Even though 65% of teen girls think the body image represented by the fashion industry is too skinny, 63% say it’s unrealistic, and 47% feel it’s unhealthy, 60% compare their bodies to fashion models, according to Dove and the Girl Scouts of the USA. Three in four teen girls say that fashion is “really important” to them.
Nine in 10 teen girls say the fashion industry (89%) and the media (88%) place “a lot of pressure” on teenage girls to be thin. Eight in 10 (81%) prefer to see “real” or “natural” photos of models rather than the airbrushed versions; 75% say they would be more likely to buy clothes featured on real-size models than on super-skinny ones.
While teen girls may claim to want to see more realistic images, they also seek to emulate skinny models. Half (48%) wish they were as skinny as models in fashion magazines, 47% say fashion magazines give them a body image to strive for, and 41% prefer to see fashion on skinny rather than fuller-sized models.
Black and Hispanic teen girls have more positive body images than White teens. Eight in 10 Hispanic girls (79%) are satisfied with their bodies, compared to 76% of Black and 72% of White teens. Nearly one in five Black teens (17%) say they are completely satisfied with their body, compared to 14% of Hispanic and 10% of White girls.
White teens (52%) are more likely than Black (32%) or Hispanic (42%) to think the fashion industry does a good job of representing diversity. [Human Behavior/Fashion]
Sources: Dove (Unilever), Stacie Bright, 33 Benedict Pl., Greenwich, CT 06830; 203-625-1130; stacie.bright@unilever.com; www.dove.com.
Girl Scouts of the USA, Susan Swanson, VP Membership, 450 5th Ave., New York, NY 10018; 212-852-8012; sswanson@girlscouts.org; www.girlscouts.org.
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