Summer is rapidly approaching and so is the annual pressure to have our bodies "summer ready." But really, what does this term even mean? Accordingly to ads we see online, television and elsewhere it could mean from being "toned" and muscled, to being "thick" in all the "right places" yet have a flat stomach and washboard abs. The idealized body as I've come to be known, is a moldable, malleable figurine of a human being, with a hodgepodge of parts that individually could be on a person but can never fully placed on a person's actual body type.
Someone could have a perfect butt, but maybe their stomach isn't up to conventional "summer body" standards. Or they may have washboard abs, but they don't have the legs to match. And those of various body types, whether full figured or skinny, might feel particularly insecure about this time of year.
I'm tired of seeing the ads that show a summer body to be washboard abs, muscled arms or a flat stomach and thick legs and butt. Those standards are near impossible to reach and believe me, I've tried. Not to say that no one has this... there are people who have done things to train their body to have that very figure, and if it makes them feel good, then so be it and good for them. But others whose body just might just have their weight distributed in different places and ways may try to have these idealized body types and end up putting themselves in even worse physical shape. The way I see it, the only requirement for a summer body is to have a body. What one wears, should be up to them. It's hard to employ this way of thinking, especially in the vain society in which we live in.
But next time when choosing what to wear to a gorgeous day at the beach, or an adventure in the warm summer nights in the city or just chilling with friends eating smores at a bonfire, ask yourself if what you're wearing feels comfortable and right on your body. Does it hug you in a way that makes you feel right? Does it show off the parts of your body that you particularly enjoy? And it could be difficult to know what those parts are which is why knowing your body type is just as important. But if it makes you feel like your best self- wear it.
I have a naturally slim figure. I've always had. I was often praised and even met with envy for having the body type I have, but it's more flattering if it wasn't commented on. This is my body type, and others, as much as they may want it, should love their bodies as well. Our bodies are so amazing! They run so many processes that keep us alive, even when we aren't' even doing anything. And they are more resilient than what we give them credit for. It's time for us to appreciate our bodies in whatever state they are in at that moment; this isn't to say to just let it get to a state where it can not function and this goes for losing and gaining weight. But it's to appreciate it during the ups and downs, the weight fluctuations, hair growth, developmental changes and everything in between.
Just because you may not have a Kim K ass, with Beyonce legs, Ashley Graham waist or Terry Crews abs and Chris Hemsworth muscles, doesn't mean you should limit the clothes you can wear. Wear what makes you feel comfortable. Show as much or as little skin as possible. Appreciate your body as it appreciates you, the soul that gives it a purpose. We are more than just our bodies. We are human.
