Self Love Crisis: 1 in 2 Women Worldwide Feel More Self-doubt Than Self-love

South Korea, Saudi Arabia and France rank lowest on The Body Shop Global Self Love Index The Body Shop launches global self-love uprising with activist Jameela Jamil

NEW YORK CITY, March 8, 2021 /PRNewswire/ - A global report launched today by The Body Shop has identified a self-love* crisis for women around the world, with one in two women feeling more self-doubt than self-love, and 60% wishing they had more respect for themselves. The Body Shop Global Self Love Index is a first-of-its-kind study, commissioned to inform a long-term commitment from The Body Shop to always use its voice to build self-esteem. As a result, The Body Shop is launching a global movement called the "Self Love Uprising," supported by activist and actress Jameela Jamil and Sara Kuburi. The Millennial Therapist. In addition to these global partners, the movement will also be supported by beacons of self love and activism on a local level by what The Body Shop has coined as "Leading Light." Actor & Activist, Tommy Dorfman, Founder of Future Ancestors Services, Larissa Crawford, Writer & Still Kickin Founder, Nora McInerny, and Immigrant Rights Activist & Speaker, Sara Mora, will represent The Body Shop in North America for the duration of 2021 as the brand kicks off various activist initiatives throughout the year.

The study, designed by The Body Shop and leading market research firm Ipsos, ran between November and December 2020 with over 22,000 people in 21 different countries. The Self Love Index comprises a number of academic measures of self-worth, wellbeing, and happiness, and reveals how age, gender, country, and living standards impact how people feel about themselves.

South Korea, Saudi Arabia and France rank lowest for self-love, whereas Denmark, Australia, and the United States rank the highest. People in the US have a Self-Love Index score of 61, 8 points above the Global average score (53), with only Denmark and Australia scoring higher.

Further key findings of The Self Love Index include:

• Covid-19 has had a slightly more positive impact on women's self-love than negative. In the US, almost two thirds of women (64%) feel the COVID-19 pandemic has not changed how they feel about themselves. A quarter of women in the US (25%) say they feel more negative about themselves now and only 11% say they feel better about themselves than they did before the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Frequent users of social media have lower levels of self-love, however they are twice as likely to say they get the emotional support they need, compared to non-users.
• 37% of single women, and 38% of minority women, rank in the lowest quartile on the Self Love Index, compared to 21% of married and 25% of non-minority women.
• People from minority groups in US have a Self-Love Index of 59 compared to 63 among those not from minority groups. LGBTQ+ people and people with disabilities taking part in the survey are more likely to be in the lowest 25% of self-love scores.
• Frequent feelings of anxiety and signs of depression are felt by a slightly higher proportion of people in US than the global average. There is no significant difference by gender. 43% of under 35's often feel down/depressed, feel anxious and/or worry too much.
• 41% of those who use social media for two hours or more, frequently feel down or depressed and 42% of heavy social media users worry too much and/or often feel anxious.
• People in the US who are single have lower Self-Love, with an average score of 58, compared to 63 among those in a relationship.
• Self-Love increases with age in US. People under 35 are significantly more likely to be in the lowest 25% of the Self-Love scores (41% compared to only 9% of those 55 and over).
• The top three causes of low confidence among women in the US are: financial status (31%), feeling I am not making progress towards the things I want in life (23%), the state of the world (e.g. politics, the economy) (22%).

One of the most surprising findings of the research is that overall, Covid-19 has had a slightly more positive impact on women's self- love than negative. However, women with low self-love were six times more likely to say Covid-19 had a negative impact on their self- love, and women with financial worries also say Covid-19 had a negative impact, suggesting that the pandemic has compounded self- esteem issues for the most vulnerable women in society. Resilience is also linked to self-love: the higher a person scored, the more likely they were to say they are quick to bounce back from tough times.

One divisive issue when it comes to self-love is social media. Frequent users of social media are twice as likely to say they get the emotional support they need compared to non-users, indicating social media networks may play a valuable role in providing support networks for women. However, the research also shows that heavy social media users have lower levels of self-love, are more likely to compare themselves to others, and are often more unhappy with their body.

"For many women, the pandemic – although unpleasant – has offered a space for reflection, reprioritization, and authenticity," said The Body Shop Self-love Expert Sara Kuburic. "Many have embraced who they are, stripping themselves of pressures to show up or "be" a certain way. But, for those women who struggled with self-esteem prior to Covid-19, they have found the isolation and lack of social support confronting and painful because it robbed them of the external sources that masqueraded as self-esteem. In this increasingly online world too, if a woman is using social media as her primary means of building or outsourcing her self-love and validation, the unrealistic expectations and comparisons can become detrimental and amplify struggles of self-acceptance."

The Body Shop will use the findings from the Index to review and inform its own practices, especially across its marketing and product portfolio. The aim is to spread one million acts of self-love in one year, to create more love and positive change in the world.

Hilary Lloyd, Vice President Marketing & Responsibility for North America said, "As an activist brand, our mission is to fight for a fairer and more beautiful world. In order to create a positive change in the world, we must start with creating a positive change within. We call for people around the world to rise up with self-love, especially in a society that promotes self-doubt and insecurity. We are excited to embark on this journey to drive change individually, in the beauty industry and beyond."

"I see the lack of self-love as an emotional pandemic, and one which is sadly hitting younger generations the most," Actress and activist Jameela Jamil added. "Self love is an inside job, so let's all take just one positive action towards loving ourselves. As a woman, being proud of yourself and believing you are 'enough' as you are, is an act of social and political resistance."

Join Jameela Jamil and The Millennial Therapist, Sara Kuburic on Wednesday 17 March on The Body Shop Instagram for a live chat on how to rise up with self-love.

SELF LOVE MEANING
*Self-love is many things, but it starts with the recognition and appreciation of our inner worth and value.

ONE MILLION ACTS OF SELF LOVE
The Body Shop aims to inspire 1 million acts of self-love in 1 year, to create more love and positive change in the world. It doesn't matter how big or small, every act can lead to big change. Tips on acts of self-love will be shared on The Body shop online self-love hub and The Body Shop social media channels. Self-love is not merely a concept, it's an experience. With this understanding, the one million acts movement highlights that self-love involves an action, and that action is at the heart of any change – personal or global.

The Global Self Love Index

Methodology of research

This online study was conducted between November 22 and December 8, 2020, staggered across 21 countries. The survey was fielded for an average of 9 days in each country. The survey took about 16 minutes to complete. Certain demographic questions were not asked in some countries due to sensitivities around cultural norms.

Respondents included adults age 18 and older. The final sample size was 22,619 with approximately 1,000 completed in each country.

ABOUT THE BODY SHOP INTERNATIONAL
Founded in 1976 in Brighton, England, by Dame Anita Roddick, The Body Shop is a global beauty brand and a certified B Corp™. The Body Shop seeks to make positive change in the world by offering high-quality, naturally-inspired skincare, body care, hair care and make-up produced ethically and sustainably. Having pioneered the philosophy that business can be a force for good, this ethos is still the brand's driving force. The Body Shop operates about 3,000 retail locations in more than 70 countries. Along with Aesop, Avon and Natura, The Body Shop is part of Natura &Co, a global, multi-channel and multi-brand cosmetics group that is committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact. The four companies that form the group are committed to generating positive economic, social and environmental impact.

SOURCE The Body Shop International Ltd.