In a new report done by Dove Global Beauty given exclusively to Huffington Post UK, things are not looking so peachy as far as women feeling good about themselves. We’re fully aware that for a lot of editorial sites it is not a priority. It can be easily pushed under the rug and seen as a niche experience and not a universal issue.
For us, it’s crucial.
The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report used over 10,500 interviews with women and girls in over 13 countries, by far the largest report Dove has ever done in the past couple of years. The results are astounding—women in the UK have one of the lowest body confidence scores in the world, with only 20% of women admitting that they like their appearance.
Worldwide, more than 69% of women and 65% of girls “say increasing pressures from advertising and media to reach an unrealistic standard of beauty is the key force in driving their appearance anxiety.” Low body-esteem was found to be a crucial factor in these women’s lives—affecting their everyday decisions, choices on what to wear, and activities to participate in.
The report goes into detail for each country involved:
Percentage of Women Who Feel Body Confident
- South Africa: 64%
- Russia: 45%
- Turkey: 42%
- India: 40%
- China: 37%
- Mexico: 36%
- Germany: 34%
- Brazil: 27%
- US: 24%
- Canada: 22%
- Australia: 20%
- UK: 20%
- Japan: 8%
So what should women do with all of this valid and painfully sad information? Use it as ammunition to keep inspiring each other and push forward. While body anxiety is common on the curve community, it is reassuring to know that there is scientific data to prove that this is an epidemic worldwide, further more urging women from all over the world to develop a positive relationship with their bodies and break the cycle.
