Lots of Statistics & Research on Negative Body Image in Women

Confidence is the most beautiful thing about a woman! 😀

I am super passionate about helping women BeYOUtiful –that’s the name of my talk! It’s all about beauty, body image and the fact to you are most beautiful when you are being YOU –your authentic self.

But unfortunately, so many women struggle with being authentic and feeling beautiful.

But, here’s the thing –feeling beautiful is a choice. You get to choose! And when you decide that you ARE beautiful, the energy that you give off is totally different! It’s AWESOME! 😀

I wanted to share some shocking statistics on womens body image, and help you better understand the difference between negative and positive body image.

Body Image is:

• How you see yourself when you look in the mirror
• What you believe about your own appearance
• How you feel about your body including your height, shape, weight
• How you feel IN your body, not just how you feel ABOUT your body

Negative Body Image is:
~ A distorted perception of your shape
~ Convinced that only other people are attractive
~ Feeling ashamed, self-conscious, and anxious about your body
~ Feeling uncomfortable and awkward in your body

Positive Body Image is:
~A clear, true perception of your shape
~ Celebrate and appreciate your natural body shape
~ Proud and accepting of your unique body and refuse to spend an unreasonable amount of time worrying about food, weight, and calories
~ Comfortable and confident in your body

I’ve done TONS of research on this very important topic, and will share with you some super shocking (and saddening 🙁 ) stats:

• The diet industry alone is worth 100 billion dollars
  (That’s $40 billion each year, and it is increasing!)
• 2 out of 3 women and 1 out of 4 men are on a diet at any given time.
• The average American woman is 5’4“ and weighs 140 pounds.
• The average American model is 5’11“ and weighs 117 pounds.
• Most fashion models are thinner than 98% of American women.
• The “ideal” woman – portrayed by models, Miss America, Barbie dolls, actresses and celebrities – is 5’5, weighs 100 pounds and wears a size 5.
• 80% of women say that the images of women on television and in movies, fashion magazines, and advertising makes them feel insecure.
• On average we see 400-600 advertisements each day!
• Television viewing is at an all-time high…the average person watches more than 151 hours of TV a month. That’s about 5 hours a day!!
• More than 10.2 million surgical and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures were performed in USA in 2008.   (That’s an increase of 162% from the data first collected in 1997) :O
• 92% of cosmetic procedures were undergone by women

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Dove’s latest research from all around the world, women aren’t feeling confident in their own beauty. Here’s the shocking stats on how many women say that they feel anxious about the way they look:

61% in the US
86% in China
56% in India
96% in the UK
72% in Brazil

• Only 4% of women worldwide consider themselves “beautiful”
• Over half of women agree that they’re their own worst beauty critic
• By the time girls reach the tender age of 17, 78% will be “unhappy with their bodies”
• The Dove Self-Esteem Project found 47% of girls aged 11-14 refuse to take part in activities that might show their bodies in any way.

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• News coverage in 70 countries reported that only 18% of stories quote women, and the total number of women related stories barely came to 10% of total news coverage.

• 9% of airtime on major networks is devoted to women’s sports, in contrast to the 88% devoted to male athletes.

• The average girl will watch 5,000 hours of television, including 80,000 ads, before she starts kindergarten.

• 70% of the editorial content in teen mags for girls focuses on beauty and fashion.

• From 2002 to 2003, the number of girls 18 years old and younger who got breast implants nearly tripled, from 3,872 to 11,326

• Girls involved in athletic activities are much less concerned with how their bodies “look”.

• Commercials aimed at kids show girls in passive activities like laughing, talking and observing others 77% of the time

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Author: CNN Health

Eating disorders have the highest mortality rate of any mental health disease in America. Take a look at these statistics from the National Eating Disorders Association.

Americans With Eating Disorders:
-13 million binge eat
-10 million women battle anorexia or bulimia
-1 million men battle anorexia or bulimia

Eating Disorder Related Hospitalizations:
-18% overall
-37% among men
-119% among children under 12 years old

Children:
-80% of all 10 year olds are afraid of being fat
-42% of all 1st through 3rd grade girls want to be thinner

 

Be sure to read my blog post on 6 Tips on How to Have Body Confidence

 

• If you need help overcoming your negative body image and want to learn how to have a positive body image and body confidence, please  contact me now for a complimentary Confidence Coaching session! 😀