World Vision Romania: 60% of Young Women Try Extreme Diets Due to Social Media
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Six out of ten girls have tried extreme or dangerous diets to gain or lose weight. This is because of the pressures they feel due to the images promoted in the media, including on social networks, which are far from the reality of most women.
Another cause is criticism from boys and men. At the same time, half of the girls are only relatively or not at all satisfied with their bodies, and a similar percentage avoids participating in social activities due to insecurity related to their physical appearance, according to the latest survey conducted by World Vision Romania on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The study also showed that over 66% of girls feel judged by those around them for how they dress, while 50% of teenage girls are relatively or not at all satisfied with their bodies.
One in two teenage girls (47%) say they face pressure to look perfect because of social media. 64% of female respondents felt judged by boys or men based on their physical appearance.
Six out of ten teenage girls have tried extreme or unhealthy diets at least once in their lives to lose or gain weight. Four in ten young women constantly or frequently feel guilty if they eat something considered unhealthy, while another two in ten (22%) also experience this feeling of guilt to a small extent.
More than half of them (53%) did not participate in certain social activities because they felt insecure about how they looked. Almost half constantly or frequently think that their lives would be better if they looked different. 92% of girls want schools to hold discussions about body image and social media pressures on young people to look a certain way.
Another consequence of this wave of pressure on girls’ body image is isolation. For the same reason, young women are also extremely stressed. More than half (56%) of girls constantly or frequently think about how they look. A similar percentage (47.5%) of teenage girls constantly or frequently think that their life would be better if they looked different.
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