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19 out of 20 young women 'would change bodies'

By Kevin Rawlinson

The wrong image? A model presents a creation from Cia Maritima's collection during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week

REUTERS/Caetano Barreira

The wrong image? A model presents a creation from Cia Maritima's collection during the Sao Paulo Fashion Week

Girls as young as seven would like to change something about their appearance and half of 16 to 21-year-olds would consider surgery to achieve their perfect body, a study has revealed.

The research, carried out by Girlguiding UK, shows that 95 per cent of 16 to 21-year-olds would change their bodies, with 33 per cent saying they wanted to be thinner and around a quarter of 16 to 21-year-olds said they would consider resorting to cosmetic surgery.

“We all compare ourselves to our peers, whoever they may be and for girls and young women, their peers are usually other young women,” said Dr Kerry O’Brien, a Psychologist at the University of Manchester.

“For them, as with others it is about finding their place in the world and wanting to compare favourably. Unfortunately, considering the approach of the media, that is often not the case.

“Many girls try to measure up to an image which is not a true reflection and can feel that they are coming up short,” he added.

A further 12 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds would consider having a gastric band or plastic surgery and five per cent would think about Botox to achieve the body image they wanted.

Weight is less of an issue for younger girls, with only five per cent of seven to nine-year-olds wanting to get slimmer. But the figure rose to 12 per cent of 10 to 11-year-olds, and 27 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds. Among 7 to 11-year-olds, 72 per cent said they would change something about themselves, the most common complaint being their teeth.

Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson, whose party wants to ban airbsrushing pictures, blamed the pressure young girls find themselves under on an “unrealistic idea of what is beautiful means.”

“This report highlights the worrying number of teenage girls who are going on extreme diets or even considering cosmetic surgery because they're unhappy with the way they look,” she said, adding: “Airbrushing means that adverts now contain completely unattainable images that no-one can live up to in real life.

“Girls shouldn't constantly feel the need to measure up to a very narrow range of digitally manipulated images.”

Girguiding UK quizzed 1,109 girls on topics including binge drinking, eating disorders, plastic surgery, sexual health and body image. The study also showed that more than a quarter of girls aged 11 to 16 had drunk so much that they had been sick or lost control.

Chief Guide, Liz Burnley said: “Political debate is constantly grappling for solutions to these issues, under the intense scrutiny of the media spotlight, but the one group whose views are not sought are the young women they affect.”

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Comments

"In the UK, around 27% of children are now overweight."
[info]kwenchin wrote:
Tuesday, 3 November 2009 at 08:40 am (UTC)
So 33% saying they want to be thinner is about right. They do not want to be unrealistically thin they want to be normal.
I have made a study of swimwear fashion shows and there aren't lots of young women in the audience. So don't blame these shows. Your photo should be of a pop singer or size zero Hollywood actress.
Modernity - Happy life or a pressurised life
[info]corporeal_v001 wrote:
Tuesday, 3 November 2009 at 09:36 am (UTC)

Its a sad reflection on modern living, girls now appear to have greater freedom, independence and live for instant gratification but are in eality bound and crippled by invisible peer pressure to comply with artificially set standards.

The pressure, sadness and discontentment is a heavy price to pay for modernity. Maybe things have gone too far. Basics like contentment and happiness should not be undervalued and dropped.
Re: Modernity - Happy life or a pressurised life.
[info]r_cavendish wrote:
Tuesday, 3 November 2009 at 11:12 am (UTC)
This doesn't start with peer pressure, it starts with external images young girls and women are bombarded with from magazines, TV, film, celeb rags. The image of the perfect woman is everywhere but it is not created by women. The fashion industry standard isn't set by women - its run by men, be they designers or business corporations.
Re: Modernity - Happy life or a pressurised life.
[info]corporeal_v001 wrote:
Tuesday, 3 November 2009 at 11:25 am (UTC)

True, its the image of perfect woman in advertising and movies which are the source of the pressure on young women (and older children too). This also happening to young men too as manufacturers/advertisers tap into the male grooming market.

There is really no way out of this situation, until they become older and realise there is more to life and that compliance is not essential...
lazy
[info]020_dono wrote:
Tuesday, 3 November 2009 at 10:51 am (UTC)
how about just sticking to the old fashioned ideas of good health and commitment by doing some exercise?
Cosmetic Surgery
[info]tsungshi wrote:
Thursday, 5 November 2009 at 12:18 pm (UTC)
It just shows there is more and more pressure on women to look a certain way. I also think we are seeing the same thing in men now.

http://www.beautifulbeings.co.uk/tummy-tuck/
http://www.beautifulbeings.co.uk/
http://www.beautifulbeings.co.uk/liposuction/liposuction.html
Thigh & Hip Slim
[info]natural_pharm wrote:
Tuesday, 17 November 2009 at 04:29 pm (UTC)
There is nothing wrong in men or woman wanting to have a healthy body and body shape is part of this. The problems occur when this is taken to extremes. Eating normally and healthily should be encouraged, as should moderate exercise throughout ones life.

There are a number of sources of good nutrition and healthy liveingespecially from sites like http://www.naturalpharmacy.co.uk


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