3 out of 4 women feel inadequate due to beauty-related ideals according to a survey from Lindex

A new survey by Lindex shows that three out of four (76%) women aged 16-65 have experience of feeling inadequate due to the beauty-related ideals that prevail in society. The problem is most significant in the age group 16-39, where 9 out of 10 feel or have felt inadequate.

‘The survey clearly shows how girls and women are negatively affected by stereotypical and normative ideals in society. As a major player in the fashion industry, we influence women’s everyday life through our communication and how we act as a company. We have taken many steps in the right direction but it’s time to do more. We work to empower women in different ways and inclusion is important to us. We want to be a positive force and with our long-term initiative “Reinvent the Model” we are working to increase diversity and broaden inclusion, where hopefully over time, we can contribute to changing the image of stereotypical ideals and what a model is’, says Susanne Ehnbåge, CEO at Lindex.

As part of the initiative ‘Reinvent the Model’, Lindex is today releasing a documentary series created by one of Sweden’s most well-known documentary makers, Amanda Pesikan. In three short episodes, women get to share their experiences around ideals and inclusion and how beauty norms make them feel. In the fourth episode, experts within fashion, diversity and psychology give their views on the subject. 

All films are available here.

More results from the survey

• 3 out of 4 (76%) women aged 16-65 feel inadequate because of the beauty ideals that prevail in society. The problem is most significant in the age group 16-39, where 9 out of 10 (92%) feel or have felt inadequate.
• 3 out of 4 (74%) women aged 16-65 experience or have experienced negative pressure due to beauty- elated ideals that prevail in society. The problem is most significant in the age group 16-39, where 9 out of 10 (89%) have experience of negative pressure.
• 7 out of 10 (71%) consider society’s beauty ideals more problematic today than before. This perspective is particularly interesting to see among older women with more experience, among them, 2 out of 3 (65%) aged 50-65 experience that it is much more problematic today compared to 1 out of 3 (36%) in the youngest age group 16-29.

About the survey
In total, 500 interviews were conducted with the target group of women aged 16-65 through a randomly recruited panel with a national representative sample of respondents. The survey was conducted in March 2023 in Sweden through Norstat online panel.