Academic studies can be fascinating... and totally confusing. So we decided to strip away all of the scientific jargon and break them down for you.
The Background
A new survey reveals how women and men view their bodies throughout their lives, and how women in particular are less likely to be body positive. Yahoo Health kicked off 2016 with a body positivity survey as part of its Body-Peace Resolution, an initiative aimed at helping people accomplish goals that are not "vanity-driven" and focus on achievements like physical strength and mental fitness.
The Setup
For the online survey, Yahoo Health asked 1,993 teens and adults between the ages of 13 and 64 to share their views on whether they are body positive, body negative, body neutral (meaning they accept their bodies and their imperfections) or body ambivalent (meaning they have "a love/hate relationship" with their bodies).
The Findings
According to the survey, 20 percent of males reported being body positive while only 11 percent of females reported the same. Yahoo Health also broke down the numbers by age group, revealing that 71 percent of male teens consider themselves body positive or body neutral, compared to roughly a third of female teens (34 percent). The gap closes slightly with millennials: 67 percent of males in this age group said they were body positive or neutral, while 41 percent of female millennials did the same. The survey reports that males become less body positive over time and more neutral, while females typically begin with a more negative or ambivalent view and become neutral.
One of the most startling discoveries from the survey shows that 94 percent of teen females and 95 percent of millennial females have experienced shame when it comes to their bodies. For males, 64 percent in the teen group and 86 percent in the millennial group reported having similar experiences.
The Takeaway
According to the survey, females (especially teens) encounter "far more sources of shame" than males. Yet the difference between these numbers reported by men and women is no reason to dismiss the body image struggles men face. Bottom line? Accepting and feeling secure in your own body can be tough for everyone.
Head over to Yahoo Health for more information on the survey.
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