Real Talk: Why Diet Culture Spikes in the Summer—And How to Resist It with Confidence
Summer’s here—cue the sunshine, beach days, and... relentless diet culture?
Yep. As temperatures rise, so does the pressure to shrink ourselves. Scrolling through your feed suddenly feels like a barrage of “beach body” bootcamps, detox teas, and “get toned fast!” meal plans. I literally saw an ad on Pinterest that said, “So and so has 4 weeks to look snatched in a bikini, she has to get to work!” Meanwhile, the model already had a visible six-pack and looked healthy! It’s loud, it’s exhausting, and let’s be real—it’s designed to make you feel like you’re not enough unless you’re chasing smaller.
Let’s change that narrative.
Why Does Diet Culture Hit Harder in the Summer?
More Skin, More Scrutiny: Warmer weather means less clothing. And when bodies become more visible, so does society’s obsession with how they “should” look. That pressure isn’t just annoying—it’s harmful. People love to give unsolicited comments on our bodies.
Marketing Overload: Brands know this is the season of insecurity. That’s why you see an explosion of weight loss ads, “summer shred” programs, and body comparison traps everywhere from TikTok to your email inbox.
Vacation = Food Guilt: Summer often brings travel, BBQs, and moments of indulgence. Instead of embracing the joy of food and freedom, diet culture sneaks in with guilt-laced messages about “getting back on track.” When I check in with my clients around holidays, I check in our how they’re feeling mentally and emotionally around big gatherings. We come up with a game plan if necessary, but I encourage them to take a day off from tracking and focus on being present.
The Problem? It’s a Distraction from What Really Matters.
Diet culture wants you hyper-focused on your body so you miss out on everything else—connection, adventure, play, and peace. You weren’t put on this planet to count calories on a beach towel.
Diet Culture is for Kooks: How we Fight Back
Here’s how to build your anti-diet armor this summer:
1. Reframe the “Beach Body”
A beach body is your body at the beach. That’s it. No prep needed. Confidence isn’t a size, it’s a mindset (and a muscle you can flex more and more each time you show up as your full self). If you’re taking care of your body through proper nutrition and exercsie you enjoy, be proud of that.
2. Curate Your Social Media
Unfollow accounts that make you feel “less than” and follow people who celebrate body diversity, food freedom, and real joy. Your feed should lift you up, not make you doubt yourself. I just unfollowed 100+ people on my personal page and the positivity that’s flooding my feed now feels good.
3. Fuel, Don’t Punish
Eat to energize your summer. Focus on how food makes you feel, not how little you can get away with. Nourishment should support your surf session, your hike, paddleboarding adventures, or your dancing-under-the-stars night out.
4. Speak Kindly to Your Body
You’re allowed to have hard days. But when you catch negative self-talk creeping in, try shifting the script. I’m very attentive to how my clients speak about themselves. We challenge their thought patterns around their bodies, food, and exercise when things start to sound negative.
5. Find Movement You Actually Like
Move in ways that feel fun, empowering, and aligned with your goals—whether it’s surfing, walking, lifting, running, yoga, spinning, or CrossFit like me!
You don’t need to “fix” your body for summer. You need to live in it. Take up space. Dive in. Laugh loud. Eat the ice cream. Take the photo. Diet culture wants you to be smaller, quieter, and constantly doubting yourself. But you? You know that diet culture is for kooks!
Need a reminder? I just opened a new swag shop for Built by Boltz. Shop here and help others remember that diet culture is not the way to go!
