Brits crave body positively but thin is king for UK media

Social media and many mainstream magazines are awash with advertisments and articles pushing weight loss drugs, extreme workouts and protein rich diets, but most Brits (68%) support “body positivity”, believing in a “real” view of the body, regardless of age, skin colour, gender and physical abilities.

So says a new study by Readly, the digital magazine and newspaper app, which also reveals almost half of Brits (45%) would like to see a more diverse range of body types represented among public figures such as actors, athletes, beauty ambassadors, music artists and fashion icons.

And, when it comes to natural beauty versus retouching, 60% of respondents said that all images should be completely natural, while 33% believe that minor retouching is fine as long as it does not alter the overall look.

The most popular public figures to influence perception of identity, diversity and inclusion are actors (59%), music artists (40%) and fashion icons (34%). TV presenters (31%), athletes (24%) and politicians (25%) were also cited as the main people to influence opinions on body image.

The research of 2,000 adults also examined personal perceptions on appearance and body image and showed that one in five (19%) people have ongoing struggles with body image and acceptance.

A third (33%) of Brits said they are completely satisfied with their physical appearance while 42% say they feel good about their body in principle, but are not happy with their appearance every day.

Readly, the app with over 8,000 titles on its platform, analysed a total of 353 images published on magazine covers from 2018 to 2024, highlighting that the share of the “average” body size increased from 0.55% in 2018 to 4.7% in 2024. Plus sizes, on the other hand, are completely absent in recent years.

Readly managing director Marie-Sophie von Bibra said: “Covers are more than just images; they shape our perception of who is considered beautiful, successful and visible. The fact that we are seeing the first signs of more body diversity in magazines despite the Ozempic trend is encouraging, but we are still at the beginning of a societal shift.”

While Readly’s cover analysis shows progress towards greater body diversity, a countertrend has also been observed: in fashion and pop culture magazines, ultra-thin body types are making a comeback, with the return to the “chic heroin” of the 1990s.

Last week M&S was lambasted for using an “unhealthily thin” model, while Next was caught doing the same in February.

This development highlights how essential visible diversity is in impacting public perception on body ideals, the report claims.

Von Bibra concluded: “A change in attitudes towards the body and ‘ideals’ is happening but the survey results show there is some way to go before diversity and inclusion is the norm.

“The numbers speak for themselves: people are looking for more authenticity and representation, not only on social media, but also in traditional media formats such as magazines.

“It is essential that we continue to build on the good work done to present more diversity to readers on magazine front covers and throughout the media.”