We’re all obsessed with looks – the right selfie angle, the right shade of highlighter, the right clothes at the right time to the right event. Whatever it is, it’s always something.
For me, it’s body insecurity. Yeah, I know – textbook, right? I’ll spend hours posing in every conceivable (and sometimes inconceivable) position in the mirror before deciding whether I look good, or like a capybara who got lost and accidentally stumbled into Forever 21.
Okay, I’m exaggerating (but not really…).
Don’t even get me started on the summer! Give me sweat and humidity over cold toes and the sniffles any day, but summer brings its own challenges for my internal vanity. New obstacles arise; frizzy hair, shiny skin, chaffing thighs and the thought of shaving my legs on a regular basis keeps me up at night.
Worst of all, it brings on a barrage of what I like to call ‘kick-you-when-you’re-down’ media – you’re still carrying your Easter chocolate weight (it never really goes anyway) and suddenly there are ads and articles everywhere telling you how to get the “perfect bikini bod” for summer. I thought having a bikini body was as simple as, y’unno, having a body and putting a bikini on it 👙 Apparently not…
When you’re on your summer holiday refusing to do anything other than lie flat on your back around the pool for fear of tummy rolls (which every human in the whole entire world has), you really feel the pressure.
When you’re drinking your weight in cocktails, visiting amazing local restaurants and experiencing the glorious all-inclusive buffet for a week, it makes you question yourself. You know how it goes: “Oh god. Look at my body. Look at her body. She looks like Jennifer Lawrence emerging from the sea if James Bond ever decide to do a Doctor Who and go down the vagina route. Look at your enormous bum in those shorts – should you REALLY be digging into another tapas bowl?”
SHUT UP BRAIN, I’M TRYING TO ENJOY MYSELF!
Remember, you’re on holiday. On holiday from the grim British weather, from housework, from your job. But also on holiday from yourself. A holiday from that strict diet. A holiday from worrying about what your boyfriend / girlfriend / friends / family / colleagues think. You don’t know anyone there, so who cares?!
You’re allowed to enjoy yourself, to enjoy your food – and I mean enjoy it. Try the local delicacies. Choose the most indulgent ice cream. Sip cocktails you’ve never heard of before. And don’t feel bad about it! Don’t let other people’s bodies get you down. Don’t waste time examining your so-called “bikini body” in the mirror. Holidays are the perfect time to unwind. They’re an escape and, sometimes, escaping from your own mind is the biggest part of it all.
#ThisGirlEats 