Summertime and body positivity are ideas that didn’t go together well for me as a first-time mom, and it’s also something I continued to struggle with for a long time. If you have every struggled with this, you’re not alone.
Summertime and Body Positivity
I remember when I was younger I couldn’t wait for it to be summertime. However, after I had my baby, I started to dread summertime. Well, to be clear I started to dread my summertime body.
It took me a very long time to embrace my body again, and I know many mamas who have struggled with this too. So I want to share with you my story and some body positivity quotes that have helped me along the way.
Summertime Changed After I Had My Baby
Whenever I tried on clothes for summer after my baby was born, I used to get flashbacks of what my ex-husband said after I had an emergency c-section.
He said to the nurse, “Is her stomach gonna stay like that?” with a look of disgust on his face. After that, I felt ashamed of my body. I wondered who else would think that? For long after, I continued to judge myself, my scar, and my stretch marks.
What Really Counts This Summer
Now that summer is here again, I’m taking ownership of my part in tearing myself down, and I’m learning to embrace my body.
This summer and forevermore, I want to be kinder to myself and practice self-love. I’m going to create more happy memories with my daughter because that’s what really counts.
Body Positivity
Body Positivity is important because our children look up to us. We have to set the tone and be kind to ourselves and our children. They are watching us and repeating everything we say and do.
Here are some more body positivity quotes below that have also encouraged and helped me as a mom.
Body Positivity Quotes for Moms
- “Even though it will never be flat again, my stomach’s still my favorite because it reminds me of my greatest achievement: my babies.” — Isla Fisher
- “Your body is ready for summer when it’s summer and you have a body.” — Hannah Nesse
- “To all the girls that think you’re fat because you’re not a size zero, you’re the beautiful one, its society who’s ugly.” — Marilyn Monroe
- “I can’t think of any better representation of beauty than someone who is unafraid to be herself.” — Emma Stone
- “Every body is a bikini body.” — Kimberly O’Connor
- “Nobody is perfect. I just don’t believe in perfection. But I do believe in saying, ‘This is who I am and look at me not being perfect!’ I’m proud of that.” — Kate Winslet
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“The most offensive thing you can do to your body is wish parts of it away.”
- “What spirit is so empty and blind that it cannot recognize the fact that the foot is more noble than the shoe, and skin more beautiful than the garment with which it is clothed?” — Michelangelo
- “Don’t compare yourself to strangers on the internet” — Mara Ridolfi
- “I have arms. I have legs. I can see, hear, and experience life. My body has done amazing things, why on earth would I punish it?”
- ”Lighten up on yourself. No one is perfect. Gently accept your humanness.” — Deborah Day
- “I will accept that my body may never be exactly the same as it was before I had the baby, just as my heart will never be the same. Both are a blessing.”
- ”If you are ever finding it hard to love your body, try writing a list of all the great things that your body helps you to do.” — Jessica Sanders
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“I wish I could tell my younger self that she was always more than a body. She always had more to offer the world than weight loss and flat abs. So much more.” – Megan Jayne Crabbe
- “It is okay to take the time to grieve your pre-baby body. Your feelings for how you may feel about your body are valid and heard, but I hope, today, you are empowered to love yourself a little more today!!” — Desiree Fortin
- “What about defining yourself by a different kind of measurement? What about your heart, your soul, your compassion, your generosity, your strength, and your power? There are so many other things to focus on besides your waistline.” –- Mariska Hargitay
- “Hating our bodies is something we learn and it is sure as hell is something we can unlearn.” – Megan Jayne Crabbe
- “These babies have made a permanent mark on the canvas that is our bodies and it tells an incredible story that we should be proud of.” — Constance
- “I am beautiful. My stretch marks are proof that I brought life into this world and that means more than your opinion.”
- “People often say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I say that the most liberating thing about beauty is realizing that you are the beholder.” — Salma Hayek
- “I think a woman’s body after having a baby is pretty amazing . . . you just did the most incredible miracle that life has to offer. I mean, you gave birth to a human being! So I would really like to see that celebrated.” — Blake Lively
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“Life is so much more beautiful and complex than a number on a scale.” — Tess Munster
- “A rose can never be a sunflower, and a sunflower can never be a rose. All flowers are beautiful in their own way, and that’s like women too.” — Miranda Kerr
Embrace Summertime
I want to jump in the pool without feeling self-conscious because my daughter just wants to have fun with me. She doesn’t care how I look. Why should I? I’m learning to embrace summertime again and my body. We all should. Remember that you are beautiful and you deserve happiness this summer!
Originally published June 2022.
The opinions expressed in this post are those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of El Paso Mom, its executive team, other contributors to the site, its sponsors or partners, or any organizations the aforementioned might be affiliated with.
