It’s a Health Issue

Even though many people are aware of this thing called ‘body dissatisfaction,’ there remains all too little understanding of its root causes or how it weaves its way into our deepest thoughts.

Worrying excessively about one’s appearance takes time and energy away from more productive pursuits, and body dissatisfaction is linked to numerous health problems, including depression, anxiety and eating disorders.

It’s an Economic Issue

While it’s difficult to calculate the total cost of body dissatisfaction to society as a whole, we can get a feel for the scale by looking at one part of the problem at a time. This 2012 report published by Deloitte on behalf of The Butterfly Foundation offers an estimate of the cost to Australian society of eating disorders:

• The study concluded that eating disorders accrued a total cost of over $15 billion in 2012
• That’s $2 per day per Australian, compared to the few cents per day spent to address the underlying causes
• Eating disorders are only one of many potential problems linked to body dissatisfaction

And it’s Also a Social Issue

Just imagine the cost to society of body dissatisfaction as a whole. Dangerously little research has been done into the scale of the problem, and less still into the underlying causes.

When multiplied by the millions of people likely to be affected it’s becoming a huge burden on modern society, and if left unchecked, there are grave concerns about the impact it’s going to have on the current and future generations.

It’s crucial that children learn about these things when they’re young so they can grow into healthy, resilient adults.

The good news is that there are lots of theories on how to do this – these expert theories inform and inspired The Mannequin Project.