Summer is coming. The sea sparkles. And somewhere on that beach, a woman keeps her t-shirt on. Not because she's cold. Because she's afraid. Afraid of how others will see her. Afraid of her own reflection. Afraid of existing in a body she's been taught to find inadequate.
If you've ever experienced that little hesitant gesture, that t-shirt that you pull down instead of taking off, know that you're not alone. Far from it.
A global problem, not a personal weakness
The figures are striking, and they come from all over the world. According to an IFOP study conducted for Flashs magazine , 67% of women say they don't feel comfortable in their beachwear . This figure has even increased in the last ten years, since in 2013 it was 61%.
In the United States, a Voda Swim survey conducted in 2025 revealed that more than 95% of women feel insecure at the beach .
And what about the world? In 2024, Dove conducted the largest study ever undertaken by a beauty brand: 33,000 people surveyed in 20 countries , from Argentina to China, from the UK to Saudi Arabia. The result: 1 in 3 women worldwide would be willing to sacrifice an entire year of their lives to achieve the body they consider "perfect." One in three. This is no longer just an individual concern. It's a silent epidemic.
Where does this voice that says "not you" come from?
The answer is clear, and it doesn't come from you. It comes from decades of biased representations. According to Dove's 2024 study, women today feel less confident in their bodies than they did ten years ago , despite twenty years of the body positivity movement. And social media bears a heavy responsibility: 1 in 3 women feels pressure to change their appearance because of what they see online (even when they know the images are retouched or AI-generated).
Clinical psychologist Phillippa Diedrichs, from the Appearance Research Centre at the University of the West of England, confirms this: "Despite twenty years of work to broaden the definitions of beauty, women feel less confident in their bodies than they did a decade ago."
What psychologists recommend and what actually works
Getting through it doesn't happen overnight. But here's what the experts say:
Rework your inner dialogue. Replace " my thighs are horrible" with "my legs carry me every day." Neutrality defuses the emotional charge.
Declutter your digital life. Unfollowing accounts that make you feel inadequate isn't a sign of weakness. It's mental hygiene. Studies show that reducing your time on social media improves body image and decreases anxiety.
Exposure yourself gradually. A swim with friends, a less crowded beach, then little by little. Each successful exposure proves to your brain that the imagined danger doesn't exist.
The real question
That t-shirt you're keeping on doesn't protect your body. It protects a wound: the wound of having learned, since childhood, that your body had to earn the sun.
He doesn't have to earn it. He's entitled to it. You have a right to it .
This summer, maybe not on the first day. Maybe not without some apprehension. But one day, that t-shirt will stay in your bag. Not because your body will be "perfect." But because you will have decided it doesn't have to be.
