Daphne Oz Just Shared a Sweet Body-Positive Take on Swimsuit Season: "Have Fun and Wear the Bikini"

Summer brings all kinds of welcome change—more options at the farmers' market, lots of opportunities to soak up the sun, and time out of the classroom for students and teachers. But if you're spending time at the beach or pool this summer, there's always the chance that a little body negativity will get in the way of fully enjoying a nice summer day.

Most folks have probably experienced that swimsuit-season anxiety at the beginning of summer, when you unearth your trunks, one-pieces or bikinis and start to feel self-conscious about how you'll look in last summer's beachwear. If you're going through a bout of that summer-bummer self-talk, Daphne Oz has just the pep talk for you.

The cookbook author and MasterChef Junior judge took to Instagram this week to encourage her fans to shake off their body expectations this summer. "I just wanted you to hear a huge, resounding have fun and WEAR THE BIKINI from me," Oz wrote. "You look amazing." In her post, Oz is rocking a fun, floral bikini herself—it's a new one from her capsule collection with Minnow swimwear. Oz also shared that she tends to receive some mean-spirited responses when she posts photos of herself wearing a swimsuit, but she's not about to let the negativity keep her from having fun.

"Whenever I put bikini photos up, there are always the awkward people who feel the need to spend time asking if I'm pregnant (why else would your belly look like that??) or why I don't have any decency, LOL (put some clothes on!!)," Oz wrote in her caption. "But for every one of that sort of person, there are 100x more of you who I will hear from in comments and DMs who share the same message: seeing my body in a bathing suit seems to take some of the pressure off needing to see your body in a bathing suit look any particular way."

Oz is totally right to say that there's no "correct" way to look in a bikini. As long as you're comfortable, happy and reapplying your sunscreen at regular intervals, you'll look like a million bucks. And if you're the kind of person who offers unsolicited opinions about how other folks are looking in their swimsuits, we'd encourage you to keep it positive. It's almost always nice to get a compliment from a friend or stranger about your outfit of the day, and it always hurts to receive an unwanted negative comment. And let's be honest—it's really none of our business how someone else chooses to dress.

Oz went on to write that we all have one chance to do life the way we want to do it, so if you want to wear the bikini, sometimes you've just got to summon the courage and make it happen. And while Oz says she does try to exercise well and eat healthy—which is why we love recipes like her chocolate banana muffins—she doesn't think it's healthy to go on an intense diet *just* to wear the swimsuit in your closet.

"I actually feel damn proud in this bikini …, and I did put in serious workouts and really wholesome eating … leading up to this trip, but I also put in cookies and spaghetti dinners and popsicle breaks with my kids (all 4 of them that this body brought earth side) because life goes on, and I'm just happy to be making the memories," Oz wrote.

We love this relaxed take on healthy eating, especially during a season when so many folks can feel overwhelmed with expectations about their body's shape and size. A healthy eating pattern can always include flexibility for your and your family's favorite foods, and you shouldn't let the pressure to diet keep you from having fun. So dust off your favorite swimsuit, pack up the cooler and enjoy the summer as much as you can.