Starting as early as March, the magazine headlines begin touting articles about diet and nutrition aimed at helping people achieve the coveted “beach body.” Everyone knows the classic model form: toned arms and abs, firm thighs, and a cellulite- and stretchmark-free butt that fits size 0 bikini (and a DD chest on top). Littered all over the Internet are tips and tricks for a “hot” body, and while they all claim to be unique the foundation is essentially the same. Right after the holiday season binge fest, we need to do 70 sit-ups and 350 push-ups and 600 jumping jacks and run 1,000 miles a day while only eating green vegetables and chicken breasts. Maybe if you do this routine 2x a day for 7 days a week, by the time June rolls around you’ll finally be pretty enough and worthy of your local public beach!
I don’t know about you, but my body looks the same every year when I go to the beach, and it certainly does not resemble any of these gorgeous women:
Which is not to say that we should be shaming women who look like them or have aspirations to look like them. Everyone has his or her own comfort zone, and you should stick to yours no matter what anyone else says. It’s your body, and you look beautiful the way you are.
My specific issue is with the term beach body. What does that even mean? A quick Google search of the term reports over 82 million results (and it’s increasing all the time).
Under the search results is a company of the same name that uses infomercials and other marketing techniques to sell home-based fitness products, pictures of models doing advanced yoga and athletic poses on an empty beach (yeah, that’s what I do when I go to the beach, too), and headlines about celebrities “showing off” their beach bodies in designer bikinis. The people aren’t just fit; they’re monstrously toned, muscular, tan and gorgeous.
^ Yeah, me too! ^
Every time we hear or see the printed term beach body, this is what he media means. Spring is the season to buckle down and lose all that winter weight, mostly so that you can look hot and Instagram pictures of yourself doing beach yoga. Let’s reiterate: this fitness craze is not about being healthy or getting into shape, it’s about who will look the best at the beauty contest that is your local public beach filled with screaming toddlers and grandparents applying sunscreen. Even if you are traveling somewhere exotic and gorgeous this summer, or hanging out with friends at some fun pool or waterpark, who cares what you look like? I certainly don’t judge other people at the beach, and if you do, you’re beach-ing wrong. Everyone is there to relax and be warm, don’t make it weird.
I don’t mean to discourage people from getting fit, but no one should feel pressure to have the classically defined beach body. A beach body is a body at the beach, no matter what size it is. Instead of stressing out about it, here’s what you should do:
1. Take your body.
2. Put it in a bathing suit.
3. Go to the water.
4. Get in it.
5. Have fun!
I promise, you’ll enjoy the beach just as much without having 8-pack abs.