Girls as young as FOUR are body-obsessed, worried about ‘big bellies’ – and their horrified mums feel powerless to help
GIRLS as young as four are already obsessed with their bodies and restricting food in case they put on weight, we can reveal.
Mums fear their daughters are becoming consumed by their looks, often copying stars they see online or on TV.
Experts say it’s not just celeb culture to blame, but the way our image-driven society praises girls, and not boys, for their looks - as well as the gender-endorsing high street clothes.
Mum-of-two and writer Helly Douglas admits her four-year-old daughter Edie is already obsessing over her body.
She told Fabulous: “She stands in front of a mirror and practises poses. She’ll pretend to cry or laugh and watch herself.
"She’ll parade in front of people in dresses, holding them out and twirling until someone complements her on looking pretty.
"Family, friends and even strangers will comment on her hair and clothes in a way my son never experiences. I'm shocked at how obsessed she's become over beauty.”
Helly thinks TV adverts - including those shown on kids' channels like Tiny Pop and Milkshake, targeted at those under seven - are partially to blame.
She said: “Everything I do to try and promote a healthy body image is counteracted by adverts on TV.
I'm shocked at how obsessed she's become over beauty
Helly Douglas
"She’s started to recognise the ones meant for her - such at the LOL Doll Hair Goals advert and the Lelli Kelly Kids shoes ad.
“They seem identikit, always full of pink and girls posing as they showcase products.
"It’s so image focused and I worry about the impact it will have on her in the future.”
Francesca Mallen, of the campaign group Let Clothes Be Clothes, warns parents should not be calling their daughters "beautiful" while referring to their sons as "brave" or "smart", as this places emphasis on little girls’ appearance over anything else.
She asked: “What message are you sending to those children? If you aren’t prepared to say ‘you are beautiful’ to a boy, then why do you feel compelled to say it to a little girl?”
The group is calling on retailers in the UK to end the designing and marketing of kids' clothes based around outdated gender stereotypes.
Kids and body confidence - the facts
Last year, 7,500 kids asked the NHS for help over conditions like anorexia and bulimia, up by 50 per cent from just over 5,000 in 2016/17.
Developing a negative body image at a young age can lead to eating disorders, lower aspirations in school and poor mental health, the Children's Society warns.
Each week, YouTube remove tens of thousands of accounts belonging to kids under 13.
Francesca said: “Often T-shirt slogans aimed at girls use references to how girls look and act, such as ‘always smiling’.
"This is in opposition to what boys are offered, such as ‘legend’ or ‘boss’.”
She added: “We would encourage parents, family members and teachers to think more about the language they use when talking to young children, and think about any unconscious gender bias.
“When I talk to my own daughters, I make a point of using lots of different words to show praise and try not to place too much importance on the way they look.”
Model Jenny Collins, originally from Perth, Australia, told us her four-year-old daughter Amelia is already becoming aware of not eating too much and also spends time appraising herself in the mirror.
Jenny said: “She’s been coming home from nursery telling me about ‘good’ food and ‘bad’ food and that she can’t eat too much because she will end up with a big belly.
"At first I thought it was funny, but it’s actually worrying to think where she’s getting this from.”
She’s been coming home from nursery telling me about ‘good’ food and ‘bad’ food and that she can’t eat too much because she will end up with a big belly
Jenny Collins
Jenny said her gymnast daughter loves watching JoJo Siwa - an American YouTuber whose large, colourful JoJo hair bows were banned in many schools, with one head labelling them too "distracting".
Jenny said: “She loves to have a matching JoJo bow and checks out her outfit in her full length mirror.
"She’s started to ask me to order her make-up and loves getting her nails done.”
Kadi Pariis, a mum-of-two and registered osteopath, originally from Estonia, spent years battling body dysmorphia - after an adult made a seemingly innocent joke about weight in front of her as a child.
She is now wary of saying anything negative about body image around her four-year-old daughter Emilia, as she knows from experience how easily it can trigger serious body issues.
She said: “Children want to associate themselves with what they are exposed to, like Disney princesses and superheroes - all who look aesthetically pleasing to the eye.
"There aren’t many popular children’s characters that are ‘average’.
“Some would say it’s down to parents to regulate what their children are exposed to and, although I agree with that, there is also so much more out there readily available compared to when we were kids.
"It’s near impossible to shield children from everything.
“In our family, we don’t emphasise appearance apart from being clean and neatly dressed.
"We encourage Emilia to play outside, be active and give her praise for her actions and efforts - rather than making comments about appearance.”
What parents can do - the expert opinions
Deirdre Kehoe, director of training and services at mental health charity YoungMinds, said children today face a “wide range of pressures”.
She said: “We hear through our helpline that body image concerns can be associated with low self-esteem, anxiety or depression in older children.
“As children grow up, it’s important for parents to help them see everyone has different body shapes and sizes, and we are all unique in our own way.
"Encourage your child to love and accept who they are, and promote and channel their strengths.”
Child Psychologist Hannah Abrahams said it is important for parents to talk about having a strong body and mind, both inside and out.
“Our bodies are beautiful and incredibly important to us because they allow us to play, to climb, to explore, to dance and to run,” she said.
“We need to teach children that beauty is about independence, curiosity and learning, not solely the way that we look.”
If you’re worried about your child’s self-esteem or body image, talk to your GP or call the YoungMinds parents helpline on 0808 802 5544.
The Children's Society warns developing a negative body image at a young age can lead to eating disorders, lower aspirations in school and poor mental health.
Last year, 7,500 children accessed the NHS for conditions like anorexia and bulimia, up by 50 per cent from just over 5,000 in 2016/17, new data reveals.
Danae Mercer, a journalist and body confidence influencer who previously went viral for a series of pictures showing the affect angles can have, believes this increase in body obsessions among children and teens is down to the edited images of the ‘perfect body’ they are exposed to on a daily basis.
Danae, who herself has suffered from an eating disorder, said: “There’s a new type of eating disorder happening. One that occurs in kids and teens and is created by the constant feedback loop of social media.
“Plus you have apps like TikTok offering instant, real-time facial adjustments, which only exacerbates things. You can have a mini nose job, teeth whitening and jaw reduction all in TikTok’s main interface.
I have no problem with healthy adults choosing to do these things but putting that on kids and teens is a whole different, and far more dangerous, story
Danae Mercer
“I have no problem with healthy adults choosing to do these things but putting that on kids and teens is a whole different, and far more dangerous, story.”
It's not just girls affected. Young boys also suffer from poor body image, and often feel the pressure to obtain the idealised male physique.
Aynsley Fry, a strength and conditioning coach, has had firsthand experience with body image issues in young athletes.
“Young boys will view athletes as their superheroes, with a six-pack, big arms, and sub-10 per cent body fat,” Aynsley says.
“Anything less than that is not worthy of such status.
“You're more likely to see this superhero image on your magazine, cereal box or PlayStation game, than you will someone with less athletic looks.”
A spokesperson for YouTube told us they remove tens of thousands of accounts belonging to people under 13 every week.
They said that they also get rid of content promoting an unhealthy body image.
In 2015, YouTube Kids was launched as a way for children to safely explore their interests, while giving parents the tools to control their viewing.
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The advertising watchdog told us ads must follow strict rules to protect the public, especially children.
Freddie Alcock, from the Advertising Standards Agency, said: “Advertisers should ensure that they don’t portray particular body types in an irresponsible manner, imply people can only be happy if they look a certain way or present an unhealthy body image as aspirational.
“Ads should not suggest an individual’s happiness or emotional wellbeing depends on them conforming to an idealised, gender stereotypical body shape or physical features.”
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A spokesperson for Channel 5 said Milkshake is focused on providing “gender neutral content” and a “balanced array of programming”.
If you’re worried about your child’s self-esteem or body image, talk to your GP or call the YoungMinds parents helpline on 0808 802 5544.