Written evidence submitted by Soroptimist International,
Woking & District (MISS0011)

Who we are

Soroptimist International is a global women’s organisation with a mission to improve the lives of women and girls. SI Woking & District is in the South-East of England.  

Our submission on what contributes to poor body image and the long-term impact

We asked members and some women outside our Club to contribute.  The contributors are aged mainly 55-80+, but some are younger. Comments by the 22 contributors are shown in quotation marks. Italics are used to highlight significant points. We focussed our discussions around a number of questions:

1. What body image did you have when young (up to 30) and how did it come about?

      What contributed to a positive image when you were young?

      What contributed to a negative image when you were young?

2. How did our body image change through to the age you are now?

      Did you forget about or improve a negative image, and if so how?

      Did you keep a positive image, or did new negative aspects come as you aged?

3. Current trends in aspiring to the perfect image

      Comments about current trends

      What differences do you see between your younger self and young people today?

4. Social media: positive or negative impacts on body image

      Effect of an ad or campaign?

      Effect of messages posted by friends?

      Effect of messages posted by celebrities?

      Content promoting diets, eating disorders, diet culture: positive or negative for body image?

      Content promoting cosmetic surgery/interventions: positive or negative for body image?

5. Diversity of images

      What do you think about the diversity of images companies and the media show

      As (mainly) older women, do we see ourselves reflected satisfactorily?

6.  Body image and mental health

      What is the likelihood of effects on mental health?

1. What body image did you have when young (up to 30) and how did it come about?

“Societal and cultural expectations of the human body put pressure on different groups of people to strive to look a certain way.”

“There is a cultural tendency to judge people, especially women, by appearances, as well as being surrounded by online media which promotes aspirational/ideal bodies.”

What society finds acceptable changes all the time. Society may be more or less tolerant to aspects of your body (body hair, obesity, disability...) at any given time.

We gradually internalise the definition of ‘beautiful’ by visiting museums, art galleries, cinemas, watching TV, reading magazines, listening to, observing others etc.

When we are young, we only see other people, we don’t see ourselves.  Growing up, we realise that ‘I am I’ and ‘you are you’ and then we ask ‘How do I see myself and how do other people see me?’

Body images are constructed at an early age:  “My grand-daughter said to me: ‘I don’t want to be old, you have to have short hair’”.  

What contributed to a positive image when you were young?

Compliments from peers on dress, hair, skin, weight

Being part of a group with similar characteristics.

The absence of sources of comparison: “We didn’t have TV, magazines or such a range of clothing and beauty products when we were young.”  “There was not such a focus on body image”. 

The steadying influence of the family as an antidote to the negative comments heard outside or the fear of not being recognised as part of the group. “When I went home, I said ‘everyone has..., does..., except me’. My grandfather always countered by saying firmly: ‘Who’s everyone?’”.

What contributed to a negative image when you were young?

Realising that some of our body features inspired remarks that seemed to be negative.  So confidence could be dented by remarks from peers, family members, neighbours, family friends:  “You’re so tall, we’ll have to put a brick on your head.”  “You’ve got ‘chicken legs’, ‘footballers’ legs’, ‘washerwoman’s hips, ‘a big nose’”. “I know what’s wrong with you - your bottom sticks out”. 

Parents who are unable to counter negative remarks effectively, or reinforce a child’s confidence.  Worried parents who may not be able to hide their distress if the child has or develops features that can provoke remarks – for example “four-eyes”, if the child wears glasses.

Growing up and moving out of the familiar circle and discovering different social norms, new sources of comparison.   Moving to secondary school brought exposure to children and teachers from a variety of backgrounds and upbringing.  So various features could reinforce a negative body image because they were not the features of the majority of the group:  being tall, being short, crooked teeth, hair length, wearing glasses, overweight , being pale-skinned  - “Getting a tan in the summer was very important in the teen years” .  “When I was at school, I thought I looked weird.” “I didn’t want to stand out in any way.”

Moving to a different country and finding the norms are different can produce a similar effect. “Everyone wore nail varnish, curled their eyelashes and had pierced ears. I didn’t do any of that.” 

At this age, negative comments from boys were hurtful.  Negative comments from teachers could also have long-term impact.   “In P.E., the teacher said ‘With those long legs, you should be able to jump the hurdles’“.  “It was always my weight.  I couldn’t manage P.E. and it wasn’t until I learned to swim in my forties that I felt more self-confident about physical activity.”

“Lack of self-esteem, wanting to fit in, be successful, prove your worth, pressure from fashion and consumer culture attitude.”

2. How did your body image change through to the age you are now?

Did you forget about or improve a negative image, and if so how?

There were practical ways to help you feel better when you are older: “hair colour, makeup, skin creams and treatments, contact lenses instead of unattractive glasses, orthodontics, self-help books...”

Becoming immersed in interests outside themselves – making a home, raising a family, having a career – took the focus off body image because they had less time to spend on how they looked.

“The experience of life often builds self-confidence”.  Many felt that they had learned to deal pretty well with negative feelings they had about their body when young. 

“Long-term effects of poor body image: “Decrease of a feeling of self-worth.  Exhaustive energy and focus on striving to meet the expectation that is being promoted.“

Did you keep a positive image, or did new negative aspects come as you aged?

Shopping for clothes – where reality clashes with the ideal:

“An issue I have is the varying clothing sizes within fashion.  You can fit into a size 12 in one shop and then fit a 16 in another.”

“Being tall has made it difficult to find well-fitting clothes most of my life.  I was told by a Long Tall Sally assistant that I wasn’t ‘tall enough’ for their clothes.  Now a few stores have longer-length clothes but often not on the racks, available to order/online.” 

“I think the media and fashion industry have a big part to play in poor body image. Promoting certain sizes and looks that people then comparing yourself to, a certain beauty or body type.”

“An ongoing problem in fashion and advertising is the use of super skinny models, although there are ‘plus size models’ now – even that word is degrading.”

“A famous soprano Maria Callas lost weight to play a frail Traviata. After that she lost the strength to support her voice and damaged her vocal cords. However, the image of Traviata she created set a trademark for opera consumers and nowadays a slim opera singer has become the norm from the opera consumer’s point of view.”

[NOTE: In the episode of ‘Four Thought’ broadcast on Saturday, 20 June 2020, Emma Hayes explained ‘why the fit of our clothes matters....and described the many failures of size to capture a human’s body’.  She said that when working in fashion store, she had seen even thin customers come out of the fitting room and say ‘I must be getting fat, I’ll have to go on a diet’.]

For some contributors, the underlying negative thoughts about their body image were still there. “After that early negative remark from a peer, I worried about it.  I started wearing long loose tops ....Only recently, at 74, having struggled with my weight all my life but finally having got it under some degree of control and also reconciled myself to being happy as I am, has the pain of that remark finally melted away”. 

“I must have been in my fifties before I stopped concentrating on what I saw as my body’s negative features”.

The workplace can be challenging.  “A uniform reduce the differences and therefore the comparisons”.  Competitiveness has an impact on body image. Working freelance with people of different background and income in an environment where presentation mattered.  Using make-up and clothes to boost self-confidence.  “My niece dyed her blonde hair in order to be ‘taken more seriously’”.  Not wanting to stand out in the wrong way was mentioned: “I didn’t want to wear trousers, I thought they didn’t suit me, but when I found I was the only one in the room wearing a skirt, I got some trousers.” 

Relationship changes can increase body image doubts.  Women are looking for new partners later in life than before with “Online dating now mainstream”.   Advert seen on Twitter: ‘Want Matures?  Find cute matures nearby’ [a woman reading this will understand that to get a new partner she has to look cute, whatever her age).

Life events and the ageing process can affect our body image: you can gain weight after childbirth, have an accident or surgery that permanently changes how you look. The mismatch between the image the woman wants to project and what her body lets her do can push her to cosmetic and other surgery, to expensive services in order to fit in better with society’s norms.

‘Elderly’ is not a popular word with members!  The positive impact of white hair getting a seat on the underground is not enough to counter the fear of being perceived negatively – or not being seen at all.   A reason given for dyeing one’s hair was that grey/white hair removes an important source of colour in the body.  Another reason was that looking old can affect the way people view the organisation you represent , whereas for men, grey hair can be a sign of gravitas . You can find yourself looking at celebrities of your generation and making comparisons, e.g. Helen Mirren, the Queen with her wonderful skin, Camilla... So there is some pressure on older women to look as good as famous peers, just as younger women have Kim Kardashian to aspire to.

A different ‘take’ on the body: In general, members say they are generally secure in the way they look now. They feel that good health, taking care and pride in the way they look is more important now than conforming to the changing norms of society. It is important not to seek the “perfect body image” but to “take care of oneself for oneself” instead.  “It’s good to have wellbeing awareness”.   “Having a nail treatment as a present makes you feel a million dollars.”  “It’s nice to look smart.”  “I dye my hair for me”.  “By and large, I’ve stopped caring.” “We’ve stopped worrying about ourselves”. 

3. Current trends in aspiring to the perfect image

Comments about current trends

Peer group pressure: Women like to meet in groups and bond closely.  This can be supportive but also make it harder to be different.  A 35-year-old woman said: “I‘m trying to resist dyeing my hair and using wrinkle cream but as soon as one or two of the others do it, it’s hard to resist. I’ve given in to the wrinkle cream...”

Fashion shops: Women are encouraged to visit fashion stores very frequently - ‘re-energising the customer’ by constantly putting new items on display. A desire for variety is exploited to become ‘you don’t look good because your clothes are out-of-date’.

New trends: “For example, it has become increasing acceptable to promote and expect women to be free of any hair except on the head“.

What differences do you see between your younger self and young people today?

Through the Internet and especially social media, younger people are shown so many (perfect) images and styles that are promoted to boost companies’ profit margins, celebrity copying, designer labels.

Girls and boys now have access to professional techniques online in order to get the look they see in the media.  “So they can have more sophisticated make-up, hairstyles etc but they all look the same from their early teens”. “They all have long hair and fancy nails”.  Young men are into body building and removing body hair.  Anyone who can’t or doesn’t do the same will stand out all the more. 

People want instant results: branded goods, latest trends, quick fix diets. “Parents often dress their young children in keeping with latest fashion, regardless of whether the clothes are suitable.”

“We had less than they have and we were happier”.   Many younger people seem to have so much more disposable income to spend on themselves, but do not seem happy as a result.  We hear more and more about mental health problems in the young. 

Everything is so much more visual now.  You can zoom into images and identify every negative point.  Meeting potential new partners begins with the photograph in online dating.

There is too much emphasis on the body beautiful.  Young people today are fixated on their image and on the images of others on social media. The emphasis used to be on wearing appropriate clothes for the occasion. A ‘face full of character’ is less prized than a ‘beautiful’ or a ’remarkably young’ face on an older person. You have to be ‘perfect’, not just well dressed, smart, or pretty.

Not just girls and women: We see young men going to the gym, watching what they eat, using the tanning parlour and going to the barber regularly. 

4. Social media: positive or negative impacts on body image

Effect of an ad or campaign?

Magazine images of women of similar age to us carry a subliminal message. “If I do this, will I look like them?”

Positive impact: Advertisements that give you information about products. Comments from health professionals about body mass, teeth etc. 

“The campaigns / adverts round ‘period pants’ have been positive, helping women to be more open about our periods, and offering alternative options which are better for the body and the environment.”

Negative impact: There is a constant bombardment of messages urging us all to look better, be better......the ‘drip feed’ of social media, the messages slowly creeping into the consciousness. We accept the message and forget that the images we see are ‘glossified’.  We forget that the ‘beautiful’ people make their money from their appearance and devote much time and energy to how they look. 

“I found the banned ‘Are You Beach Body Ready?‘ campaign offensive and had a negative effect on body image, however the response to it was also positive in the sense many people spoke out about it, leading to it being banned but also leading to a sense of stance against this irresponsible advertising.”

“Calvin Klein’s adverts with Kate Moss created a negative effect on loads of young women.“

“Weight loss and dieting adverts on Instagram have a negative impact on my body image. When I see them so often and mixed in with my feed it starts to normalise the perfected bodies they advertise for me. The more I see these bodies as normal, the more abnormal I feel.”

“I used to be very annoyed at all the messages in the press promoting diets and fads.  It's taken me a lifetime to find my own way through to doing what works for me.”

[NOTE: The Economist magazine (23 May 2020) reviewed ‘No Filter’ by Sarah Frier.  The reviewer said: “Mr Systrom coded a quick solution: a filter that gave even the most basic shot a hipster finish...A billion [Instagram] users later, the look in that filtered photo is ubiquitous”.  “[The author gives] a...revealing account of how the world came to see itself through Mr Systrom’s lens.”  “Kim Kardashian could make $1m from a single post....enough to make a living as human billboards.” “Another subplot is how an app that people use to document their life turned into one that determines how they live it.”]

Effect of messages posted by friends?

“Mostly positive. I suppose this would depend on your friends and their focus in their posts.”

“My friend’s comments have a positive effect on my body image, they are usually complimentary. It’s always nice to hear and helps with your confidence as I am not always happy with the way I look.”

“Usually not, unless someone explicitly refers to my body or face, then I become more self-conscious of what they are seeing.”

I am generally not concerned but it is nice to hear an honest compliment.“

Effect of messages posted by celebrities?

“Mostly positive as the peers I follow do not generally post irresponsible messages in regards to body image.”

“ I think it does depend on who you follow on social media. Some celebrities will have a negative effect in the way they talk, look, and dress but there are a lot of people who are helping.”
 

“I follow a couple of positive accounts on instagram -  @I_weigh set up by Jameela Jamil (‘part of my revolution against shame’ ) is very positive and helps people who feel alone.”

“Also @Khrystyana a curve model and advocate, she started #theRealcatwalk wherever she visits she holds a real catwalk so everyone can join in. There is a very positive community out there.”

“Depends on the celebrities you follow. If you mainly follow celebrities who post a lot of content around showing off their bodies, you’re more likely to compare your body to theirs. I avoid following celebrities who do this, and instead follow celebrities who are funny or inspiring to me.“

“For me it does not make any difference.“

Content promoting diets, eating disorders, diet culture: positive or negative for body image?

“Definitely a negative effect. Dieting is meant to be done carefully and slowly for long term results. But content promoting diet culture is often spun to encourage easy diets for fast results, which are tempting to body-conscious people who want immediate change, but are nearly always dangerous or ineffective.”

“A negative effect, if I get ‘sponsored’ adverts on Instagram promoting dieting I usually click to hide the ad and report as inappropriate.”

“I think it has a negative effect as it presumes there is something wrong with you from start.”

“In my experience these have a negative effect on body image.  Though I feel as I have gotten older they are just more irritating as I find them nonsensical and just report them.

Content promoting cosmetic surgery/interventions: positive or negative for body image?

“Have a severe negative effect on body image.  I believe that this content should be banned from social media and as any other surgical procedure should be only sought after through consultation with your Health Practitioner and not be advertised in the main stream media.”

“Negative – promoting ways to change the way you look using surgery is very damaging. Preying on people who are struggling with their looks because of society. It is not the answer and will not solve the issues these individuals have, it can be addictive, usually permanent and expensive.  People who have surgery are looking for ‘a perfection’ which they will not find.”

“I think it has a negative effect as the cosmetic surgery culture markets a stereotype.”

“When done correctly, cosmetic surgery can be great for improving someone’s self-image. I myself have had breast reduction surgery and I feel a lot more comfortable in my own body as a result of that surgery. However, cosmetic surgery should be considered seriously, and no one should have cosmetic surgery under the belief that it will solve all their body image problems overnight, but this belief is what ads for cosmetic surgery online often perpetuate.”

“Now there are cosmetic surgeons eager to add bit and take away bits to achieve what society dictates.”

5. Diversity of images

What do you think about the diversity of images companies and the media show? 

People need role models. Seeing others like them helps.

Positive comments:

We see more people from ethnic communities and more presenters with disabilities on our screens. Children’s programmes set a positive example. It’s encouraging to see examples on TV of people with physical and mental disabilities who are not held back by them: We see people with visible disabilities - Frank Gardiner, Gary O’Donoghue, BBC correspondents - and with less visible disabilities -Chris Packham , Countryfile.  We see presenters who have returned after illness - Andrew Marr and Nick Robinson. We see presenters who don’t hesitate to show they need reading glasses.  Sky News now has several older/middle-aged women presenters. 

Programmes are also mentioned: Channel 4’s ‘The Last Leg’ is another example. There are good examples of TV and radio shows with episodes featuring disabilities.  ‘Casualty’ has a nurse with hearing aids who talks normally but is helped by sign language). An episode of Hawaii Five-O showed veterans playing hero roles although in wheelchairs.

Negative comments: The range of disabilities portrayed is narrow. There is some improvement but advertisements could show a wider variety of people in a broader range of roles. There are some notable gaps and few examples of presenting people with disabilities as individuals that are part of human diversity  Products aimed at older people - retirement homes, chairlifts, walk-in baths - tend to use models that are much younger than the likely users of such products.  On the other hand,  advertisers forget that many people keep on working when they are older and are very active so may well want to buy products they think are reserved for younger consumers.

As (mainly) older women, do we see ourselves reflected satisfactorily?

We see fewer older female news presenters but many older men – greying, balding...  We know of many people in the 60-90+ category who are still gainfully employed, still working and contributing to society.  But this is not reflected in what we see.

Invisibility of age group 60+ in magazine adverts.  Fashion catalogues rarely feature older women, though The Guardian fashion pages do show a range of ages.  Some of our contributors prefer to see younger images. They especially do not want fashion adverts/products for the ‘older woman’ - ‘classic’ ranges are depressing examples – because ‘style is style’ whatever your age.

There are some high-profile female actors in our age group  - Joanna Lumley, Helen Mirren, Anne Reid for example - on TV, but not many.  The ‘Exotic Marigold Hotel’ TV series shows ‘oldies’ in a positive light.

6. Does body image affect mental health?

What is the likelihood of effects on mental health?

[NOTE: Healthwatch Surrey did a survey in 2014 in conjunction with Surrey Youth Focus with 220 11-25 year-olds.  One of the 4 main mental health issues raised was Self Image.]

“Are you doing something about your body image because you want to or to make people like you?” 

“Much in society is defined in a binary way: you’re in or you’re out, you’re beautiful or you’re ugly.”

Likelihood of effects on mental health:

“If you aren’t happy with the way you look, always comparing yourself to something you are not. This is going to have a negative effect on your wellbeing, affecting your physical and mental health.”

“Poor body image can be mild, but it can grow into full blown Body Dysmorphic Disorder or Anorexia which are serious mental health conditions which require treatment and/or therapy.“

“I believe poor body image is a mental health condition when severe enough to affect our every thinking and how we live our lives and the decisions that we make.”

“People can become depressed and anxious around socialising“.  For example, women can be very sensitive to feeling part of a group. They often feel in and out of synch with the groups they belong to as they go through life.  This affects how they feel about themselves.

People who are not very self-confident are less resistant to ideas or remarks, especially if they see them as unflattering to themselves, and find them hard to forget.  The result can be a negative

preoccupation with body image.  On the other hand, someone who is apparently lacking in self-confidence can have an inner stability, whereas someone who appears to be outgoing and self-confident can be preoccupied with body image in a negative way. 

“Comparing yourself to others, checking your weight, feeling fat or ugly can lead to many issues including dieting and eating disorders. It can affect your confidence, you can feel ostracized, depressed, all harming your mental health.”

“Body dysmorphia and depression.”

“Definitely.  I have met girls with eating disorders and anorexia due to the fact that they are overweight.”

“I put on weight because I was unhappy.”

“For many years, I resorted to alcohol to deal with stress and to avoid my weight problem.”

There is a disturbing propensity to use diets, cosmetic surgery to solve a physical problem when the perception of body image is in the head.  Anorexia is about control, and the brain can distort the picture people see when they look in the mirror, or generally, the picture they have in their head of how they look.

“It’s better to avoid looking at or reading very frequently the exhortations, advice about looking better, feeling better, being more attractive, having the right features.”

[NB: Issue 30 of Breathe magazine has an article entitled ‘Wellness Overload – Could striving for the perfect self-care rituals be making us more frazzled than ever?’]

May 2020