We are excited to support a new campaign called Be Real: Body Confidence for Everyone, which launched this week. We want to change attitudes to body image and help all of us put health above appearance and be confident in our bodies.
Low body confidence is damaging people’s lives. It affects everyone – all ages, both sexes – and starts young. It impacts people’s physical and mental health and holds them back in life, stopping them from achieving all that they could.
The campaign focuses on three areas where it will bring about real change.
- Real education: We want to give children and young people a body confident start to life. We’re calling for parents to set a positive example, schools to adopt a whole-school approach and young people to support each other to be body confident.
- Real health: We want healthy living and general wellbeing to be prioritised over just appearance and weight. We’re calling for the healthcare sector and those in the diet, health and fitness industries to promote long-term healthy living and wellbeing ahead of short-term quick fixes.
- Real diversity: We want the media, businesses and advertisers to positively reflect what we really look like. We’re calling for businesses, publishers, editors and advertisers to act responsibly by positively promoting different body shapes and sizes, people with and without disabilities, and all ages, genders and ethnicities. We want the public to choose brands that promote body confidence and challenge those that don’t.
The launch attracted huge levels of media interest and ambassadorial support, with stories in the Telegraph, Independent, Sunday Times and Metro as well as TV appearances from campaign spokespeople, including Denise Hatton, and YMCA young people, including fashion designer, Joey Bevan and Kelsey Hibberd from Southend YMCA. Broadcast coverage included Sky News, Good Morning Britain, This Morning and Channel 5 News.
To get involved, please visit the Be Real website or follow the campaign on Twitter or Facebook.