UK named the most "body positive" country in the world

The UK is the most “body positive” country, with the highest media coverage on body confidence and inclusivity, according to a new study by sportswear brand Reebok.

The study, which analysed how body inclusive major countries in the world are to shed light on the state of representation in 2021, took a look at how often terms like “body confidence”, “body positive” and “plus size” appeared in the news and were searched for online.

The UK’s number of monthly Google searches for body inclusive terms is 67,700, with the number of news articles on body inclusivity in the past year hitting 4,245, making it the most body inclusive country in the world, the report states. The USA came in second place, Ireland third, Australia fourth and Canada fifth. 

The UK also has the most inclusive fitness influencers, according to the study, with 8.37% of posts from these people highlighting body positivity, followed closely by France (4.30%), the Netherlands (4.10%), Spain (2.41%) and Germany (0.54%). 

For example, Chessie King has 824,000 followers and 27.93% of her posts on Instagram relate to fitness inclusion, while The Body Coach Joe Wicks has 3,800,00 followers and 13.61% of his posts are body inclusive. 

Compared to France and the Netherlands, the UK is ahead in representing plus-size consumers too as the focus for body inclusivity in these countries are significantly lower, the report found. 

You’ll never guess which two celebrities were named the most inspiring celebrities for body positivity earlier this year.  

Meanwhile, the study cites that London is the most body inclusive city on Instagram, with more than half of models in this area considered to be diverse men and women, followed closely by Paris and Berlin, where nearly half of models used by modelling agencies differ from stereotypes.

There are more than 14.5 million posts promoting the “body positive” hashtag on Instagram, the study states. 

Melissa Howard, founder of The Confidence Academy, said: “The re-evaluation of conventional beauty standards has evolved in response to the growing trend where body equality is accepted and celebrated.

“The new generation is taught how to feel confident about who they are due the links to confidence, self-esteem and mental health in both adolescent and adult life. A 2019 study carried out by the Mental Health Foundation showed that poor body image affects all ages and genders, leading to one third of adults feeling anxious or depressed, and one in eight having suicidal thoughts.” 

Read Reebok’s report on “The Importance of Body Inclusivity and Representation in Fitness” now. 

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