lovely blog here too by the way, well done on all your hard work pretty lady! x
adelelydia.blogspot.com
This post 🙌 I couldn’t agree more! I also love how much positivity this post has been written with I’m sure it will be so helpful to so many people 💖😊
I hate this whole bikini body thing, I think it makes people feel like they will never be good enough.
http://ohduckydarling.com
Love this post, so positive! Thank you for sharing! x
adelelydia.blogspot.com
This post is everything! I’m a huge advocate of the notion that if you have a body and you have a bikini, then you also have a bikini body. It’s so disheartening when the tabloids slam celebrities for gaining a bit of weight or not looking 100% perfect in paparazzi pictures – it seems like no one can win.
The bit towards the end where you mentioned that if you go to the gym, it is 100% for you is so important. I feel like so many people definitely don’t go to the gym for that reason, but that should be the only reason!
Aleeha xXx
https://www.halesaaw.co.uk/
So true what you were saying about Marilyn Monroe, I really do think she and others like Sophia Loren etc would come under harsh criticism in today’s media with our crazy standards that put so much emphasis on being thin, thin, thin. I think even the term ‘bikini body’ can be damaging because it kind of implies that a bikini body is different from a normal body!
Julia // The Sunday Mode