body image

‘I worry for you girls’: Prince William

Prince William is the father of a boy and a girl (and a child on the way), who are – hopefully – still a way off having their own Instagram accounts. But the prince has given a surprise speech to school students in London that, frankly, every tween and their parent should read. "I worry for you girls. [...]

Mission Australia Youth Survey Results

Mission Australia have released results from the 16th Youth Survey, in which 24,055 young people aged 15 to 19 took part. Young people identified mental health, alcohol and drugs and equity and discrimination as the most important issues in Australia today, with around one third of young people identifying mental health (33.7%) or alcohol and [...]

Males With Body Image Issues And Eating Disorders Are Up To Four Times More Likely To Go Undiagnosed Than Females

I’m going to suggest something controversial - body image can be just as much an issue for men as it is for women, it’s just that we rarely hear about it from men themselves. We know that talking and being emotionally vulnerable can be hard for men. Add to the equation an ultra-sensitive sore point [...]

More Teens Than Ever Before Meet The Criteria For Having Mental Health Issues

Nearly 1 in 4 Australian teenagers meet the criteria for having a "probable serious mental illness", a joint report from Mission Australia and the Black Dog Institute has found. The Five Year Mental Health Youth Report presented findings from the past five Mission Australia youth surveys, during which thousands of adolescents answered questions on several [...]

Young Women Are Now A ‘High-risk Group’ For Mental Illness

Psychological distress in women aged 16-24 is at an all-time high, with record numbers admitting to harming themselves to relieve their distress, according to an alarming study. Experts say young women are now a “high-risk group” and point to links between mental illness and violence or sexual abuse, and possible pressures from the rise of [...]

Growing Up Young

Has adolescence ever been harder for girls, as they enter a world where appearance rivals achievement, and judgement is only a social media comment away? Meet some young women who are navigating this tricky moment in their lives. According to Holly, 15: If I leave the house without make-up, I don't feel as much myself. [...]

Why Reducing Advice To A BMI Number Is Hurting Our Health

Flickr Images "You're overweight, borderline obese." This was what Christopher was told when he attended his corporate health check. The person conducting the check went on to suggest that he take a look at his diet and perhaps think about healthy options. While they didn't come out and say "you need to lose [...]

Weight Watchers Has Completely Missed The Body Positive Memo

Photo: Weight Watchers Just when you start to think the tide is turning against the era of companies brazenly exploiting women's body image for profit, Weight Watchers launches a campaign that turns back the clock a few decades. While others in the wellbeing and image industries are slowly moving away from marketing efforts that focus on [...]

More Young Girls Asking GPs About Genetic Cosmetic Surgery

Photograph: Alamy Stock Photo A world-first study has found that girls as young as 15 are asking their GPs about genital cosmetic surgery, and are increasingly concerned that their genitals don’t look “normal”. "The really vulnerable here are young women and teens impressed by what they see online and what a lot of [...]

‘Selfie Culture’ Puts Young Women At Highest ‘Mental Health Risk’

Pixabay Images Soaring numbers of young women are suffering mental health problems and self-harm as a “selfie culture” heaps pressures on girls, new research suggests. More than one quarter of women aged between 16 and 24 are suffering from symptoms of common mental health problems, such as anxiety and depression, according to a [...]

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