Putting your brain over your body: how bikini season misleads us

Cristina D’Alto 

The dreaded season of obsessing over flat stomachs and thin builds is upon us. There is chatter building in my sorority house of “hot girl summer”, and I’m starting to feel an obligation to be working towards some ‘better’ body. Hearing girls make comments like “starving season” — that one made my stomach turn in knots — directs me to criticize myself. But as I feel the judgement set in, I make an effort to give myself grace. 

Looking fit just isn’t something I’ve been focusing on right now. I can make a million excuses for why, but at the top of my priority list has been my mental health. This year, being far away from home at school has been especially hard. Sensationalized fitness is far down on my priority list, after several trips home, switching therapists, trying to find peace in a living situation in which I’m not happy, and feeling without a place. It’s hard for me to even write about this, but I want you to understand how many important things are allowed to surpass looking good. 

The reality of ‘bikini season’ is that you might be dealing with other things instead. Do you need to add body pressure onto the plate? Whether you’re working on a big or small issue, from eating disorder recovery to a difficult project at your job, you are allowed to put ‘looking your best’ at the bottom on your list. 

Let’s dive deeper into that overused term: “looking your best”. Who is to determine what that is? At risk of sounding like a broken record, media and societal standards only have as much power as you give them. When you feel the pressure setting in, that might be hard to believe. Acknowledging your power in the situation, however, is the first step towards true self acceptance. Remember that your best is composed of so many things: your energy, your mental health, your relationships, your accomplishments. Bikini season reduces all of that to a trivial thing, undermining the less tangible but much more consequential things you’ve worked on. To direct all attention to how you look, is to give up on the parts of you that are reliable and enduring. 

Instead of seeing spring as the time for long gym sessions and a perfect diet, take it as a time of focusing on feeling your best so you can enjoy the coming season outdoors. The way you treat yourself is how you see the world. Fill your mind with judgement and you assume others look at you the same way, you may cave in and hide. Occupy that same space with love and support, and your confidence builds; the world seems open to you. That is what will determine your summer, not the shape of your body. 

A change in season should not require a change in your mental health.