Body Image Tips for Navigating Summer with Confidence
June 11, 2025 | By Mary Blair Holden
Body Image During a Hot, Humid Summer
We are about to kick off summer, which can be a good time to pause and check in with yourself about how you’ve been feeling this season. Summer can be a fun time of year filled with beach vacations, concerts, rooftop dinners, and more. These outdoor social activities provide connection and fun, but when paired with hot weather and the need to dress for the heat, they can also stir up body image concerns for many of us
Lindsay Kite, PhD & Lexie Kite, PhD discuss the concept of self-objectification in their body image work. They describe self-objectification as the experience of treating our bodies as objects, splitting off from our internal experience and taking on someone else’s perspective. For example, “What does this part of my body look like to others?”
Have you ever found yourself doing this and asking these questions? Most likely, the answer is yes. As human beings, we crave connection and acceptance. We also live in a society that disproportionately values thinness (even though thinness holds no moral value.) We’ve been trained, through both direct and indirect messages, to focus on how our bodies appear to others.
The Impact of Self-Objectification
There are many problems with self-objectification but since we can't change societal pressures overnight, I want to focus on how we can take back our attention. Self-objectification causes so many of us to miss out on our own experiences and our own life. The constant concern about how our bodies look steals our ability to experience joy in the present moment.
How to Reclaim Your Experience
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The first step in fighting self-objectification is becoming aware that it’s happening. Then, try bringing your attention back to your own individual experience through embodiment and your internal senses:
What does your body feel like?
What do the bottoms of your feet feel like when you walk?
What do you see from your point of view?
What do you smell or hear?
These grounding questions help bring you back into your body.
Respect Yourself and Your Body
Many parts of the country are experiencing record heat waves, especially those of us in the DC metro area, where the humidity can be extreme. Dressing in clothes that help your body stay comfortable in the heat is essential for getting through the summer. Whether you choose shorts, tank tops, or bathing suits, it’s important to remind yourself that this is a way to respect your body. All bodies deserve to feel comfortable
A Few Practical Tips for Summer Body Comfort
Buy clothes that fit. No matter your size, clothing that doesn’t fit will make you feel physically uncomfortable and mentally distracted by your body.
Address chafing. Chafing is real and incredibly common! Use anti-chafing balms or wear bike shorts under dresses or skirts.
Normalize sweating. You’re not the only one sweating! At some point, society decided sweat was embarrassing, but it’s actually natural and necessary.
You Can Do Hard Things
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Keeping yourself from these experiences because of anxiety about your body size likely won’t help you feel better in the long run. Instead, try embracing these moments and focusing on making memories. Yes, social and outdoor activities may come with anxiety, insecurity, or discomfort but shifting your mindset can help build emotional resilience.
Rumor has it: the more you face and do hard things, the easier they become.
So buy and wear that bathing suit sitting in your Amazon cart. Get in the photos, don’t always stay behind the camera. Go to the BBQs, the swim parks, and the splash pads with your kids. You and your body deserve to live. Be present in your own life. And who knows? Your courage might just inspire someone else too.
Have a fun, safe summer and don’t forget the sunscreen!
Want to Learn More About Positive Body Image?
If this topic resonated with you, we invite you to explore more of our resources on body image, self-worth, and body positivity. Check out these related blog posts:
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Teen Body Image: Support & Resources
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