Women urge for change against unrealistic beauty pressures, finds report

An increasing number of women are urging for changes against what they consider to be unrealistic pressures of beauty, according to a new global report released by Dove.

Entitled Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report, it found that women’s confidence in their bodies is on a steady drop. In fact, low body esteem has become a unifying challenge among women and girls, irrespective of their ages and locations.

In spite of this, 71% of women and 67% of girls urged the media for better portrayal of women of diverse physical appearance, age, race, shape and size.

For the report, Dove interviewed 10,500 females across 13 countries.

The report is the third study Dove has undertaken, with the previous two being published in 2004 and 2010.

According to the report, low body esteem hinders a woman’s ability to realise her potential, nearly 85% of women and 79% girls questioned admitted to opting out of important life activities when they do not feel good about the way they look.

Furthermore, seven out of ten of girls questioned with low body-esteem say they cannot be assertive in their opinion if they are not happy with the way they look.

Dove masterbrand senior global director Victoria Sjardin said: "Taking time for care, whether it’s body or mind, is an important step in improving the confidence of women and girls.

"For over 50 years, Dove has been committed to creating a world where beauty is a source of confidence, not anxiety. With this new research, we hope to inspire women and girls everywhere to develop a positive relationship with the way they look."