For many of us, summer means lazy beach days and backyard grilling. And with the summer heat and sun come all sorts of seasonal health precautions to keep in mind: staying hydrated, using sunscreen to protect your skin, avoiding bug bites and unpleasant skin rashes, and more.
What body image experts say you shouldn’t be worried about, however, include things like cellulite, pale legs, and back sweat. They’re not true health issues, and the time, money, and energy you spend fixing (or even just thinking about) these so-called issues can be taxing.
One minute you’re enjoying your day and the next a comment or look draws attention to the fact that you missed a patch of stubble or forgot to paint your toenails. Now you’re no longer focused on having a good time but kicking yourself for having perfectly normal human qualities like body hair and bare toenails.
Chasing perfection takes a toll on your mental and emotional health, says Jennifer Kelman, LCSW, a therapist who works with JustAnswer and specializes in eating disorders and body image in private practice in Boca Raton, Florida. “We suffer because perfection is an endless quest, and one where the needle is always moving,” she says.
Failing to achieve ever-changing standards of perfection can create a negative body image. According to the Office on Women’s Health, negative feelings about how your body looks can lead to unhealthy behaviors like extreme dieting or social isolation.
Ditching these concerns, on the other hand, can help you enjoy the season and foster a healthier body image. Here are seven body issues to stop worrying about in the summer, according to Kelman and other body image experts.
1. Visible Sweating
Sweat marks on clothes and sweat droplets on your face are part of spending time outdoors in the heat.
Sweating is your body’s way of staying cool when things heat up. When your internal temperature rises, sweat glands release sweat onto the skin. There, it evaporates, which helps your body cool down, according to Piedmont, a healthcare organization.
Instead of worrying about how you look when you’re sweaty, use sweat as a reminder to drink up. Sweating signals fluid loss, which can lead to dehydration if you’re not careful, according to MedlinePlus.
Shrein Bahrami, a licensed marriage and family therapist and eating disorder specialist based in San Francisco, and the owner of Evolve Wellness Group, recommends considering whether you’re sweating because you chose heavy fabrics and focusing your energy on finding breathable clothing that will feel more comfortable and help keep you cool.
2. Leg and Underarm Stubble
You get a last-minute invite to the beach. At first, you’re pumped, but then you realize you forgot to shave. What do you do: decline the invite, hastily shave, or grin and bear it?
If your knee-jerk reaction is to cancel rather than shave or show stubble, consider why you pressure yourself to have perfectly smooth skin. “Awareness is the first step to creating change, so taking a step back and asking ourselves where this fear originated helps shift the question away from ‘What’s wrong with me?’ to ‘I developed these beliefs because of previous experiences,’” says Lena Suarez-Angelino, LCSW, a therapist and founder of Light Collective and Co. who is based in Woodbridge, New Jersey, and specializes in anxiety management and self-esteem.
Some of us might think back to being bullied for our body hair in school, while others might point to the absence of body hair in movies and other popular media.
Now is a great opportunity to ask yourself if you still value smooth skin more than having fun with your friends and challenge yourself to go out even if that means showing stubble. “What would happen if you wore a summer dress and didn’t shave your legs?” Suarez-Angelino asks. Chances are that nothing different will happen than if your legs were shaved, she says. People do it all the time.
3. Pale, Untanned Legs
After spending months in long pants, you finally bare your legs in a skirt or pair of shorts. If your skin is naturally pale or light, you may notice that the skin on your lower half is noticeably lighter than the skin on your upper half.
But consider if it’s really worth harming your skin to lay out in the sun or paying for a spray tan (or some other tanning solution), Bahrami says.
Keep in mind that there’s strong evidence to suggest that UV exposure can cause skin cancer, including the less common but more dangerous form of skin cancer known as melanoma, notes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
So embrace your natural legs, whatever tone they are.
4. Unpainted Toenails
Showing off freshly painted toenails in a pair of sandals can feel great. However, maintaining a pristine pedicure can quickly become a part-time job (or require one to outsource the work), especially if you spend time in the sun and sand.
But think about it: What’s wrong with your natural, unpainted, unpedicured toenails? Nothing, says Kelman. Don’t let them stop you from wearing footwear that feels comfortable and enjoying the summer season.
“If you get a beautiful sunny day out of the blue and you want to run to the nearest lake, are you really going to worry that your toenails aren’t painted?” Kelman asks.
5. Cellulite
Do you avoid shorts, dresses, swimsuits, and other summer outfits that let your cellulite show? There’s no shortage of drastic weight loss plans, pricey cellulite creams and treatments, and clothes to cover yourself up.
But body image experts say that one solution works best to deal with it: accept and embrace it.
“Cellulite is determined by our genetics. Understanding and accepting that there's nothing wrong with it, just like one's shoe size or hair texture, leads to greater body peace," Bahrami says.
It’s harmless, and you have to invest a great deal of time, energy, or money to create only minor visible changes to any cellulite you have. Cellulite creams, for example, have to be applied daily to maintain results, and in many cases, you have to apply the cream for six months or longer to notice a change, per the American Academy of Dermatology Association (AAD).
Similarly, spa treatments aimed at reducing cellulite, such as endermologie (a topical spa treatment), can be expensive and require a number of sessions to see results, notes the AAD.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, exercise and weight loss might help lessen the appearance of cellulite, as having higher amounts of fat on your body can make cellulite more pronounced. However, other factors come into play, including genetics, age, and your skin’s thickness.
6. Saggy Arms
You do not need perfectly sculpted shoulders and biceps to bare your arms.
If you’d like to wear a tank top but are uncomfortable with the look of your arms, or for any other reason, Suarez-Angelino suggests easing in slowly. Try wearing a sleeveless shirt around the house before venturing out for a quick errand, “even if it’s going through the drive-thru,” Suarez-Angelino says. You can always bring a cardigan or cover-up along as backup, she adds.
If you don’t like wearing tank tops (irrespective of what your arms or upper body looks like in them), choose other styles, Bahrami says. Wear summer tops that highlight features that you like.
Approach shopping as a way of finding comfortable clothes instead of shaming yourself because you’re unhappy with your arms. “It’s about being loving to yourself and finding things that make you feel good,” Bahrami says.
7. Tan Lines
You may not like the look of visible tan lines, but they don’t need to be cause for distress or a problem that needs to be fixed or hidden, says Suarez-Angelino. If they bother you, try to change your outlook, she suggests. Think of what you were doing when you were outside getting those tan lines (and perhaps some fun summertime memories from that time).
One important caveat: If you are spending time outdoors in the sun, be sure you’re using sunscreen on exposed skin. Sunburned or otherwise sun-damaged skin is a health risk.
