As June draws near, articles congest magazines, describing how to get ready for summer. Images and ads of perfectly sculpted models plaster the internet, and coupon books for swimsuit sales flood women’s mailboxes. It’s apparent to every woman across the nation “bikini” season has arrived with full force.

Magazines and websites claim everyone needs to be “bikini ready,” but what does that really mean for youth?

According to a survey by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD) 47 percent of fifth through twelfth grade girls feel the desire to lose weight because of magazine pictures and 69 percent feel those images influenced their idea of a perfect body shape.

The truth may be that girls, even as young as fifth grade, acknowledge a certain ideal body image, but only 5 percent of American females possess the “ideal” body type portrayed in advertisements naturally, according to the ANAD. So the question is, how are women achieving this sculpted shape?

In recent years, eating disorders have become a vast epidemic around the world, especially in the U.S. According to the ANAD, up to 24 million Americans of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder, such as anorexia, bulimia and binge eating.

It’s not just the loss of traditional summer treats; it’s saying goodbye to your health and happiness. We’ve become accustomed to social media and magazines telling us what clothes to wear, what to eat and how to pamper ourselves. Enough is enough. The truth is, you are ready right now to put on your favorite swimsuit and hit the beach. Do not let those articles and 5 percent of “perfect” bodies prevent you from swimming at the Ozarks or wearing a two-piece.

Appreciate your body for what it is, not the standards Seventeen magazine sets for women’s bodies to look like. If we set a new standard of natural bodies, we can save our daughters from years of body image torment and self-depreciation.

If having a “bikini body” means eating only a piece of toast and a handful of almonds a day, I don’t want to participate.