When the sun comes out, the pressure to feel good in your body often does too and for many people, that pressure doesn’t feel empowering, instead it feels exhausting.
You might be scrolling past flawless bikini shots on Instagram. You might hear people talking about “getting summer body ready.” Maybe you dig out last year’s clothes and wonder if they’ll still fit, and what it means if they don’t.
If summer is bringing up body image struggles for you, please know that you are not alone. But more importantly, you’re not doing anything wrong.
It makes complete sense to feel this way when we’ve been taught our bodies are projects or problems to fix. But what if this summer, you didn’t have to love how your body looks to treat it with care?
What if instead, you leaned into body respect?
What Is Body Respect, and Why Does It Matter?
Body respect isn’t about loving every inch of yourself. It’s not about confidence, or curves, or finally finding the right outfit that makes you feel amazing.
It’s about acknowledging your body as worthy of care, no matter how you feel about it that day.
Body respect says:
“You don’t have to like your body to feed it, clothe it comfortably, or let it be part of joyful moments.”
This can be really powerful, especially in a culture that constantly tells us our value lies in looking a certain way.
5 Ways to Practise Body Respect This Summer
If you’re trying to navigate a difficult relationship with your body right now, here are some small but powerful ways to show it respect, even if body love feels out of reach.
- Choose Comfort Over Control
Ditch the jeans that dig in and the swimsuit you only wear because it’s “slimming.” Choose clothes that help you feel good. This means soft, breathable, stretchy, floaty, whatever works for you!
You’re allowed to take up space and to feel physically at ease while doing so.
- Protect Your Body, Don’t Punish It
Suncream, water, shade, rest, these are all acts of body respect. They might seem simple, but when we’re caught up in body shame, it’s easy to neglect even basic care of ourselves.
Body respect can look like:
✨Taking breaks when you’re hot and tired
✨Packing snacks so you’re not running on empty
✨Saying no to social plans if you need physical or emotional rest
Its not being lazy, its looking after yourself.
- Say No to Diet Talk
You don’t have to join in the “I’m being so bad” or “I need to lose weight before my holiday” conversations.
Set boundaries where you can:
✨Change the subject
✨Leave the room
✨Say, “I’m trying not to focus on body stuff right now”
It’s okay to protect your peace, that’s body respect too.
- Reclaim Photos for the Memories
You might not love how you look in every photo, no one does! That’s completely valid and human.
But your body isn’t what mattered in those moments. You were laughing, swimming, playing, resting etc, creating beautiful memories to cherish, that have nothing to do with your body.
Try asking yourself: What do I want to remember from this moment? That question can shift everything.
- Focus on How You Want to Feel
Instead of asking, “How do I look?” try asking, “How do I want to feel today?”
✨Free?
✨Present?
✨Comfortable?
✨Included?
Let that guide your choices, because body respect often starts when we shift the focus from appearance to experience.
What Gets in the Way of Body Respect?
To name a few things:
✨Diet culture that profits off your insecurities
✨Social media that filters and edits real bodies out of existence
✨Internalised fatphobia that tells you thinner = better
✨Past experiences that made you feel unsafe in your body
These aren’t personal flaws, instead they’re cultural messages many of us have absorbed without question. Learning to respect your body, especially in summer, can feel like swimming against the current. Which is why it takes patience, practice, and self-compassion.
If you’re finding it hard, that doesn’t mean you’re failing. It means you’re unlearning, which can be difficult, but brave.
You Are Not a Problem to Be Fixed
Summer doesn’t have to be a performance, and you don’t need to earn your right to enjoy it by punishing your body.
You don’t have to feel confident to walk on the beach, you don’t need abs to join in on the group phot, you don’t have to love your reflection to say yes to ice cream, laughter and connecting with others.
You just have to exist in the body you have right now. So, if you’re struggling with body image this summer, come back to this reminder:
“My body is not a problem to be fixed.”
It’s your home, and it’s the only body you’re every going to have. It deserves your respect, even on the hard days.
✨ Do you need support in healing your relationship with food and body? I work with people ready to stop obsessing over food, trust their bodies, and feel free again. Learn more about what I can offer you here.