Discover the real cost of body dissatisfaction and appearance-based discrimination in the ‘Real Cost of Beaty Ideals’, a groundbreaking new report from Dove.* And learn why we must end appearance hate together.
What is the cost of body dissatisfaction?
$84 billion
The annual economic cost of body dissatisfaction.*
$221 billion
The annual well-being cost of body dissatisfaction.*
+45 million
16% of people in the US experience body dissatisfaction yearly.*
Total: $305 billion
First, let’s define body dissatisfaction. It means having a severe or persistent negative attitude towards your physical appearance, which can be caused by the toxic beauty standards that are prevalent on social media and in all of society. Our report estimates that 16% of people in the US aged 10 or older were severely affected by body dissatisfaction in 2019, with Black women suffering most when it comes to low body confidence.*
Annually, body dissatisfaction costs the economy $305 billion – and it’s women and girls who pay 58% of that cost at $177 billion.* But that’s not all. While our research shows there are huge societal and economic costs to the health system, employers, families and most of all individuals, the cost of people’s well-being is almost 3x that at $221 billion.* This figure is the price of depression, anxiety, smoking, eating disorders, alcohol and drug abuse, and even suicide.*
Tragically, our report proves that body dissatisfaction doesn’t just disproportionately cost women and girls their health and happiness – it can also cost them their lives.