With summer theoretically around the corner, if spring will ever come and go, insecurities pop up for everyone. When that sun does come out, if it ever stops snowing and being cold, you will be able to wear shorts, dresses and bikinis. Why not wear them with your winter body? These questions will be on your mind every season until forever: Will I look good in my bikini at the beach? Am I tanning enough? Are my thighs too big? Do my arms jiggle too much in my tank top? These are some of the questions that run through women’s minds when shorts and bikini season rolls around.
The problem is not these questions. The problem arises when women, and some men, go to extremes to make sure their bodies are in tip-top summer shape in order to be the best looking person in a group picture taken on the beach, at a party or even just in a picture by themselves. Why? Pressures from everyone else, but they’re all doing the same thing. Everyone has this image in their minds of how summer should go, but is that really the most important thing to be concerned with? Probably not.
Trust me, I understand where people come from. I try to, at least. I’ve had a jumble of insecurities about body image, how people see me in a group setting, how smart I am in my classes, but only one thing truly matters: how you see yourself. That’s the most important thing.
If you’re not comfortable with yourself, nobody else will be either. If you have curves and love your body, nobody else matters. Even if you’re the skinniest person on campus, if you love yourself, nobody else’s idea of what “perfect” is should matter to you. Your view of yourself is what should drive your thoughts and actions.
Around this time of year, it seems as if an epidemic of seasonal eating disorders show up. I’m not making this up, either. I’ll admit, “eating disorders” may not be the correct term to use in this situation because typically an eating disorder is an ongoing issue, and during the warmer months, people begin eating much less than they would on a normal day. Sales of diet pills and easy diet remedies are up during the spring and summer months because of how people feel they should look on the outside. People begin tanning around this time of year too, not caring about the risks they are placing upon their bodies.
How much is a skinny body worth to people on campus? I walk around during the warm months when people begin tanning on Wheeler Mall or Stubbs Lawn and often wonder to myself: how are they that comfortable with their bodies that they are willing to lay out in the open when it’s not even that warm. Sure, Vitamin D helps relax the body. Science has proven that, but when is too much, too much?
Too much happens when a woman, or a man, stops eating normally or starts a fad diet regimen to drop 20 pounds as quickly as possible. People will visit the tanning bed four or five times a week for 10 or 20 minutes at a time to reach that beloved golden tan just in time for the first beach weekend of the summer.
I’ve never been one for tanning beds to begin with, so I’m certainly no expert on them. People say that they tan because it relaxes them. Instead, go read a book. Or find another hobby that will relax your body without causing permanent damage to your skin cells. Nobody cares if you’re the palest person on the beach, but if you’re comfortable with your skin tone or maybe 10 extra pounds around your midsection, embrace it. As students, we have enough on our plates already without adding the stress from not eating or skin cancer to the mix.
It’s hard to make people understand that personal happiness is more important than the happiness of the people who seem to be placed on this earth simply to judge the paleness or weight of others. Gym memberships are at their highest right after New Year’s Resolution season and springtime. Everyone wants to go to the gym, but they quit as soon as those last 10 pesky pounds have finally found their way off of one’s body.
If posed with the option to be skinny and tan or healthy and cancer-free, which would you choose? Would you choose to go to the gym year-round and stick with a paler complexion, or would you still choose diet pills and tanning beds? Make the right choice for yourself, but make sure you know the risks. You may end up with your idea of the perfect body, and it may not be equal to someone else’s idea. Who cares? Love yourself. Be healthy.
Summer will come and go, but your happiness will remain. Do everything possible to keep yourself happy during the heat. Hike. Sweat out your stresses. Have fun with your friends. If that means going on the lake in town, do it once a week, not four times. Tanning in moderation. Dieting in moderation. Happiness in full.
