Nervous About Your Body Image During Hot Girl Summer? You’re Not Alone
With longer days, warmer air, time spent near water, and tank tops and swimsuits, summer can also bring a quiet nervousness for many. For those of us who struggle with our body image, summer can heighten our awareness of our body and how it is being perceived. If you have ever felt this, you are not alone.
Research shows that body image concerns often intensify during the summer months, with many people reporting a noticeable shift in how they feel about their bodies as the seasons change. The combination of lighter clothing, more social gatherings, and constant exposure to curated images online can make it harder to feel at ease in your own skin.
Why summer can feel harder
Summer tends to come with louder messaging about how bodies should look. Phrases about being “beach ready” or “summer fit” show up everywhere, reinforcing the idea that there is a specific way to exist in a body during this time of year.
At the same time, more of our bodies are visible. Shorts, swimsuits, tank tops. For many people, this visibility can bring vulnerability. It can stir up comparison, self-criticism, and the urge to change or control the body.
Social media often amplifies this. Studies show that appearance-related pressure and dieting conversations increase around spring and summer, shaping how people feel about themselves and their bodies.
When all of this comes together, it makes sense that summer can feel emotionally charged.
You are allowed to feel both joy and discomfort
One of the most tender truths about body image is that it is not fixed. You can feel confident one day and uncertain the next. You can enjoy a beach day and still have moments of self-doubt.
Both can exist at the same time.
Rather than trying to eliminate discomfort completely, it can be helpful to soften your response to it. To notice the thoughts without immediately believing them. To remind yourself that body image is influenced by culture, context, and past experiences, not just your reflection in the mirror.
Gently shifting the focus
When body image takes up space, it can pull you away from the very things that make summer meaningful. Small shifts in attention can help you come back to what matters.
You might begin by asking yourself:
What do I want to feel this summer
What do I want to remember
These questions can anchor you in experiences rather than appearance.
Moments like laughing with friends, feeling the sun on your skin, or dipping your feet into cold water are not dependent on how your body looks. You deserve them you as you are.
Creating a softer environment
You deserve an environment that supports your well being.
This might look like curating your social media so that it includes a wider range of bodies and fewer accounts that leave you feeling inadequate. It might mean setting boundaries around conversations that center weight or appearance. It might mean choosing clothing that feels comfortable rather than corrective.
These are quiet acts of care. They matter.
Practicing body respect
Body image is often framed as something we need to feel positively about all the time. For many people, that feels out of reach.
A more accessible place to start is respect.
Respect can look like:
Eating regularly and consistently
Moving your body in ways that feel supportive rather than punishing
Speaking to yourself with a bit more kindness
Letting your body take up space
Body dissatisfaction is strongly linked to mental health struggles and disordered eating, which makes caring for your relationship with your body an important part of overall wellbeing.
Let summer be about living
There is no version of your body that grants you permission to participate in your life.
Summer does not need to be something you prepare your body for. It can be something you step into, exactly as you are.
You are allowed to go to the beach. To wear the clothes. To take the photos. To be present.
And if difficult thoughts show up along the way, you can meet them with gentleness instead of urgency.
This season will pass, as all seasons do. The memories you create in it can be shaped by how fully you allow yourself to be there.
Right here. In the body you have today.
About Moha and Eating Disorder Counselling
Hi, I’m Moha. I am a trauma-informed therapist who specializes in working with eating disorders and body image. We live in a world that is saturated with messages about what our bodies are supposed to look like. We are told that if we look a certain way, we can finally be “enough”. As someone with lived experience of an eating disorder, I know all too well that it is never just about food; rather it is about wanting to feel loved and safe, wanting to control something in an otherwise chaotic world, or wanting to finally feel like you are enough.
Before I was a therapist, I volunteered at the Looking Glass Foundation for Eating Disorders. Here, I directly connected with individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and sexual orientations, and learned that while our journeys may look different, our core struggles remain the need. We all want to feel seen and secure. Whether you’re wanting to make peace with food, finally giving up on dieting, or learning to accept yourself as you are, I promise to take this path together with you. From someone who has been there, recovery is possible.
I also acknowledge that we live in a fatphobic world. Intersecting identities and systems of oppression can make it even more challenging to focus on recovery for folks of colour who are in larger bodies. Together, we will equip you with tools to take care of yourself, and continue to live your life to the fullest. I operate from a Health-At-Every-Size, fat-positive, and body-neutral lens.
I offer a free 15-minute consultation to answer any questions about my process and to see if we might be a good fit!
