Lifetime desire to be thinner starts at just 10 years old for girls

Published on Monday 2 November 2009 21:23

GIRLS start wanting to be thin at the age of ten, and half of 11 to 16-year-olds restrict what they eat to stay slim, a survey of young women reveals.

Girlguiding UK quizzed 1,109 girls and women aged seven to 21 on topics including binge drinking, eating disorders, plastic surgery, sexual health and body image.

It found 24 per cent of 16 to 21-year-olds would consider having cosmetic surgery, while 12 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds would consider having a gastric band or plastic surgery and 5 per cent would think about Botox.

In the study, researchers found a watershed after the age of ten when it came to appearance. Among seven to 11-year-olds, 2 per cent were not happy with their appearance but this rose to 11 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds.

When it came to being thinner, 5 per cent of seven to nine-year-olds wanted to get slimmer, and this went up to 12 per cent of 10 to 11-year-olds, and 27 per cent of 11 to 16-year-olds.

Liberal Democrat MP Jo Swinson said: "This report highlights the worrying number of teenage girls who are going on extreme diets or even considering cosmetic surgery because they're unhappy with the way they look. Today's unrealistic idea of what is beautiful means that young girls are under more pressure now than they were even five years ago.

"Airbrushing means that adverts now contain completely unattainable images that no-one can live up to in real life."

Ms Swinson wants to ban airbrushing of adverts aimed at under-16s.

Girlguiding UK's research also found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of girls aged 11 to 16 had drunk so much that they had vomited or lost control.

Although those questioned were concerned about the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, more than a third of girls in the 16-21 age group admitted to having had unprotected sex.

Half of 11 to 16-year-olds said they had suffered from severe stress at some point, rising to three-quarters of 16 to 21-year-olds.

Chief Guide Liz Burnley said: "We in guiding know girls between seven and 21 have some pretty strong views. This landmark survey shows just how much they have to say on issues that affect their daily lives."

Body image and the popular portrayal of super-thin models was recently highlighted by the case of Filippa Hamilton. Last month, the 23-year-old model claimed she was fired by fashion firm Ralph Lauren after her image was airbrushed for being "overweight".

Her image was altered so her hips and waist appeared extremely narrow in a photograph for the firm. She claimed: "They fired me because they said I was overweight. They said I couldn't fit in their clothes any more, because I was too large."

Ms Hamilton claims she was sacked in April – before the airbrushed images were released.

However, Polo Ralph Lauren denies the claim, insisting the model was released "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract".