Weight on Our Shoulders: Britain’s Negative Body Image Needs to Change
What do you see when you look in the mirror? Chances are it’s not the same person who was staring back at you last month, let alone five years ago. Nevertheless, for many people in the UK the image they’re analysing through the looking glass is consistently negative, irrespective of how long it’s been since they last took stock of what was what.
Digital pharmacy ZAVA Online Doctor recently conducted a study of more than 2,000 British adults. The company quizzed them about feelings towards their size and shape, with some pretty damning results. These, unsurprisingly, reveal glaring gender differences in terms of how we think about ourselves, and there are no prizes for guessing which sex struggles the most.
According to the numbers, almost half — or 47% — of British grownups feel ashamed of their body weight and believe this has a negative impact on relationships, social and major life events. 36% avoid public places like gyms and swimming pools because of these insecurities, and 28% have missed an occasion they wanted to attend for this reason. 29% say their size has been detrimental to romance, with 22% suggesting they’ve struggled to get dates because of it.
Personal lives aren’t the only thing affected, either. 14% of those in the survey think weight has prevented them landing a job, rising to 19% in Nottingham, where this view was most prominent of all cities in the study. Glasgow and London also recorded a high rate of people who believed this had happened.
Meanwhile, some people are even being put off travelling and going on holiday. 35% of UK adults have changed vacation plans in some way or another because of how they felt about their weight. And staycations can be similarly impacted: around one-quarter of those in the research reported feeling “overwhelmed” by the increase in food and drink at Christmas, and expect to enjoy festivities less because of weight worries.
If all this sounds bad, things get worse. Not only do 25% of people avoid seeking medical advice due to their weight, women are far more prone to developing weight-related anxiety, reinforcing what we already know about the relentless projections of ideal body images in the media. In fact, just over half of men admitted to avoiding certain clothing due to their size and shape. But this leaps to 73% in women. Self-esteem was also much more likely to suffer, with 37% of men struggling compared to 56% of women.
“Our research shows that 30% of UK adults admit to having spent money on weight-loss programs or products that ultimately didn’t work for them. Moreover, just 7% have tried medically supported treatments like weight-loss injections, despite clinical studies showing these methods can lead to a weight reduction of up to 15% of a patient’s starting weight” said Dr Crystal Wyllie, medical lead at ZAVA Online Doctor. “We hope to foster a more supportive environment for patients living with weight concerns, and help patients access safe and effective treatments so they can live happier, more fulfilling lives.”
Whether the long-term solution is really losing weight, and therefore changing your size and look, comes down to the individual. In some instances, extra weight can pose a significant health risk, but for other people the perception of carrying too much weight is essentially a form of body dysmorphia. Humans naturally come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and we need to celebrate this and create a more positive culture around difference, while not forgetting to reach out to those who genuinely need our support, reassurance, and advice.