New research suggests body image concerns start to manifest as early as 4-years-old
As the Dove Self-Esteem Project turns 20 years old, their latest research continues to raise timely and pertinent concerns over body image.
The research, titled The Real State of Beauty: A Global Report, surveyed kids aged 10–17 across 20 countries and found body confidence in young tweens ans teens is being impacted when it comes to their experiences at school, with more than 3 in 5 girls saying they have not felt confident at school because they don’t feel good about the way they look.
Self-esteem and body confidence are important for a child’s development, helping kids do better at school, at home, and with friends. However, the recent findings by Dove has shown low body confidence continues to be growing issue with kids today.
Worryingly, the report highlights that body image concerns start to manifest as early as 4-years-old, with 1 in 4 girls aged 4-6 years disliking something about their appearance and 1 in 3 girls aged 6 years say they want to look thinner.
The pressure to look a certain way from a young age can lead to long-term anxiety and unrealistic beauty expectations. Almost half of young girls expect to worry more about their appearance as they get older.
Dr Nadia Craddock, a Senior Research at UWE Bristol, has addressed the research findings stating: 'The pressure to look a certain way from a young age can lead to long-term anxiety and unrealistic beauty expectations. Almost half of young girls expect to worry more about their appearance as they get older.'
'Low body confidence is common among young people and it is not a benign issue. Decades of research show that low body confidence is associated with poor mental health (e.g., anxiety, low mood and eating distress). Low body confidence can also be an obstacle to participating fully at school, enjoying sports and social activities, and to engaging in health-promoting behaviours.'
She also adds that, 'Importantly, low body confidence is not just an adolescent concern In our research conducted earlier this year, we found that while the majority of young children (aged 4-6 years) we spoke with indicated they were happy with their bodies, a sizeable proportion were not. As many as 1 in 5 children showed signs of low body confidence. This is concerning in such a young age group.'
Craddock, who has also worked with WH on their Project Body Love Campaign, says 'there is a clear need for engaging and effective body image resources aimed at young children to help nurture a strong foundation in body confidence at this early developmental stage in order to minimise the burden of low body confidence as children grow up.'
It's why Dove have partnered with the popular live-action preschool brand, Blippi to launch the first ever body confidence movie for kids on Amazon and Netflix, with additional episodes and exclusive music videos on Blippi’s YouTube channel.
The goal is to encourage children to think about all the awesome things their bodies can do (rather than what they look like) and to celebrate appearance diversity two important age-appropriate positive body image messages for young children. Hoping to impress upon a younger audience of 4+, the idea is that starting this education at a younger age will help to minimise self-esteem and body confidence issues, now and in the future.
Related content
New research by Dove reveals the effect toxic beauty standards have on children online
Beauty brand Dove is speaking out against the toxic TikTok 'Bold Glamour' filter
'Children's obsession with skincare is alarming. But the problem is bigger than the beauty industry'
Cut through the noise and get practical, expert advice, home workouts, easy nutrition and more direct to your inbox. Sign up to the WOMEN'S HEALTH NEWSLETTER
You Might Also Like
