BREAKING NEWS: Every Body Is a Bikini Body
Let's talk bodies and how amazing they are and how the LEAST interesting thing about us is how we look in a bathing suit. For those who suffer from poor body image, summer can be a time of anxiety. Society today idolizes unrealistic body standards. Now more than ever, social media is a haven for new diets or "How to get abs in 10 days" videos. Women everywhere are subconsciously being influenced by photos and videos, creating false expectations for their bodies. I have been one of those girls who checked her stomach after eating a meal in fear that I gained weight or have worked off those extra calories with endless cardio, and to any woman who needs to hear this, IT'S NOT WORTH IT. Let me tell you why, you think once you lose the weight, you'll be happy. You think once you look like the girls in the photos, you'll be happy. WRONG. The issue was never your body; it was your mindset about your body.
With summer just around the corner, I feel like it is essential to promote a realistic healthy bodied and remind all women that their worth is not defined by how they look in a bathing suit or any other clothing piece. Women are more likely to develop eating disorders due to their pressure to look a certain way. They base their happiness on a scale, A NUMBER. If you're someone who wakes up every morning and weighs themselves and their mood shifts based on that number, I have one piece of advice for you. THROW AWAY THE SCALE. I threw away mine and have not looked back because basing your happiness off a number is not a way to live your life, I promise you. No one is going to remember you in 20 years and think about your weight. They're going to remember who you are as a person and the impacts you made on their lives.
Do not let your mind bully you. I know it's easier said than done, but you have to let go of those thoughts telling you to look a certain way or that you'll be happier when you lose the weight. You cannot spend your life trying to shrink yourself. We're humans are bodies change the same way we do. Change isn't a bad thing; it never was. Change means growth. Your body represents all of the amazing memories you make, like the late-night ice cream runs, the pizza and movie nights, getting drinks with old friends, the amazing home-cooked meal from your mom. You don't want your life to pass you by because you're uncomfortable in your own body. The body that wakes you up in the morning, the body that allows you to work out, the body that laughs, the body that cries, the body that keeps you alive. How can you be ashamed of that? Your body does amazing things for you every day, don't punish it. Celebrate it.
I know with social media platforms shoving different weight-loss trends and unrealistic body standards in our faces make loving yourself a little harder on some days. So, I wanted to share a few tips to get you loving your body more than ever, especially in that bikini. Practice a healthy lifestyle; this looks different for everyone. Try out different food, movements, clothes, etc. find what makes you feel good and make it a lifestyle. Developing a healthy body image and being confident takes effort and practice. Another way to increase that self-love is positive self-talk. You'd be surprised how often you might negatively talk about yourself without noticing. Rejecting the body-shaming trend and speaking positively about yourself makes it so much easier to develop a healthy body image. Lastly, focus on acceptance. Accept the idea that healthy and happy bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Accept that you can work out and eat exactly like someone and not look the same as them. Accept that the way your body is a badass, and it's time to celebrate it.