12 Facts About Body Image You may Not Know

1. Twenty years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, they weigh 23% less than the average woman.
2. The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds.
3. If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.
4. About 7% of 12th grade males have used steroids in order to become more muscular.
5. If GI Joe were human, he’d have larger biceps than any bodybuilder in history.
6. One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.
7. It is estimated that 40 to 50% of American women are trying to lose weight at any point in time.
8. Americans spend more than 40 billion dollars a year on dieting and diet-related products – that’s roughly equivalent to the amount the U.S. Federal Government spends on education each year!
9. Almost half of all women smokers smoke because they see it as the best way to control their weight. Of these women, 25% will die of a disease caused by smoking.
10. In 2007, there were about 11.7 million cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. Ninety one percent of these were performed on women.
11. A study found that 53% of thirteen-year-old American girls are unhappy with their bodies. This number grows to 78% by the time girls reach seventeen.
12. According to the Girl Scouts Research Institute, one-third of all girls have a distorted idea about their weight.