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Launch of the Campaign for Body Confidence

Mon, 08 Mar 2010

The Liberal Democrats will host a panel debate on combating body image pressure felt by women and girls today in Parliament to mark International Women’s Day.

A panel of experts including fashion writer and broadcaster Caryn Franklin and author of Fat is a Feminist Issue, Susie Orbach, will debate measures to tackle the harm caused by pressure to conform to unrealistic and unhealthy body image ideals.  Other attendees include Girlguides, Linda Papadopoulous and the world’s leading body image experts.

The event will mark the launch of the Campaign for Body Confidence.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Shadow Equalities Minister, Lynne Featherstone said:

“Since the Liberal Democrats launched the Real Women campaign last year, we have been inundated with messages of support from people who are fed up of the constant pressure to live up to totally unrealistic ideals of beauty.

“Unrealistic and unhealthy ideas of what’s beautiful mean people suffer with anything from low self-esteem to serious eating disorders, which is why we are launching the Campaign for Body Confidence.

“Politicians, media figures, modelling agencies, mental health experts and ordinary people will be asked to pledge to campaign against this dangerous trend.”

Commenting, Susie Orbach said:

“I welcome this debate.  The body image pressure on girls and women constitutes a public health emergency.  I hope that the Government will take urgent measures to prevent the commercial world preying on young girls.”

Commenting, Caryn Franklin said:

“There is a responsibility in creating fashion imagery in a digital age. All Walks Beyond the Catwalk, launched in September 2009, has introduced the process of working with a range of models in size and age at London Fashion Week with the goal of offering more realistic fashion imagery to women who feel ill-served by what is currently in existence.”