Are you part of the 93% of Australian women that would change their body if they could?
In a society saturated with the influence of celebrities and models, image is everything and it’s everywhere. Whether it’s Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat there is no doubt that women, in particular younger generations, consume unattainable perceptions of reality in what is considered the ‘ideal’ body image.
A new study has recently unearthed the attitudes of women towards self-care, aimed at providing an insight into the body concerns of Australian women today.
More than 1,000 Australian women were questioned as part of the Women’s Attitudes Towards Beauty and Self Improvement study, which took answers from candidates aged between 25 and 60, revealing how they felt about their bodies.
The nation-wide research by Cynosure and McCrindle Forecast Strategy Research revealed some interesting stats in terms of body confidence ratings and self-esteem, with an incredible 93% of women admitting they would change their body shape or physique if they could, with excess body fat being the thing that most women would like to change.
More than a third of women would like to change the excess body fat on their abdomen (61%), thighs (43%) and flanks (36%), and 31% mentioned the excess body fat on their arms. Also mentioned were wrinkles, stretch marks and excess hair on the face and arms.
The research highlights the reality that low body-esteem is a common, national issue, with social media presenting a new challenge and adding pressure to look a certain way. It has been suggested that a young woman’s body image is the single largest influence on her self-esteem. If she thinks she looks unattractive or fat, her self-confidence drops dramatically and this can impact on other areas of her life.
Only 7% of women reported feeling ‘extremely happy’ about their body shape, while 34% said they were ‘mostly’ happy. A whopping 42% were ‘only slightly’ happy and the remaining 17% were ‘not happy at all’.
Who we most want to look like
Jennifer Aniston – 25%
Miranda Kerr – 15%
Jennifer Lopez -13%
Sofia Vergara – 11%
Respondents also reported that achieving their ‘ultimate sculpted body shape’ would make them happier with themselves (43%), more confident to go out with friends (37%), more confident in their love life (32%) and help them enjoy the beach more (31%).
When asked if they would try a way to sculpt their body other than diet and exercise, 55% of women said they would be open to alternative body sculpting methods such as non-surgical body contouring treatments using laser or other energy-based devices.
Nearly half the women reported they had never considered using laser technology to target problem areas because it has never been suggested to them. Similarly, 23% of women stated they would need more evidence before trying laser.
Women are thinking about their bodies more than ever before. Though troubling, these results are also not surprising, given the increasing pressures women face today imposed by media, social media and advertising.
This research helps create a sense of awareness and aims to empower women and girls in many ways, increasing body-confidence education and helping better communicate and understand the changing attitudes towards body perception. The research rings through the realisation that it’s about positive self-talk and feeling good about the choices you make about your body, and making these choices for yourself.
The body attitudes breakdown
- 93% of Australian women would change something about their bodies if they could
- 59% are unhappy with their body shape
- 38% are willing to invest in enhancing their appearance and wellbeing
- 43% would be “more okay with who I am” if they achieved their ultimate sculpted body shape
- 55% would be open to alternative body sculpting methods (i.e. beyond diet and exercise)
- 49% said laser treatment to target “problem” areas of stubborn fat had never been suggested to them
1 in 2 want ‘thigh gap’
With thousands of “thinspo” sites currently live and continuing to gain considerable traction across social media platforms and the web, there’s no denying that the ‘thigh gap’ trend remains one of the most desired physical features for young Australian women.
The study found that almost one in two Gen Y (46%) and Gen X (45%) women want
to change the excess body fat around their thighs, compared with 35% from the Baby Boomer generation (aged 52-60).
