Third Of Brits Unhappy With Their Body Image - And Many Say Celeb Culture Is To Blame | HuffPost Life

Third Of Brits Unhappy With Their Bodies And Celeb Culture Is To Blame

Rachel Moss— The Huffington Post UK

|

Being surrounded by images of perfect celebrities is having a serious effect on the nation's body confidence.

A global study conducted by YouGov has revealed that more than a third of people in the UK are unhappy with their weight and body image, with many citing celebrity culture as the reason they lack self-confidence.

The research, which analysed the body image happiness of people in 25 countries around the world, found that 37% of people in Britain are either "not very happy" or "not happy at all" with their appearance.

A total of 59% of Brits involved in the study said they are happy with the way they look. The remainder fell under categories within "neither positive or negative".

The study confirmed the fact that body image issues are something that can have an impact on both genders. However, women were found to be more likely to be unhappy with their body image than men.

A total of 44% of women said they are unhappy with their appearance, compared to 53% of women who are happy with the way they look.

Among British men, 31% said they are not happy with their body image, while 66% said they are happy.

When it came to identifying the source of body image insecurity, 74% of Brits surveyed said they believe celebrity culture has a negative impact on women’s and young people's perception of their bodies.

Perviously speaking to HuffPost UK Lifestyle, British Dietetic Association spokesperson and consultant dietitian Sian Porter said pressure by the media may lead to people trying celebrity diets.

"We are bombarded by this image of perfection that doesn't exist- most celebrity images are airbrushed or edited in some way. There's a lot of pressure about looks rather than health," she said.

SEE ALSO:
How Our Obsession Over Shirtless Men With Six Packs Is Hurting The Next Generation
Celebrity Bodies And The Impossible Ideal Is Fuelling Eating Disorders Among Young Girls

It wasn't just Brits who said celeb culture was affecting their body image in the YouGov survey. Out of the 25 countries surveyed, more than half of responders in 17 countries said they believe celebrity culture has a negative impact.

Indonesians were found to be the most positive about their body image overall, with 78% saying they are happy with the way they look.

At the other end of the spectrum, people in Hong Kong seemed to be the least comfortable in their own skin. It was the only country where body image happiness scored below half (49%).

But there is some good news as feelings around body image seem to improve with age.

Participants over 60 in the study were more likely to say they are happy with their appearance than any other age group.

In the UK, almost seven in 10 (68%) of people over the age of 60 are happy with the way they look, compared to 52% of 25-39 year olds.

How To Teach Positive Body Image

#1(01 of10)

I kept superficial comments about looks on the low down -- theirs, mine and other peoples. Looking well-kempt and co-ordinated was noticed rather than looking beautiful. (credit:Getty)

#2(02 of10)

I didn’t ban Barbies or princesses, but I added to the mix some real proportioned dolls. Check out Lottie Dolls or Lammily. (credit:Getty)

#3(03 of10)

Story time included books like The Paper Bag Princess or anything recommended on the Amelia Bloomer Project created by the Feminist Task Force of the Social Responsibilities Round Table of the American Library Association.A Mighty Girl is another great site. It's tag line is: the world's largest collection of books, toys and movies for smart, confident, and courageous girls. (credit:Getty)

#4(04 of10)

I made sure my children understood the word diet meant the food you eat. A monkey at the zoo has a diet and so does an athlete. Diet doesn’t mean losing weight.We all have to watch our diet to be healthy. We need to be in a healthy weight range as recommended by our doctors, not our peers or magazines. (credit:Getty)

#5(05 of10)

As puberty approached I discussed genetics, hormones and the challenges that I faced, as had my mother before me. (credit:Getty)

#6(06 of10)

My girls used their allowance to buy "J-14" and "Tiger Beat" magazines, but I would give them a subscription to "New Moon" as my Christmas gift. Also check out "Shameless" magazine. (credit:Getty)

#7(07 of10)

We discussed how the human form comes in all shapes and sizes. Check out Queen Latifah and Beyonce. They are both proud women who embrace their shape and size. (credit:Getty)

#8(08 of10)

When their bodies blossomed we looked online at what REAL breasts look like. Reality is very different from the porn sites or fashion magazines. (credit:Getty)

#9(09 of10)

I educated my daughters about how models are Photoshopped by watching and discussing the Dove Self-Esteem campaign. (credit:Getty)

#10(10 of10)

As they entered into high school we discussed friends who were developing eating disorders and who followed fads such as “pro-ana”, “thigh gap” and “thinspiration.”We talked about the political power to create change, as demonstrated by some magazines and organizations in the fashion industry that banned size zero models from the runway after several deaths of severely underweight models. (credit:Getty)

Related

uk lifestyle uk lifestyle news Body Image body confidence lifestyle

Suggest a correction

|