12 Facts About Body Image You May Not Know

• Twenty years ago, models weighed 8% less than the average woman. Today, they weigh 23% less than the average woman.

• The average American woman is 5’4” tall and weighs 140 pounds. The average American model is 5’11” tall and weighs 117 pounds.

• If Barbie was a real woman, she’d have to walk on all fours due to her proportions.

• About 7% of 12th grade males have used steroids in order to become more muscular.

• If GI Joe were human, he’d have larger biceps than any bodybuilder in history.

• One out of every four college aged women has an eating disorder.

• It is estimated that 40 to 50% of American women are trying to lose weight at any point in time.

• 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!

• 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.

• In 2007, there were about 11.7 million cosmetic procedures performed in the U.S. Ninety one percent of these were performed on women.

• 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.

• According to the Girl Scouts Research Institute, one-third of all girls have a distorted idea about their weight.