Be Real

About the Be Real Campaign

Body image anxiety is causing young people to isolate themselves, consider drastic changes to their appearance and develop mental health difficulties. In response to the Reflections on Body Image report from the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image. YMCA and Dove responded by creating the Be Real Campaign, in 2014.

Be Real is campaigning to change attitudes to body image and help all of us to put health above appearance and be confident in our bodies.

The Be Real Campaign unites individuals and organisations, amplifying the voices of those working to change attitudes and behaviour. Supporting them with research and resources, we’re bringing together their expertise and influence and working collectively to build a body confident nation.

Download Research Report

Our latest research ‘Great Expectations’ investigates the origins of the
body image expectations and pressures experienced by young people. We found that more 58% of young people said that celebrities were responsible for body image expectations, while 52% blamed social media.  Find out more and download the research.

Latest research

Our latest research ‘Great Expectations’ investigates the origins of the body image expectations and pressures experienced by young people. We found that more 58% of young people said that celebrities were responsible for body image expectations, while 52% blamed social media.  Find out more and download the research.

Campaign Toolkit for Schools

The Body Confidence Campaign Toolkit helps secondary schools to teach body confidence in the classroom and as a whole-school approach, supporting both teachers and students to play an important role in how this happens. Download it now.

Campaign video

Liam Preston, Head of the Be Real Campaign for body confidence for YMCA England & Wales, talks on 4Music about its work with changing perceptions around body image and working in schools across the country.

Real Stories

Want to know how others dealt with their body image struggles? Read real stories of people’s experience with body image, their journey, and the impact on their life.

Body Confidence Campaign Toolkit for Schools launched

Donate

Support us to create a body confident nation, and support young people through education, campaigning and creating new resources by donating online.

Somebody Like Me Be Real body confidence research

Somebody Like Me Research

In 2017 we launched ‘Somebody Like Me’ investigating the impact of body image anxiety on young people in the UK. In it, we discovered that 36% of 11 to 16 year olds said they would do ‘whatever it takes’ to look good. Find out more.