Today-Aol Ideal To Real Body Image Survey Results - v2

TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey | February 2014 Page 1
IDEAL TO REAL BODY IMAGE SURVEY

NEW RESEARCH FROM TODAY AND AOL.COM EXAMINES OUR OBSESSION WITH
HOW WE LOOK AND THE POWERFUL INFLUENCES BOTH INTERNAL AND
EXTERNAL THAT IMPACT HOW WE FEEL ABOUT OUR BODY IMAGE.

FEBRUARY 2014

SUMMARY
Our obsession with our appearance starts almost the moment we wake. Most
of us spend close to an hour every day getting ready, and yet, even with
all the daily grooming and preparation, were still worried about the face
we present to the world. Were plagued with self-doubt about what others
see when they look at us, and are typically our own worst critics when we
look in the mirror.

A joint study from NBCs The Today Show and AOL.com surveyed over 2000
adults and 200 teens to understand how people feel about their body image.
The study explored how much time we spend on our appearance; the aspects
of our looks we worry about the most; the relationship between factors
like gender, age, parental status, and emotional connections and the way
we feel about our looks; and the impact of social media and celebrity
images on own confidence and insecurities.

Research highlights:
! DAILY ROUTINE: Adult women spend an average of 55 minutes per day on
their appearance thats 335 hours every year (or a 2-week vacation
spent doing nothing except grooming and getting dressed). And its
almost 100 hours more than men spend. For teen girls the difference
is even more pronounced they spend 402 hours every year on their
appearance, almost twice as many as teen boys.
! LOOKS ON OUR MINDS: The numbers above do not reflect the additional
time we spend thinking about our appearance throughout the day. Over
half of adults report that they think about their appearance at least
several times daily if not more. And while people do sometimes
think positive thoughts at these times, women are as likely to think
a negative thought as they are a positive thought. Teen girls are
even harder on themselves: 85% of teen girls say they worry about
TODAY.com / AOL.com

their appearance at least once a week (72% say its every day or most
days).
! OUR OBSESSIONS: When asked what body part they worry over most, men
and women agree that their stomach is their biggest source of
anxiety. Skin, wrinkles, and hair are other top worries. Once again,
women outpace men on worrying: the average woman worries about 6
problem areas vs only 3 for the average man.
! WEIGHTY MATTERS: Most Americans are worried about their weight: 3 in 4
adults say that they feel that they could always lose weight. For
women both adult women AND teen girls, that figure is even higher
(82%). A third of teen girls feel that they would never tell anyone
their true weight (the same proportion for adult women).
! SELFIE CONSCIOUS: Opinions are divided in terms of how the images they
see on social media (both of themselves, and of others) make people
feel about themselves. When people have some control over what they
see on their social feed, such as when they post a new favorite
selfie, social media is more likely to make people feel better
about themselves. But how people appear on social media is not always
in their control and the same tool can make people feel more self-
conscious and insecure. In fact, while 40% of adult social media
users say that seeing selfies and other flattering photos online
makes me feel more confident, 41% say social media overall makes
me feel more self-conscious about my appearance. The results are
even more stark for the generation who grew up with social media, and
especially for teen girls who in almost equal numbers report that
photos they post of themselves have the power to make them feel more
confident while pictures others post of them can make them feel bad
about themselves.
! CELEBRITY IMAGES: Glamorous, air-brushed images of celebrities do have
the power to make people feel bad about themselves. 80% of teen girls
compare themselves to images they see of celebrities; among those who
compare themselves to these images, almost half say it makes them
feel dissatisfied with their own appearance.
! MAGIC AGE: Are the best days behind us? Most adults seem to think so.
When asked at what age they felt best about their bodies and their
overall appearance, more than half of all adults surveyed named an
age YOUNGER than their current age. Interestingly the average magic
age when they felt best about their appearance was 27, for both men
and women. On the other hand, teens, at least, are living in the
moment: the vast majority (73%) say that the age they are now is when
they will feel best about their bodies.
! IT GETS BETTER: For most adults, there is light at the end of the
tunnel, and it comes with age. Age seems to make people more
resilient, or less concerned with things like appearance that arent
as important. As women and men get older, they still think about
their appearance, and even have specific problem areas that they
TODAY.com / AOL.com

worry about, but overall they spend much less time thinking about or
obsessing over the way they look.

TODAY.com / AOL.com

KEY FINDINGS
DAILY ROUTINE
Three hundred and thirty-five hours: thats how much time women spend on
their appearance every year -- almost 100 hours more than men. For teen
girls, the difference is even more pronounced: they spend 402 hours every
year on their appearance almost twice as many hours as teen boys.

Source: TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey, February 2014
Q: On an average day, how much time do you spend on your appearance?
(For example: styling your hair, putting on makeup, picking out what to wear, shaving,
etc.)
Base: All Adults 18+ (n=2059); Adult Males (n=1006); Adult Females (n=1053);
All Teens 16-17 (n=200); Teen Boys (n=100); Teen Girls (n=100)

Our motivations for spending time on our appearance differ significantly
for men and women:
! Women spend almost an hour a day on their appearance because they
want to feel better about themselves. This motivation is important
for men too, but significantly more important for women (59% for
adult men vs. 78% for adult women).
! Adult men place a higher priority on looking professional (52% for
adult men vs. 38% for adult women).
TODAY.com / AOL.com

! Not surprisingly, teens and young adults are more likely than their
elders to spend time on their appearance in the hopes of attracting a
significant other.

A womans greater worry over her appearance starts first thing: her daily
routine
involves almost twice as many steps and takes almost twice as long as a
mans.

68% of adult women (and 71% of teen girls) put on makeup as part of their
typical daily routine; around a third of women say that they never leave
the house without make-up.

Q: Which of these do you typically do to get ready for the day? Please select all that
apply.
Base: All Adults 18+ (n=2059); Adult Males (n=1006); Adult Females (n=1053)

LOOKS ON OUR MINDS
The time people spend getting ready is not the only time they spend on
their appearance: most people also think about how they look multiple
times throughout the day. And while the overall frequency with which men
and women think about their personal appearance is relatively even, women
think negative thoughts almost twice as often as men. Similarly, teen
girls are almost twice as likely as teen boys to think negative thoughts
5
AvL8ACL l1LMS ln A
WCMAN'S uAlL? 8Cu1lnL
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3
TODAY.com / AOL.com

about their appearance on a regular basis. In fact, over one third of
adult women and one half of teen girls think a negative thought about the
way they look MORE OFTEN than they think a positive thought. Men and teen
boys on the other hand lean toward a healthier balance only around 15%
of males think negative thoughts more often than they think positive
thoughts about their appearance.

Q: How often have you had positive/negative thoughts about your appearance in the past
month?
Base: Adult Males (n=1006); Adult Females (n=1053); Teen Boys (n=100); Teen Girls
(n=100)

Appearance is a pervasive source of worry for adults, over half of whom
admit to worrying (or feeling unsure) about their appearance at least once
a week or more. Adult Women worry about their appearance with greater
frequency than they do their Finances, Health, Relationships, and
Professional Success. And while Adult Men worry a little more often about
their Finances, their Appearance is often on their minds as well.
TODAY.com / AOL.com


Q: How often in the past month have you worried (or felt unsure) about the following?

For teens overall and particularly teen girls, worrying about their
appearance is a regular and frequent occurrence: 85% of teen girls say
they worry about their appearance at least weekly (72% say its every day
or most days); 56% of teen boys say they regularly worry about their
appearance.

Adu|t Men 8ody art Adu|t Women
17 Natura| ha|r 32
21 Gray ha|r 29
24 1h|nn|ng ha|r 18
20 Iac|a| ha|r 27
10 Lyebrows 22
9 Nose 10
4 L|ps 8
11 Wr|nk|es 28
23 Sk|n 40
10 Ch|n]neck 27
8 Arms 23
7 nands 13
9 Na||s 18
1S Lxcess body ha|r 1S
OUR OBSESSIONS
When asked what body part they
worried over most, men and
women agree that their stomachs
are their biggest sources of
anxiety (69% of women and 52%
worry about their stomachs, and
its the TOP source of concern
for a third of all adults).
Skin, wrinkles, and hair are
other top worries for all
adults.

Once again, women outperform
men on worrying about
appearance: the average woman
TODAY.com / AOL.com


14 Chest ] 8reasts 24
S2 Stomach 69
S Ce||u||te 29
7 8utt 29
4 n|ps 2S
S 1h|ghs 36
S Legs 20
2 Ank|es S
8 Ieet 12
||ke|y to worry about]obsess over body part
Source: TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image
Survey, February 2014
Q: Which parts of your body/appearance are
you likely to worry about or obsess over?
Please select all that apply.
Base: All Adults 18+ (n=2059);
Adult Males (n=1006); Adult Females
(n=1053)
TODAY.com / AOL.com

WEIGHTY MATTERS
Three in four adults surveyed feel like they could always lose some
weight. Given that finding, perhaps its not surprising that many adults
would take instant weight loss over a little bit of cash: when asked if
they would rather instantly lose 10 pounds or receive $10 cash, 70% of
women and 52% of men chose the weight loss. Over half of adult women
surveyed said that they would take the instant 10-pound weight loss over a
larger gift of $50 cash, and one in five adult women would take the
instant weight loss over a more significant cash gift of $500.

WOULD YOU RATHER INSTANTLY LOSE 10 POUNDS OR RECEIVE A GIFT OF $?

Q: Would you rather instantly lose 10 pounds or receive a gift of $10 | $50 | $100 | $500
| $1000 | $10,000?

Teen girls feel the same about losing weight, and would choose similarly:
82% of teen girls feel that they could always lose weight; 66% of them
would take 10 pounds over $10, and 18% would take 10 pounds over $500.
TODAY.com / AOL.com


Q: Would you agree or disagree with the following? (% Agree)

Interestingly, when it comes to dating someone who is overweight, most
relationship seekers are open to the possibility. Generationally, teens
and Millennials are slightly less likely than older adults to say they
would consider dating someone who is overweight but the majority of all
groups say they would consider it.

WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO DATE SOMEONE WHO IS OVERWEIGHT?

Q: Would you be willing to date someone who is considered overweight?.
Base: Respondents who are unmarried/not in relationship:
Adults 18+ (n=863); Adult Males (n=505); Adult Females (n=358);
Teens 16-17 (n=167); Teen Boys (n=86); Teen Girls (n=83);
Millennials (n=612); Gen X (n=224); Boomers (n=182)

73
36
27
63
44
13
82
68
38
I a|ways fee| ||ke I cou|d |ose we|ght
I don't fee| comfortab|e wear|ng a bath|ng
su|t ] sw|m trunks
I wou|d never te|| anyone my true we|ght
All AdulLs 18+ AdulL Men AdulL Women
69
63
74
60
62
39
64
72
73
A|| Adu|ts 18+ Men Women A|| 1eens
(16-17)
1een 8oys 1een G|r|s M|||enn|a|s Gen k 8oomers
TODAY.com / AOL.com

SELFIE-CONSCIOUS
Adults are relatively evenly split over how social media makes them feel
about themselves. It appears that people are more generous in their
assessment of social media when what they are looking at is in their own
control so for example, when people see selfies and other flattering
photos of themselves, 40% of adults report that they feel more confident.
But an equal number of people report feeling bad about themselves when
they see pictures that others post of them on social media, perhaps
pointing to the challenges of living in an always on social media world
in which controlling ones image is not always possible. Adults however
are less likely to agree that seeing other people living glamourous-
looking lives makes them feel bad, or that social media means they
always need to be camera ready.
In general, women tend to find more about social media to make them feel
bad about themselves: 46% of women say social media makes them feel more
self-conscious about their appearance, vs only 36 % of men.

41
40
39
39
32
23
36
39
29
41
28
23
46
41
48
37
36
26
Cvera||, soc|a| med|a makes me fee| more se|f-
consc|ous about my appearance
See|ng se|hes and other auer|ng photos of
myse|f on||ne makes me fee| more conhdent
See|ng p|ctures other peop|e post of me on
soc|a| med|a can make me fee| bad about
myse|f
Soc|a| med|a he|ps me present my best face to
the wor|d
See|ng p|ctures of other peop|e ||v|ng
g|amorous-|ook|ng ||ves on soc|a| med|a makes
me fee| bad about myse|f
Soc|a| med|a means I a|ways need to be
camera-ready
TODAY.com / AOL.com

Base: All Adult Social Media Site Users18+ (n=1815); Adult Males (n=864); Adult Females
(n=951)

For teens, the results are even more dramatic. 65% of teen girls say
seeing selfies and other flattering photos of themselves on social media
makes me feel more confident while at the same time 53% say that seeing
pictures other people post of them can make me feel bad about myself and
59% say that seeing pictures of others living glamorous-looking lives
makes them feel bad about themselves. Overall, teenagers, and especially
teen girls, are using social media as a tool to put themselves in their
best light: when they are in control posting their selfies its a way
to feel confident, but when its not in their control other people
posting glamorous shots of their lives they are vulnerable to feeling
bad about themselves.

Base: All Teen Social Media Site Users 16-17 (n=190); Teen Boys (n=92); Teen Girls
(n=98)

43
36
39
41
40
31
33
46
23
39
20
27
33
63
33
43
39
33
Cvera||, soc|a| med|a makes me fee| more se|f-
consc|ous about my appearance
See|ng se|hes and other auer|ng photos of
myse|f on||ne makes me fee| more conhdent
See|ng p|ctures other peop|e post of me on
soc|a| med|a can make me fee| bad about
myse|f
Soc|a| med|a he|ps me present my best face to
the wor|d
See|ng p|ctures of other peop|e ||v|ng
g|amorous-|ook|ng ||ves on soc|a| med|a
makes me fee| bad about myse|f
Soc|a| med|a means I a|ways need to be
camera-ready
All 1eens (16-17) 1een 8oys 1een Clrls
TODAY.com / AOL.com

CELEBRITY IMAGES
Adults tend to view celebrity images with some perspective: almost half of
adults dont compare themselves to these seemingly perfect people, and
only a few of those who do feel dissatisfied with their own appearance in
comparison. But celebrity images are particularly troubling for teen
girls: 80% of teen girls compare themselves to the images they see of
celebrities, and among those who do, almost half say it makes them feel
dissatisfied with their own appearance.

Q: When you see an image of a celebrity who looks seemingly perfect, how do you feel
about your own body?

For most of us, the photo-shopping of celebrity images isnt that big a
concern, even if only a few of us are fans of this practice. Not
surprisingly, teen girls are the most likely to demand Make it stop!
when asked what they think of these images of pseudo-perfection.

TODAY.com / AOL.com


Q: Overall, how do you feel about the photo-shopping of models and celebrities in
magazines?

MY MAGIC AGE
Most people seem to think their best days are behind them:
! Close to half of all adults name an age YOUNGER than their current
age when asked when they were most successful
! Two thirds of all adults name an age YOUNGER than their current age
when asked when they felt best about their body and appearance
Interestingly, both men and women indicated the same best age for their
body (27 years) and their overall appearance (28).

And for all their concern over their own appearance, teen girls dont seem
to think it will get better when they get older: 60% of teen girls say
their current age* is when they will feel best about their appearance (74%
for teen boys), and 67% of teen girls say their current age is when they
will feel best about their body (78% for the very confident teen boys).

(* current age recall was defined as +/- 5 years of their actual age)

TODAY.com / AOL.com


Q: At what age did you / do you / will you feel most successful |
best about your body | best about your overall physical appearance?

YOUR IMAGE, MY BODY
Many parents worry that their body image issues are impacting their
children, though fewer children agree that their parents body image has
impacted how they feel about themselves. Mothers and young women worry
more than fathers and young men:
! Moms are significantly more likely than dads to worry about how their
body image impacts their kids.
! Young women are over two times more likely than young men to feel
that a parents body image has impacted how they feel about their own
bodies.

M
A
L
E

34
yrs
F
E
M
A
L
E

34
yrs
Younger Current Older
46% 37% 16%
Total Adults: 34 years (avg.)
Adult Males Adult Females
Younger 44% 48%
Current 40% 35%
Older 16% 17%
*
66% 30% 4%
Younger 63% 69%
Current 33% 27%
Older 4% 4%
*
Average Age
M
A
L
E

27
yrs
F
E
M
A
L
E

27
yrs
Average Age
Age of Most Success Age Feel Best About Body
66% 30% 4%
66% 30% 4%
Younger 61% 64%
Current 24% 31%
Older 5% 5%
M
A
L
E

28
yrs
F
E
M
A
L
E

28
yrs
Average Age
Age Feel Best About
Overall Appearance
62% 32% 5%
TODAY.com / AOL.com


Q: Do you worry about how your own body image impacts your children?
Q. Has your parents (or caregivers) body image impacted the way you feel about your
body?
Base: All Parents 18+ (n=792); Dads (n=315); Moms (n=477);
Teens/Young Adults 16-21 (n=359); Males 16-21 (n=182); Females 16-21 (n=177

Moms say they spend more time on their appearance than non-moms (61
minutes daily vs 53, respectively) and worry just a little more about
their appearance than women who do not have children.

IT GETS BETTER
The good news is that when it comes to appearance, with age comes
acceptance, or perspective, or both. People who are 55 or older are half
as likely to worry about their appearance as those under the age of 25,
and as people get older they spend less time overall on their appearance
every day. Older people are also less likely to worry about being judged
by others on their appearance. And finally worrying less about
31
41
37
31
19
43
A|| arents 18+ Dads Moms oung Adu|ts
(16-21)
Ma|es
16-21
Iema|es
16-21
parents worr|ed about how body |mage
|mpacts ch||dren

ch||dren stanng that parent's body |mage
|mpacts fee||ngs about own body

73
67
42
66
63
38
29
37
8egularly worry abouL
appearance
8egularly have negauve
LhoughLs abouL appearance
8egularly complaln Lo anoLher
abouL appearance
Worry oLhers are [udglng my
appearance
Moms non-Moms
TODAY.com / AOL.com

appearance may make life better for everyone else: as people age and worry
less about their own appearance, they also complain about it less to
others.

72
67
63
33
43
18-24 23-34 33-44 43-34 33+

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TODAY.com / AOL.com


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TODAY.com / AOL.com

ABOUT THE STUDY:
These survey findings are based on an online survey conducted January 24
November 31, 2014 among adults 18+ nationwide (N=2,059) and teens 16-17
(n=200). The survey was conducted by Bellomy Research, Inc. Survey quotas
were set to reflect Census data for gender, age, and region to ensure
representativeness. Assuming no sample bias, the margin of error for the
adult sample is 1.9% (at the 95% confidence level) and 9.8% for the
teen sample.

The following table outlines the sample composition for this study:

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TODAY/AOL Ideal to Real Body Image Survey | February 2014 Page 1

IDEAL TO REAL BODY IMAGE SURVEY

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