New Zealand women are feeling better about their bodies according to a survey by Next Magazine, which says Kiwi women are moving away from wanting to go under the scalpel.
Robyn Lawley made history this week. She's a size 14 and that makes her the first plus-size model to feature in the swimsuit edition of Sports Illustrated.
It's a small but significant step, but is it a sign of increased acceptance of different body shapes?
A Next Magazine survey shows New Zealand women are becoming happier with their weight. Thirty-two percent of the 1500 women surveyed said they were happy exactly as they are, compared with only 25 percent three years ago.
The survey also found fewer women described themselves as being on a diet, down 6 percent from 2012.
"Dieting is a dirty word in this country now, which is such a shift," says Next Magazine editor Sarah Henry. "Three years ago every women was on some kind of diet, whether it be a detox diet, whether it be a cabbage soup diet or a brown bread diet, that sort of thing."
But are New Zealand women just dieting by a different name? The survey showed more women are now following rules like eating sugar-free, following clean eating principals or eating a raw-food diet.
Dr Carol Wham from Massey University's School of Food and Nutrition says the latest trends are healthier than crash diets.
"People are choosing to eat whole, healthy foods as opposed to using foods that are very low in fat and sugar but are not that satiating," says Dr Wham.
As for going under the knife, that's out of favour as well. Asked whether they'd consider cosmetic surgery if money was no object, only 28 percent said yes – down from 36 percent in 2012.
"Some of that has come from overseas, with bad examples of plastic surgery," says Ms Henry. "You don't want to be the woman with the trout pout, but I think it's become a lot more about self-acceptance and that there are other ways to change your appearance – healthier, happier ways to change your appearance."
The body New Zealand women most admire is not a super skinny model but 69-year-old British actress Helen Mirren.
3 News
source: newshub archive
