More than half of Spaniards are self-conscious about showing their bodies on the beach

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  This is how Angelina Jolie or Madonna take care of themselves in summer

Maria is 26 years old, works in a large company and is looking forward to the holidays.

She started planning them a few months ago with her group of friends and, when she saw clearly that they were going to land somewhere on the coast,

said

that "the body is meant to be seen, not to be all covered".

But María does not think the same: at the time of the actress there were no social networks that bombarded images of pluperfect men and women thanks, in part, to filters and retouching.

The cult of the body, the daily crush in the gym and impossible diets are a thing of now.

55.3% It is the percentage of the population that feels complex or insecure when wearing a bikini or swimsuit in public.

A torment that at this time especially hits women (about 70%), and the youngest (almost 60%).

Among those who do not feel any complex when uncovering themselves in public, the older ones stand out -between 45 and 55 years old-.

The

to present a perfect image to others - this concept would have to be defined in any case - comes, according to 42%, from social networks, followed by advertising (31%) and by the environment of friends (28%) and family (27.8%).

Fears are for the summer

The case of Maria, the bikini operation of every spring, is not exceptional.

It belongs to almost 75% of Spaniards between 18 and 55 years of age who think about their physical appearance more than usual in summer.

A percentage that rises to 86.6% in their age group, between 18 and 19 years old, and up to

Tony Benavides

That of joining the gym closest to home around the month of March is a common practice for half the population, the same as

at that time.

In this case, as in the previous one, in greater proportion women and young people.

Beyond that, there is that

or treatment, an impulse that María overcame considering that with exercise and the latest miracle diet she would walk along the beach like a Brazilian in Ipanema.

New insights

And it is that, when we see that the good weather appears and we look in the mirror, we establish a new list of priorities: half of those surveyed have as

34.5% maintain themselves physically and 28.8% have more muscle.

The fact is that spring has passed in a sigh and the die is cast in terms of love handles, kilos, flaccidity and other defects that torture María, who feels

when she imagines herself on the beach in a bikini and with her friends.

The same thing that happens to more than half of the population, a percentage that rises to 70% if she asks only women.

43.3% Number of Spaniards between 18 and 55 years of age who go on a diet when summer approaches, compared to 56.4% who do not.

They are the ones who least take care of their diet, just like the older ones, between 45 and 55 years old.

As the years go by, they have fewer complexes than when they were young.

She is very supportive of how cute we all are in winter, with a coat that covers everything, the best way to

what we are ashamed of.

This happens to about 80% of those who have this supposed complex, up to 85.4% in the case of women.

Another destination and without problems

So much so that María decided to launch a campaign in favor of replacing the beach and the bikini with the mountains and the raincoat:

What if we change Ibiza for Asturias?

Although she did not succeed, 30% of those who feel insecure when teaching the body did change their destination on some occasion.

33.6% of the population has reached the extreme of changing their destination for these complexes.

A figure that increases to 41.8% among young people between 18 and 29 years old.

Here is a gender difference, since it has been the men, two points above them, who have changed their itinerary to try to camouflage these little flaws.

María had no choice but to put bikinis and light dresses in her suitcase, although she felt

that prevented her from fully enjoying her vacations, as has happened on occasion to almost half of those who feel these insecurities.

* Survey carried out by Sigma Dos under the technical direction of José Luis Rojo. Population: 18 to 55 years old.

Scope: Spain.

Information collection technique: through the Sigma Dos Panel by Trust Survey.

Mixed telephone (CATI)/on line (CAWI)/RRSS methodology.

Questionnaire: structured.

Field date: from June 3 to 6, 2022. Sample: 1,500 interviews.

The sample allows working with a margin of error of +2.5% for global data, with a confidence level of 95.5% and the worst case of dichotomous variables with two equally likely categories (p=q=0.5 ).

On body positivity

loola perez

My teenage self grew up in the 2000s. I was tormented by studies, being able to go out later with my friends, and the rejection of my body.

I was healthy, strong and had many reasons to believe in me.

However,

Nor in entertainment products.

The aesthetic canon drowned me.

Could women

Was it correct to wear that top that I liked so much, even if I sat down and a Michelin star appeared?

Does having cellulite make me less sexy?

Was my body made to enjoy the summer?

The dominant culture insisted on a tortuous message: success, beauty and acceptance by others

Despite still having some insecurities today, I have achieved self-acceptance.

This has come over time and is not reduced to the age factor.

In these years I have been able to observe how the media, advertising and fashion have paid greater attention to body diversity.

It is not a superficial issue, but one of

Those who used to sell insecurity now have a much more responsible message.

Part of this change may be marketing and it may not be radically satisfying for the body positive movement, but even so: are we going to ignore its impact?

Cultural references are a vehicle to renounce self-hatred.

Now we not only have to preserve the changes, but also

There are brands that use XL size models and then do not offer those sizes.

In movies or series it is very difficult to find female characters who, beyond their bodily diversity, tell realistic, intelligent and human stories.

There is a great

Women with a size 44 or 46 enjoying themselves in the pool?

In summer, there are everywhere.

But bikini ads, sadly, still fail to find them.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

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