"Hot Girl Summer" (blog 5)

Hey, Poppie's friends! Welcome back to the Friday Blog. 

Today we are talking about the illusive term: hot girl summer.

I have a feeling reading that either made you cringe, laugh, shrug, or D: all of the above. Honestly, I'm completely torn on this term, and maybe you're a lot like me. Take a trip with me inside my brain...proceed with caution...

On one hand, I immediately want to search Amazon for their best rated, full-coverage swim options. Seriously. No matter tall, short, thin, "big bootied" or small...what is in our mind as women that is generally programmed to hate our own bodies?

I have had friends who have the "bod" I want, and they still aren't happy or satisfied with themselves. I have had friends look at mine and stay the same. We pick ourselves apart to bits, set these goals that will make us feel "content" at the finish line, and then find that there's another "finish line" beyond the "finish line..." perpetually. lol. Comparison is RAMPANT in our world of quick searches, clicks, and influencers. Have you ever been content with a room in your home, a hair style you styled, or even a weight achieved on the sale, then immediately see something on IG to make you feel back at the bottom again? Y'all: I'm exhausted with this.

BUT this all leads me to a comforting and exciting conclusion: the grass isn't greener on the other side. If so, wouldn't we be happy when we accomplish, "X," or our friends who have our "dream body..." wouldn't they NOT struggle with confidence or self esteem? THIS all tells me that, as Katy Herron in Mean Girls says: "The limit does not exist!" The standard of ourselves does not have to depend on the wavering trends of culture, the comparison to other sisters and friends on social, and definitely not the toxic thoughts we think of ourselves. The limit does not exist. 

SO, I say, we marvel at this term and concept: a fun summer of celebrating yourself, your body, joy with friends, laughter, adventures, and saying "screw it" to the standard. WE ARE THE STANDARD. How we treat our sisters, treat ourselves, and even more importantly, how we unashamedly carry ourselves with a deeper confidence than a number on a scale or how closely or not your thighs touch. Are we not so much more beautiful and complex than what society says we should look like, or even what WE think we should look like compared to someone else? 

I can read some of your minds. Of course, this is all "easy" for me to say, being somewhat "thin." I'm 5'7" and I wear a size 8. If this is your "goal," lets re-read paragraph 2. I'm still insecure, struggle with self-esteem, and have a "goal bod" in my own mind, too. 

SO, friends, lets make this our version of "hot girl summer." Work on yourself in the way that nourishes your soul. Do things and spend time with people who make you happy. Not only that, but people who LIFT YOU UP! Remember you are more than skin and shape...GIRL, your beauty runs SO much deeper than your skin! Wear the outfit you want to wear that makes you feel FIERCE, but remember, you have a deeper beauty that will last, you are loved more than you can imagine, and you deserve to love yourself! LET'S DO THIS!