A campaign was launched by guide leaders to throw cold water
on teenage girls from having plastic surgery after national surveys connote
nearly half would consider it.
Give Yourself A Chance is an interactive website that offers 12- to
16-year-olds tips on how to boost their self-confidence.
Its "shocking" surveys reveal up to 48% of girls aged 16 to 21 would
consider going under the knife, according to Girlguiding UK.
They also imply 47% of girls believe the burden to look attractive is the
most unfavorable aspect of being female.
The organization's campaign encourages girls to read real-life stories from
others who have put up a fight with eating disorders, cosmetic concerns, and
body angst.
"Our research has shown the shocking extent to which girls would
consider drastic action to change the way they look,? spokeswoman Cathy Fraser
said."Working closely with girls and young women, we are all too aware of
the pressures they face to conform to a certain body image.?
"Give Yourself A Chance encourages girls to boost their self-confidence
without cosmetic surgery and to give themselves the opportunity to develop
fully," she added.
National polls in 2009 and 2010 where girls aged seven to twenty-one
surveyed totaled 1,109 and 1,200 girls respectively. The survey found out:
- More than 10% aged 11 to 16
would think about cosmetic surgery to enhance their appearance
- Girls as young as 10 want to
be thin, with half aged 11 to 16 consuming less food to stay fit
- One in eight aged 11 to 16
would think about having a gastric band or plastic surgery; and
- One in 20 would consider
having Botox
In 2009, Girlguiding UK
supported a campaign by the Liberal Democrats asking for adverts targeted at
under-16s which utilized airbrushed photos of models to be banned.
"The constant pressure to look impossibly perfect, be like skinny
celebrities and conform to impose stereotypes is creating a rising tide of low
self-esteem, depression and anxiety amongst young girls and increasingly boys,?
said Lynne Featherstone, Minister for equalities. "I want young girls to
feel valued not because of what they look like but for what they can contribute
and achieve."