It’s normal to look hot in a heatwave

I wish that the title here simply referred to how damn amazing I look in a crop top and shorts 💁🏻‍♀️ but realistically the truth is: I’m a face sweater, and I often feel very self-conscious about it.

Red-faced and sweaty 🥵

A bit of heat or exertion, and my face is bright red, with sweat quickly encroaching from my hairline, down my face. My face is shiny (and not in the desirable dewy way 😅), my make up is melting off, my fringe is going mad. My body is somehow fine - I rarely get sweat patches on my clothes. But my face gives me away - and I really struggle with it. It feels visible, I worry people will judge me. And honestly, I think my body size adds another layer to this.: I fear that people will judge me for being “fat and unfit” because my face is sweating (which isn’t at all the case - it’s just as bad when I’m thinner or fitter, as when I’m bigger or less fit!)

But body acceptance is important to me, and that means accepting all the things bodies do, not just how they look. Feeling angry and ashamed at my sweaty face doesn’t feel very kind to myself - not when my body is just trying to keep me cool the best way it knows how to. Bodies aren't designed to look polished at all times - they're designed to keep us alive and functioning. So I’m working on accepting it.

What I’m doing to manage it

There are a few things that I do to minimise the impact, and feel more comfortable. A good make-up setting spray. Hairspray on the underside of my fringe. The occasional blot with a tissue. A good neck fan (hell, any fan) to keep me as cool as possible. 

But recently I also made a shift in how I feel about it. When it’s hot, I mostly don’t wear make-up (which would have been unheard of 5 years ago!) - I accept that I’ll be red and sweaty, and that’s fine. And when I’m having an incredible time on the dance floor, I just accept that my face is completely wet. My joy is far more important than how I look at that point!

The reframe that's helping

But importantly, I’m working on reframing how others look at me. Because if I see someone else who is visibly hot, or has sweat patches on their clothes, I don't really think anything beyond "they must be hot". I don't see it as a flaw - I just see a human body doing human body things. So most other people probably aren't making the judgements I'm imagining - and even if a few people are, that's not feedback I need to take seriously.

It’s not about telling myself “don’t worry, no one can tell” - it’s more about “yes they probably can see that you’re hot and sweaty - but do they care? Do you?” and the answer is usually no, because they and I have more important things to do.

So I focus on keeping myself cool (because it’s more comfortable), but I worry less about whether others can tell that I’m overheating. Because it’s normal, and it’s human, and it really doesn’t matter if someone can tell that I’m hot. And if they use it to make judgements about me, it says more about them than about me.

So if you’re fretting this week about people noticing that you’re looking warm - don’t sweat it. Humans often look hot when it's hot. Bodies sweat, faces go red, make-up melts, fringes misbehave. That's what bodies do - and that's totally fine.