Big Business and Body Image: Insights from fashion, beauty, and advertising leaders on how businesses can and should address the grand challenge of negative body image
Written by: Dr. Nadia Craddock, PhD
“The impetus for brands to be more inclusive in how they represent people and bodies is stronger than ever. While there is a risk in putting your head above the parapet, there comes a point where this tips over into a risk of being left behind.
I spoke with 45 senior executives working in fashion, beauty, or advertising to learn how they see their industry’s role in addressing negative body image. Here are their insights and six recommendations for industry execs going forward”
The fashion, beauty, and advertising industries have a bad rep when it comes to body image – we often point to them as a big part of the problem. Through narrow interpretations of what it means (read: looks like) to be ‘aspirational’, these industries have a legacy of promoting and profiting from unrealistic appearance ideals and engaging in exclusionary practices.
So then, is it possible for the fashion, beauty, and advertising industries, or at least companies within them, to try and be part of the solution and work towards addressing negative body image in society? In recent years, there’s been an undeniable (if constrained) shift in representation in fashion and beauty advertising campaigns, marketing, and editorial, and more and more brands have positioned themselves as ‘inclusive’ or ‘body positive’. Notably, some brands have gone further – with EVERYBODY’s client, Dove being a prominent example – pledging to help ¼ billion young people by 2030 through their educational body confidence and self-esteem programmes (they’ve reached over 80 million to date).
However, is it the responsibility of businesses in these industries to take action to address negative body image? If yes, what’s the best approach?
In this article, I will argue why we need businesses’ involvement, collaboration, and action to tackle body image concerns at scale for the benefit of society and businesses, before presenting some key insights and recommendations from senior industry executives engaged in this space.
The ‘grand challenge’ of negative body image
Business scholars and leaders are increasingly prioritising the role of corporations in solving some of the world’s ‘grand challenges’ – “global problems that can be plausibly addressed through coordinated and collaborative effort” (George et al., 2016). I view negative body image as a grand challenge. Negative body image is (1) pervasive – body image concerns are common among people (of all genders, ages, ethnicities), globally; (2) persistent – the ubiquity of body image concerns in society is not new, for example, feminist scholars have been referring to negative body image among women as ‘normative discontent’ since the 1980s; and (3) pernicious – not liking your body is bad for your health – it’s associated with disordered eating, low mood, anxiety, low-self-esteem, compromised quality of life etc.
Though negative body image is a global problem, encouragingly, it is also one that can be, in my view, “plausibly addressed through coordinated and collaborative effort”. That effort requires the involvement of the fashion, beauty, and advertising industries (as well as others such as media, tech, fitness etc.) to create meaningful, sustainable change. Currently, there is a huge burden on the individual to be ‘body confident’ in a toxic body image environment. While we can teach techniques such as critical media literacy in schools and encourage self-compassion to buffer the negative impact of unrealistic appearance ideals, what would it mean if we could change the environment and see diverse appearances embraced and celebrated? This can only be achieved by inviting businesses to be part of the solution to the grand challenge of negative body image.
Six key insights from senior industry executives on taking action on body image
A few years ago, as part of my award-winning PhD research, I spoke with 45 senior executives working in fashion, beauty, or advertising to learn how they saw their industry’s role in addressing negative body image. I wanted to understand the opportunities, challenges, and barriers they experienced (or perceived) in instigating positive action on the topic of body image – both at an individual and company level. Therefore, I purposely sought out conversations with individuals who have engaged in this space in their professional roles.
Here are some selected insights.
1. Personal experiences and values play a role in driving action.
While I didn’t ask executives about their own relationship with their body, many told me about their personal struggles with body image and how they did not feel seen in the media or in advertising growing up. Others shared concerns for the young people in their life in today’s toxic body image environment. Either way, executives wanted to disrupt harmful appearance standards and align their professional actions with their (feminist) values. In doing so, executives reported that they found more meaning in their work. [Sidenote: this is an example of cognitive dissonance in play - as humans we do not like it when our beliefs and behaviours are out of kilter so we tend to adjust our behaviours…when we have the power and agency to do so of course].
“I suffered myself from an eating disorder so I’m always super conscious of the types of bodies that we actually put out there” [Creative Director]
“Most women I saw on TV or in magazines were probably white, very slim, and looked a certain way. I never really questioned it until I was [working] in the industry. I think that’s one of the things which matters most to me as a marketer […] that women of a young age get to see something different” [Head of PR & Comms]
2. Engaging on the topic of body image is an opportunity to create meaningful connections with stakeholders. While most executives suggested there was a personal and moral impetus driving their efforts to be more inclusive, many indicated that – when done well – there was a competitive advantage that can be gained from taking a stand on body image and pushing back against unrealistic appearance ideals. Oftentimes, engaging on the topic of body image was a way to connect with (female) consumers and employees on an issue that affects many people’s everyday lives. Executives described how, over time, such connections can create a competitive advantage, and in turn, profit – in line with Porter and Kramer’s concept of creating shared value. Importantly, executives also referenced that there is greater stakeholder demand for companies to be more inclusive, highlighting the costs of not being. There are recent examples of brands paying the price for exclusively promoting narrow, unrealistic appearance ideals – a certain underwear company being a relevant case in point.
“anything we ever did about body positivity […] people loved it and the reason why was because we were speaking to the demographic. And these women want that, they are hungry for this kind of really positive body image stuff. [CEO]
3. Why leave dollars on the table?
Interestingly, some executives highlighted that taking action to foster positive body image (e.g., through inclusive advertising campaigns and product ranges etc.) was less about corporate social responsibility or social purpose and more about it just making good business sense. Exclusionary ad campaigns and product ranges (e.g., limited clothing sizes) were viewed akin to “leaving dollars on the table”.
When you have all these brands that are stopping at a (US) size 6, they are just leaving dollars on the table on top of making women feel excluded. [Senior Vice President]
4. ‘Received wisdoms’ and biases remain.
Despite positive conversations about personal and business motivations, it was apparent that there are a still a lot of ‘received wisdoms’ (widely held, passed down ideas) and biases that continue to drive everyday practice within the fashion, beauty, and advertising industries – e.g., ‘sex sells’ and ‘thin is always in”. According to the executives I spoke with, many of their industry peers are stuck on the notion that fashion and beauty advertising and editorial needs to be ‘aspirational’ and what is aspirational is defined by a number of prescribed physical characteristics. However, occasionally biases – particularly related to fat bodies – were expressed by the executives I interviewed as well. Negative attitudes, stereotypes, and misconceptions about higher weight are common in society and so it’s unsurprising that these views are rife within the workforce of the fashion, beauty, and advertising industries. Education about weight and weight stigma, perhaps within DEI initiatives, might be a good starting point for brands and agencies to feel more confident about promoting size inclusivity.
There’s always the notion [in fashion and advertising that] sex sells, beauty sells, skinny is still the most beautiful […] a lot of people still believe that skinny is the most beautiful. [Senior Strategist]
There were people [within the company] who were very concerned that showing women of larger sizes would actually turn people [i.e., consumers] away […] that it wouldn’t be aspirational. [Chief Marketing Officer]
5. There is a real fear of getting it wrong.
Executives viewed corporate aversion to risk as a key barrier preventing more companies changing their practices and being more inclusive of appearance diversity. Companies and individuals are, as one Global Head of Strategy put it, “scared of rocking the boat”. This risk was linked to short-termism and a lack of existing ‘easy-win’ evidence-based formulas on how to get this right. This was particularly the case for large companies changing course after decades of similar practice. Executives discussed challenges related to risk-averse finance teams who take the line of “if it ain’t broke, why fix it” – preferring to stick to the status quo rather than risk a flop. Having the right expertise and insight within the team was deemed crucial.
People are nervous about doing it. I think we still have a one size fits all approach in terms of […] what the model needs to look like. I think many retailers are frightened, well marketers, are frightened of difference and going against the norm. [PR Director]
It is a scary thing to do though because once you start to bring yourself into this conversation, you are continuously looked at. [CEO]
6. It’s time for change - promoting unrealistic appearance ideals is passé.
At the time of the interviews, #MeToo was fresh in people’s minds and the mainstream body positivity movement was arguably at its peak. This meant there was a bigger opportunity to engage consumers and employees on an issue at the forefront of the cultural zeitgeist. Several years on, while the mainstream #BoPo discourse has lost some of its buzz and has evolved into new, distinct and more nuanced conversations on body neutrality, fat acceptance, and the Eurocentricity in global appearance standards, the impetus for brands to be more inclusive in how they represent people and bodies is stronger than ever. While there is a risk in putting your head above the parapet, there comes a point where this tips over into a risk of being left behind.
It feels quite old to me when I see […] like 1990s over-retouched images, inauthentic models. And I think when people see that advertising, they actually reject it. [Executive Creative Director]
Recommendations (and how EVERYBODY can help)
1. Invest. Plan. Create a strategy with tangible goals. Social purpose initiatives require R&D to be competitive. As one CEO highlighted “learning is a cost” – it takes time and practice. At the risk of stating the obvious, there’s more chance of ‘getting it right’ when concepts and ideas have been invested in, researched, and carefully thought through… crucially with people with the right expertise and experience at the table. Identifying *who* you need at the table may be an important first step – drop us a note, we’re ready to help.
2. Redefine ‘aspirational’. One of my favourite moments across the 45 interviews was when one executive, a Chief Strategy Officer, spoke about redefining aspiration away from a singular appearance standard to thinking about mood, energy, values, and accomplishments. Let’s see more of this!
3. Consistency is key to demonstrating integrity. This includes consistency over time as well as consistency across company actions. One-off campaigns and/or tokenism scream ‘femvertising’ or ‘woke-washing’, as do discrepancies between ad campaigns and product ranges or company practices more generally. For example, having a size 24 model in a photoshoot doesn’t wash if stores don’t regularly stock sizes above a 16. Similarly, snazzy copy about empowering women in ad campaigns feels hypocritical when there’s not equal pay within the company. Consumers quickly see past inauthentic gimmicks and such gestures can backfire and actually serve to reduce brand loyalty and warmth.
4. Be aware of the CSR paradox – a phenomenon in which a social marketing campaign serves to successfully generate greater awareness of a social issue but results in negative consumer attitudes toward the brand. This mostly arises when (increasingly sceptical) consumers see the campaign as a self-interested gimmick a brand is using to be relevant and drive sales. This is not to say a brand can never talk about its social purpose initiatives but all talk and very little action is a recipe for a social media backlash. Focus on the ‘doing’ first.
5. Get organisation-wide buy-in. While people in the finance team might not have anything to do with the creative direction, casting, or design of a new product range, they do sign off bills. Ensuring everybody at the organisation (across teams, roles, levels) understands the top-line motivations, strategy, and point of view for the company’s social mission is essential for consistency. It is also an opportunity to connect with employees about something that feels relevant to their lives and foster greater organisational commitment.
6. Collaborate. Collaborations across sectors and with scientists, policy makers, community partners etc. is how we are going to create powerful, lasting change on any major social issue including body image. Get connected and again, you’ve got our details.
We have moved past the era of thinking that the businesses’ only contributions to society are economic ones in line with Milton Freidman’s 1979 maxim “the only business of business is business”. Stakeholders are demanding businesses to be cognisant of the social issues they may be contributing to and/or have the power to address. Moreover, stakeholders are demanding corporate accountability and responsibility. In recognition and response to such demands, business leaders are prioritising efforts to ‘create shared value’ – a term famously used by Michael Porter and Mark Kramer in their writing on reinventing capitalism.
For example, in his famous annual letter to CEOs, Larry Fink – CEO of BlackRock wrote this year: “In today’s globally interconnected world, a company must create value for and be valued by its full range of stakeholders in order to deliver long-term value for its shareholders.” Creating shared value by engaging on social issues like negative body image not only stands to make people feel good, it stands to contribute to a business’ bottom line.
Businesses within fashion, beauty, and advertising have the power to be cultural change agents and create huge waves in tackling the grand challenge of negative body image and in doing so, making a real difference in people’s wellbeing.
With consistency and collaboration, businesses within fashion, beauty, and advertising industries can build on, and gain momentum, to move the needle forward to create real, sustainable change on the topic of body image.
Helpful Definitions
CSR – corporate social responsibility, often used as an umbrella term to capture businesses’ contribution to society beyond economic and legal obligations.
Woke-washing - appropriating the language of social activism into marketing materials.
Femvertising – female empowerment advertising.
Meet Nadia
Born and raised in South East London, Dr Nadia Craddock is a Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research in Bristol. With a PhD in Psychology, she is fast becoming the leading expert in harnessing the power of big business to leverage global change in body image and appearance diversity.
Nadia is internationally recognised for her community outreach and engagement, and giving a voice to often vulnerable and underrepresented populations. She is the host of two esteemed podcasts that connect and educate listeners on the topics of body image, eating disorders and mental health.
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