Survey highlights pressure on young girls to look good

The pressure to look attractive is a major preoccupation for young girls and has forced many to endure strict diets, according to a survey.

About half (47 per cent) of a group of 1,200 girls said they found the emphasis placed on physical appearance the most negative aspect of being female, according to the survey commissioned by Girlguiding UK.

Last year the organisation found that 42 per cent of girls had been on strict diets and this year they were asked why – three-quarters (75 per cent) said it was to be attractive to others with 66 per cent claiming it was because of the media portrayal of women.

Girlguiding UK last month launched a petition which called on the government to introduce compulsory labelling on airbrushed pictures in magazines after a survey found many young girls involved with guiding were influenced by such images.

This latest survey supports those results, showing that the preoccupation with image is taking a hold on girls’ lives.

A group of 1,200 youngsters aged between seven and 21 across the country took part in the survey.

Girls from lower performing schools were found to place more importance on being attractive compared with girls from higher performing schools – 33 per cent from lower performing schools compared with 20 per cent from higher performing schools.

Additionally, girls from lower performing schools also thought it more important to be rich (24 per cent vs three per cent) and famous (32 per cent vs 14 per cent) than their counterparts at higher performing schools.

Being fit and active was selected by more than half (54 per cent) of girls as an important factor in being successful in life.