Body Image Worries

Young people struggling to cope with intense pressure to look good, warns NSPCC.

Alarming numbers of young people are contacting ChildLine about body image worries, NSPCC Scotland has revealed.

Mounting pressures to look good mean physical appearance is a top concern for young people, with 2,098 children and young people having contacted ChildLine bases in Aberdeen and Glasgow during 2012/13 with worries over their appearance. Warmer months caused a spike in related contacts, with 65% of these counselling sessions taking place during spring and summer.

Children and young people contacted ChildLine for support due to low self-esteem and body image worries, as they struggled to cope with perceived pressures from peers and society. In comparing themselves unfavourably to media ideals and indeed their peers, ChildLine counsellors found that young people often struggled to find anything positive about their skills, achievements or appearance.

Susan Dobson, ChildLine service manager, spoke of the impact these pressures can have:

"Young people face intense pressures, bombarded by society’s unhealthy obsession with appearance and unrealistic images of the 'norm' to which we should all apparently aspire. Chasing these airbrushed ideals can result in the destruction of body image and confidence.

"Technology only magnifies these pressures, with social media facilitating 24/7 peer comparison and the selfie phenomenon fuelling society’s obsession with appearance. We know that taking and sending countless selfies in the pursuit of social validation can often be a symptom of low self-esteem."

Physical appearance was a leading cause of bullying and represented two thirds of all counselling sessions (7,997) with young people who were being bullied. Many were left feeling too ashamed and embarrassed to tell anyone about it – with 11% of young people affected not telling anyone about it before contacting ChildLine.

Susan continued:

"Many young people are bullied about their appearance, with some feeling so ashamed and embarrassed that they hide themselves away from society – rarely leaving their bedrooms, going out or socialising. We’re talking about experiences and feelings which can blight not just their childhood but their entire life."

One girl aged 12-15 contacted the Aberdeen base because she was so unhappy with her appearance she avoided activities for fear of drawing attention to herself:

"I hate the way I look and feel fat and ugly all the time. It has stopped me from doing things I enjoy because I just don’t feel confident in front of people. I hate feeling this way but I don't see how I can change."

Another girl aged 16-18 spoke to a counsellor at our Glasgow base after being bullied for her looks:

"I feel under so much pressure to look a certain way but I can't change the fact that I'm ugly and fat. When I take pictures with my friends I’ll look at them and ask myself why I look so ugly next to them. I have been bullied a lot in the past about how I look too so this knocks my confidence even more. I don't know how to stop comparing myself to other people."

Although seven times as many girls were counselled on this issue as boys, body image was still expressed by boys as a major worry. One boy aged 12-15 contacted the Aberdeen base for support after being bullied about his height:

"I haven't developed as quickly as some of my friends so I'm really short compared to them. People make fun of me for it and think I am much younger than I am. I feel so down and it makes me just want to stay at home where I know I'm safe."

The NSPCC's ChildLine Service needs committed volunteers to dedicate their time to supporting vulnerable children and young people. If you are open minded and able to listen, and can maintain a regular commitment to weekly shifts, we need you to help support vulnerable children and young people. To find out more, visit nspcc.org.uk/volunteer