Over half of women (57%) claim they have no body confidence – with three in five saying there is not enough body diversity represented in the media.
Almost a fifth (18%) say they feel insecure about their body, with the same number having cancelled a date as a result, while 26% have missed or cancelled a birthday celebration.
And three-quarters, of the 2,000 women polled, say they can't even bring themselves to look in a mirror because of how they feel about their body.
But almost a quarter (23%) claim they would feel better about themselves if they saw people in the media who they could identify with.
And 42% believe that while body diversity has improved in the past five years, there is still a long way to go.
The research was commissioned to launch ITV1’s Loose Women Body Stories campaign, to mark International Women’s Day.
Ahead of a special “Body Stories” episode, airing on March 8th at 12:30pm, on ITV1 and ITVX, editor of Loose Women, Sally Shelford, said: “Loose Women’s Body Stories campaign was originally launched in 2017 to inspire and promote body confidence for all of our viewers.
“We are so proud that it is returning for International Women's Day with a powerful, joyful shoot, and an equally powerful message on the importance of celebrating and seeing body diversity.”
The findings also revealed that 78% believe it’s important to see relatable body types in the media, to normalise differences and encourage acceptance (both 65%).
Similarly, 76% want to see more diversity reflected in high-street fashion brands.
Three-quarters have avoided wearing certain clothing to prevent showing off their body – including bikinis (63%), crop tops (58%), and short skirts (49%).
And 65% admitted a lack of body confidence has stopped them from doing things they’d like to – such as having their photo taken (70%), going swimming (58%), and wearing activewear (39%).
One in four (24%) blame this on having a general lack of confidence in themselves.
And many have missed or cancelled events due to feeling insecure about their body (18%), and struggling to find anything to wear to suit their shape or size (17%).
When it comes to social media, 37% said it has a negative impact on how they feel – compared to just 4% who claim it’s positive – and they are left feeling unconfident (32%), annoyed (18%), and ashamed (14%) when they see unrealistic and filtered images of others.
Contrastingly, those polled, via OnePoll, feel encouraged (26%), assured (20%), and happy (18%), when they do see their body type represented in the media.
This year’s Loose Women Body Stories campaign, “Celebrating Every Body”, sees a host of Loose Women panellists, including Carol McGiffin, Dame Kelly Holmes, Gloria Hunniford OBE, Judi Love, Katie Piper OBE, and Sophie Morgan, take part in an inspiring Body Stories photo shoot for the first time, as well as candidly sharing their own body stories – in a bid to help viewers feel seen and represented.
