The pressure to look ‘perfect’ for summer and why it needs to stop

The pressure we put to look perfect for summer is so disheartening

Instead of looking forward to trips to the beach and drinking in the sunshine with our friends, many of us are now hyper-focused on whether our bodies are 'summer ready'.

It's a pressure that has stuck with us since our teenage years and one that often feels near impossible to shake.

So many people are judged and ridiculed all because of their bodies. Once the calendar is flipped over to May, we instantly hear people talking about 'being good for summer' or 'getting their beach body ready'.

The toxic conversations become a soundtrack to every single summer, no matter how old we get.

Yesterday, I overheard two women talking about how 'terrible' their cellulite was and how they'd never step foot on the beach in 'such a state'. They were twice my age, but still felt the insecurities I've had since I was a teenager.

It's like our brains are programmed to think that only people who look like Kim Kardashian are allowed to wear swimsuits or show off their bodies proudly. The rest of us must cover up and hide away, but why should we?

Why is there only one 'perfect' type of body? Why can't society encourage everyone to feel body confident? Isn't it time for us to celebrate and acknowledge that there is more than one type of beauty? Just because the labels on our swimsuits are different doesn't mean we're not worthy, right?

"Don't waste your time, don't waste your life's purpose worrying about your body"

As Emma Thompson perfectly put it, life is too short to spend it worrying about what you look like.

"Don't waste your time, don't waste your life's purpose worrying about your body. This is your vessel, it's your house, it's where you live, there's no point in judging it, absolutely no point, but it's very hard to do."

Summer should be about making memories and not hiding away because of a society that solely judges you based on the size of your jeans. We need to leave those days behind and follow Emma Thompson's wise words this summer.