Summer arrives with lighter clothes, higher temperatures and long days by the sea. But as more of our bodies are exposed, do we also become more vulnerable to criticism—or start seeing ourselves differently?

Every summer, phrases such as “summer body” and “beach body” return to our vocabulary, reinforcing the idea that we need to look a certain way before we can fully enjoy the season. Scientific research has identified a related phenomenon known as “seasonal body image,” suggesting that the way we perceive our bodies can shift depending on the time of year.

A 2021 study by Griffiths and colleagues linked the season to body image, finding that 70% of participants reported that their perception of their bodies changed with the seasons. During the summer, participants experienced higher levels of body dissatisfaction, more frequent comparisons with other people’s bodies and a stronger sense that their own appearance was under constant scrutiny.

These experiences are also closely connected to social appearance anxiety—the fear of being judged by others based on one’s looks. For many people, summer may intensify this anxiety as beaches, pools and lighter clothing place greater emphasis on physical appearance.

Adolescents can be particularly vulnerable. Research by well-known Psychiatry Professor Antonios Dakanalis and colleagues in 2016 found that social appearance anxiety among teenagers is strongly associated with body dissatisfaction and symptoms of eating disorders. It was also significantly more prevalent among adolescents experiencing eating disorders.

All of this raises a crucial question: Do we have a healthy enough relationship with our bodies to enjoy summer freely, without restrictive behaviours, relentless comparisons or the feeling that our appearance must meet someone else’s standards?