Research and analysis

Negative body image: causes, consequences and intervention ideas

A report into the impact of increased social media use on negative body image for groups including men and boys, ethnic minorities and LGBT groups.

• From: Government Equalities Office and Women and Equalities Unit
• Published: 15 January 2021

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Negative body image: causes, consequences and intervention ideas

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Negative body image: causes, consequences and intervention ideas (PDF)

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Details

This research was commissioned under the previous government and before the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result the content may not reflect current government policy or relate to forthcoming policy announcements. The views expressed in this report are the authors’ and do not necessarily reflect those of the government.

Body image, and more specifically body satisfaction, is one of the many factors that impact people’s decision making and confidence. As such, body dissatisfaction has been identified as an issue of growing concern to young people and their parents and was identified by the British Youth Council  as an issue that warrants urgent attention and further research.

The Government Equalities Office (GEO) has commissioned research into this area as there is evidence that body image may not only influence individual confidence and aspiration, but may also be one of the ‘invisible factors’ that contributes to the Gender Pay Gap.

Specifically, this research aims to address the 2 following questions:

1. What impact has the increased use of social media and edited images had on negative body image?
2. How does negative body image impact different demographics (including men and boys, ethnic minority audiences, LGBT audiences)?

Published 15 January 2021