Does just the sight of this make
you feel anxious?
During “bathing suit season”, many feel the pressure to meet standards of physical “perfection”, especially with demands to bare more skin throughout the summer months. The media and celebrities exacerbate these pressures by contributing to an unrealistic (and many times, unhealthy) representation of the human body.Feelings of negativity and anxiety are common among both teens and adults during this period, keeping many from just having “fun in the sun.”So how can we help cure this epidemic of negative body image and free people from the fear of the bathing suit?

• Focus on the reason you put your suit on in the first place: to unwind and spend valuable time with friends and family.
• Take the pressure off of yourself by taking the pressure off of others – if your friends and family don’t feel like they’re being held to the unrealistic standards of celebrities and the media, then you won’t feel like you have anyone to please, but yourself, either.
• Join together to limit the purchase of popular magazines that can influence negative body image
• Agree to stop commenting on people’s bodies, appearance and clothes.
• Nip it in the bud: negative body image can spin out of control, playing a contributing role in the development of eating disorders. If you’re feeling anxious about putting on a bathing suit, talk to someone you trust who can help you cope, rather than turning to an alternate form of coping.
• Focus on non-physical compliments – ex. human skill or personality. Once you start focusing on the positives attributes of others’, you’ll stop concentrating on your own perceived “negatives.”
• Take your time and choose a suit that fits your body. If you love your blue eyes, wear a suit that compliments their color; If youlove beach sports, opt for a two piece with boy shorts that allows you to get active in the sand or by the pool;
• Find the right suit that fits and is made for your body. Seventeen Magazine’s Body Peace expert Jess Weiner offers some more tips.

For more information, check out Jill Zimmerman Rutledge’s book, “Picture Perfect: What You Need to Feel Better About Your Body” which deals specifically with the topic of body image.