As temperatures soar, beach trips top everyone's summer wish list. But brace yourself for a scary beach body revelation, 49% of people are worried about being 'beach body ready' this summer. That's right, even the amount of body hair deemed 'normal' on the beach causes a fair share of stress. So let's unpack this data and try to get to the bottom of it.
As a hair removal brand, we feel it is our responsibility to create campaigns that always celebrate body positivity and love, no matter your fuzz level. To shape our SS23 Campaign, we commissioned a nifty study with 2000 respondents to see who feels the 'beach body' pressures and generally what beach-day anxieties look like - our respondees gladly spilt the beans.
Our research revealed some interesting truths about modern-day life and the stressors that come with it:
There's a generational divide, with two-thirds of millennials (70%) and Gen-Z (66%) admitting they are concerned about being ‘beach body ready’, compared to just a third (30%) of people aged 55 and over.
When we asked what their main concerns are ahead of a day at the beach, half of the respondents said they felt pressure to look and feel physically fit (52%), generally feeling ‘beach body ready’ (49%), having the pressure of removing body hair (48%) and enhancing their grooming regime (47%).
When asked why people feel the need to shave off body hair for the beach, the top reasons were:
- To feel cleaner (22%)
- Showing body hair makes them feel insecure (11%)
- Shaving increases their confidence (11%)
- They feel like they’ll be judged by others if they don’t shave (9%)
- The study also unveiled that we feel the most pressure from friends (20%), peers of a similar age (20%), social media (17%), and social media influencers (10%) each holding sway over how we show up at the beach.
Our research suggests we still have a long way to go when it comes to accepting and loving our bodies, with something as normal as showing body hair on the beach becoming a major cause of anxiety in the summer.
With the launch of our High Summer campaign and accompanying film, we hope to challenge the status quo and redefine what it means to be ‘beach body ready’. Because everyone deserves to feel their best on the beach this summer, whether you’re smooth, hairy, or somewhere in between.
A Word from: Yasmin El Yassini
Yasmin El Yassini, the model and actor who features in Estrid’s High Summer campaign, commented: “Being half Moroccan and having PCOS, I’m more likely to be a bit hairier than others – and having a German mother, who followed the societal norms of being hairless, I recall seeing my Moroccan grandmother’s hairy legs and adopting an internalised negative view towards it.
From a young age, I would shave in secret – before my mum started helping me to wax my legs, using hair removal cream or epilating. But now that I’m older, I’ve learnt to fully accept my body hair and now have a deeper understanding of what it means to me, and where it comes from – and I’m proud of it.
Occasionally, I shave for a job or if I just feel like being hairless – perhaps for a fresh start, or new growth. But it's my decision either way, and I like it that way. And that’s the beauty of body hair – if you want to grow it out, grow it out. If you don’t, then don’t. Everyone is free to decide what to do with their own body.
The journey to body confidence is a beautiful one, and one that’s unique and personal for everyone. For me, turning off the voices in my head that aren’t mine is what made me more accepting and loving towards myself. I turned off the internal voices from family, friends, TV shows or social media – and just listened to my own.
It’s a journey – and it will take a while to fully accept yourself – but once you do it won’t go anywhere and no one can take it away. I no longer care what anybody else thinks of my body – if they do care, it’s their problem. It’s my body that I live in and love.
It took me until my mid-twenties to fully feel comfortable in a bikini again. When I look back, I think it's such a shame, such a waste of time when I thought I couldn’t join a beach day or a trip by the lake. Now, when I’m on the beach, I love my body and also acknowledge that I’m surrounded by such a diverse group of people – of all shapes and bodies. And that’s beautiful.”
