You Already Have a Summer Body

Whether you like it or not, summer is here! And with it, it can bring body image issues. If you feel pressured to fit into an “itsy bitsy teeny-weeny yellow polka dot bikini” or are struggling to dress for your millionth summer wedding, negative body image can pop up like weeds.

Summer can magnify insecurities we thought we’d outgrown. Between endless ads promising the perfect “swimsuit body” and the FOMO sparked by other people’s summer plans, it’s easy to put our bodies under an unforgiving spotlight.

In these weeks of summer, reclaim it, because summer is for popsicles, sunsets, and laughing until your belly hurts. It’s not about obsessing over swimsuit sizes or how your body looks in a photo.

Why Is Summer So Hard?

If your body image takes a dip in the summer, you are far from alone in that. Warmer weather typically means less clothing and more skin on display. Unfortunately for many, this often increases body anxiety. Diet culture, the belief system that equates thinness with health, morality, and worth, fuels it. Diet culture can be rude comments from your Aunt Sally or a stranger at the store, but it goes much deeper than that. Diet culture is woven into everything we touch - media, fashion, work, and even healthcare.

Summer also brings an endless barrage of “beach-body” messaging. More recently, diet culture and fatphobia have evolved into wellness culture, a $6.8 trillion global industry (rising toward $9 trillion) that promises “optimized health” and “clean living,” thus turning thinness into a lifestyle¹. Quick-fix diets on Instagram, GLP-1 ads on TV, or influencer “before and after” posts try to convince us that our worth depends on our bodies. The constant exposure to thinness, social comparison, and physical discomfort (like sweat or sunburns) can pick away at even the most confident among us. Sliding into negative body thoughts doesn't mean you are vain; it just means you’re human. 

Five C’s of Coping

How do we cope with body dissatisfaction in those moments when our shorts feel too tight, we’re slick with sweat, and we’re silently judging ourselves for wanting that ice cream cone? First, take a deep breath. To counter harmful diet culture messages, I like to use what I call the “Five Cs”: Curate, Challenge, Care, Connect, and Choose.

Curate:

Think of your environment, both online and offline. Unfollow or mute social media accounts, hashtags, or influencers that trigger comparison or shame. Avoid movies and TV shows with ultra-thin casts. Instead, fill your feed, your TV, and your life with body-positive messages.

• Diversify your friendships

• Engage with fat-positive media

• Follow fat-neutral influencers

Challenge:

What “truths” have you learned about bodies? Where did these messages come from? Are they fact or fiction? Are we missing nuance? Many harmful body and food rules developed out of fatphobia rather than science. Start by questioning the “truths” you’ve been told about health, weight, and worth.

• Learn about Intuitive Eating and Health at Every Size®

• Work with weight-neutral healthcare providers

• Fact-check diet culture claims with science

  
  

Care:

Do you see your body as a friend or a foe? If you wouldn’t criticize your friend’s body for sweating in the heat or for how they look in a swimsuit, why do you speak to yourself that way? When self-critical thoughts pop up, pause and choose kindness. Need some topics to read up on? Try these:

• Body positivity

• Body neutrality

• Self-compassion

  
  

Connect:

Shift your focus from how your body looks to how it feels and what it can do. Focus on the activity and stay in the moment.

• Be mindful

• Choose fun

• Connect with others

Choose:

Think of your wardrobe like a garden: your clothes should help you thrive, not stress you out. Instead of forcing yourself into smaller sizes or “goal” pieces, choose outfits that feel comfortable, allow you to move freely, and make you feel like yourself today.

• Ignore the size: sizing isn’t standard anyway

• Focus on feel: fabric, color, cut, etc.

• Buy what fits: don’t try to squeeze yourself into something smaller

  
  

When to Seek Support

If negative thoughts are dictating your choices, stealing joy from your summer (or your life), or impacting your health, it may be time to call in reinforcements. Weight-neutral therapists and registered dietitians are a great place to start.

Red Flags:

• Skipping activities due to your body

• Restriction, overexercise, or obsession with food

• Body checking & body comparison

• Appearance or weight dictates your mood or worth

Final Thoughts

Remember, that summer isn’t about how you look, but rather sun, laughter, and fun. Body image struggles are common, and diet culture loves to make us feel worthless. Use the “Five Cs”, seek support when you need it, and allow yourself to enjoy the season on your terms. After all, the best summer memories come from popsicles, bonfires, and the people who make you laugh, not from chasing a “perfect” body.

Christina

Resources:

• My Favorite Books

  • Anti-Diet: Reclaim Your Time, Money, Well-Being, and Happiness Through Intuitive Eating by Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CND

  • Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture by Virginia Sole-Smith

  • Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings, PhD

  • Health at Every Size: The Surprising Thing About Your Weight by Lindo Bacon, PhD

  • Intuitive Eating: An Anti-Diet Revolutionary Approach by Evelyn Tribole, MS, RD, and Elyse Resch, MS, RDN

  • The Wellness Trap: Break Free from Diet Culture, Disinformation, and Dubious Diagnoses, and Find Your True Wellbeing by Christy Harrison, MPH, RD, CND

  • You Just Need to Lose Weight and 19 Other Myths About Fat People by Aubrey Gordon

References:

¹ https://globalwellnessinstitute.org/industry-research/2025-global-wellness-economy-monitor/