Warm weather is here. Flowers are blooming, the sun is shining, and flip flops have been pulled out from the shelf in the back of your closet. Spring is here, and summer is quickly approaching along with the prominence of bikinis, crop tops, and shorts. This also means a lot of people are probably talking about their "summer body."
With 56% of women unhappy about their appearance, and the prominence of Instagram models and "ideal body types" for women in today's culture, it must be stressed that anyone can wear whatever they want this summer. Literally. Anyone. Whatever they want.
So often, girls scrutinize their appearance, comparing their own bodies to others. And so often does society judge those that decide to ignore the norms of society and wear what they want. So what if you look different from what you would consider "the perfect body?" There's no such thing as a perfect body, and girls considered having it may still have their own insecurities they're struggling with.
During a time where stress should be lower when school is out and the weather is nice, girls shouldn't add stress to themselves by feeling upset about the way they look.
Whatever your body shape, size, proportions, it is your body and should be embraced! I challenge everyone to wear whatever makes them happy this summer and to stop caring what society thinks. All girls, no matter what size, are beautiful, and will look beautiful in whatever bathing suit or outfit they choose. And shame on you if you're the person judging someone whose embracing their body type.
I want to see girls of all sizes represented as beautiful in all different garments. Society isn't ready for that. But normalizing the idea that any person of any size can wear anything can push those barriers. Change starts now, and it would break my heart to see young girls of the next generation feeling the same things and having insecurities I've struggled with. We can't continue to harbor insecurities because society pushes the image of what "the ideal body" should be. So, we have to break out of those limits.
One day, we can hopefully live in a world where size or body type doesn't matter, and you're not judged for looking like you. But it's time to push that ideology now. You are beautiful, and so is your body. It's time to stop picturing Kendall Jenner when we think "summer body," and picture our own bodies, a beautiful variation of all types, as summer bodies.
