ISSUES
: Body Confidence
40
Key facts
Key facts
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Positive body image occurs when a person is able to
accept, appreciate and respect their body. (page 1)
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The
Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report
found that women in the UK have one of the lowest
body confidence scores in the world, with only 20%
of us saying we like the way that we look. (page 4)
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Globally, more than two-thirds of women (69%)
and girls (65%) say increasing pressures from
advertising and media to reach an unrealistic
standard of beauty is the key force in driving their
appearance anxiety. (page 4)
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There is a gender split. Woman are far more likely
to be unhappy with their body image. Over four in
ten (44%) are not happy, compared to 53% who are.
Men seem to be a little bit more comfortable in their
own skin – 66% are happy compared to 31% that
are not. (page 5)
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Does loving your body begin at 60? Certainly the
sexagenarians in our poll liked their bodies more
than other age groups. Almost seven in ten (68%)
of 60+ are happy, compared to 52% of 25–39-year-
olds. (page 5)
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Residents from Saudi Arabia (72%), Oman (70%)
and Qatar (70%) are the next happiest with their
body image overall. (page 5)
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In the UK, almost three quarters (74%) say that
celebrity culture has a negative impact on women’s
perception of their bodies, while the same number
say it affects young people in the same way. Overall,
in 17 of the 25 countries surveyed more than half
of responders think that celebrity culture has a
negative impact on young people. (page 5)
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Recent figures show that 91% of teens have taken
a selfie and over one million are taken each day.
(page 6)
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Body dysmorphia can lead to distress, social
anxiety, depression, self-harm and in some cases,
suicide. (page 10)
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Recent research from YMCA revealed that 34% of
teenage boys and 49% of teenage girls had been on a
diet in an effort to change their body shape.(page 13)
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33–35% of boys aged six to eight indicate their ideal
body is thinner than their current body. (page 15)
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The measurements of the male action figures young
boys play with exceed even those of the biggest
bodybuilders. (page 15)
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French MPs pass a law making it illegal to employ
unhealthily thin women or photoshop images
without stating it clearly. (page 16)
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87% of TV characters aged ten to 17 are below
average in weight. (page 18)
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A record number of over 51,000 Britons underwent
cosmetic surgery in 2015, demonstrating the
public’s love affair with surgical enhancement is
far from over, despite any previous ‘blips’ as the
economy reshaped itself. (page 20)
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Although men still account for just 9% of the total
number of cosmetic surgery operations in the UK,
their numbers have nearly doubled over the past
decade (from 2,440 procedures in 2005 to 4,614 in
2015). (page 18)
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From the moment of birth, our self-esteem begins to
take shape by what others think about us and how
we are treated. Family members and caregivers
are powerful influences on shaping our early self-
esteem. (page 29)
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Results show that most kids develop a sense of
self-esteem – feeling good or bad about oneself
– as early as age five, before they even enter
kindergarten. (page 33)
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In 2014–15 ChildLine said it held 35,244 counselling
sessions across the UK for children with low self-
esteem, an increase of 9% from the previous year.
One of the biggest influences it said was social
media and the desire to copy celebrities as they
strive to achieve the “perfect” image. (page 38)
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Over a third of children in the UK are overweight,
yet 79% of parents with an overweight child do not
recognise that they are, and of those that do, 41%
do not realise that it is a health risk. (page 39)
