Women from Brighton are the most body confident in the UK

A nationwide study found almost a third (30 percent) of female residents of the East Sussex city – birthplace of Katie Price and Holly Willoughby – say they love their natural looks and would not change a thing.

Women from Leicester came in second place in the confidence stakes, where more than a quarter feel happy and secure with their appearance.

And in joint third place were London and Liverpool (25 percent apiece) – compared to a national average of just 19 percent.

However, at the other end of the spectrum, the research of 1,500 women by hair care brand, CLOUD NINE, found Norwich is the city where females have the least confidence – with 42 percent claiming to hate the way they look.

In second place came Newcastle, where almost a third (31 percent) of Geordie women admit to disliking their appearance, while Nottingham came third (29 percent).

As many as 37 percent say they only feel attractive if they are wearing makeup, and a staggering 56 percent believe the pressure to look good is getting worse.

Airbrushed and filtered images of influencers, models and celebs set an unattainable standard of beauty that many women find harmful, and 35 percent of those polled said social media makes them feel unattractive.

A fifth (20 percent) of those polled said scrolling through images online makes them feel low.

The average British woman spends 3.7 hours every month looking at makeup tutorials, while 31 percent admit they always wear baggy clothes to disguise their figure.

Martin Rae, CEO at CLOUD NINE, which commissioned the survey, commented, “While it’s great to see so many women from Brighton and Leicester feeling good about the way they look, it seems overall as a nation, we aren’t being kind enough to ourselves.

“In fact, we were shocked to see just how many  British women are suffering from a crisis in confidence when it comes to their looks.

“We are concerned that the beauty industry is having a negative effect on women everywhere and that’s why we’re taking a stand. We want to encourage women of all ages to embrace their natural look and feel confident in themselves.

“Our Be Kind Collection raises much needed funds for Mind, helping people suffering from a whole range of mental health issues.”

MOST BODY CONFIDENT WOMEN

1. Brighton – 30% love their natural looks
2. Leicester – 27 %
3. London – 25%
4. Liverpool – 25%
5. Cardiff – 20%
6. Newcastle 19%
7. Birmingham 19%
8. Plymouth 18%
9. Cambridge 18%
10. Manchester 17%

1,500 women were surveyed by Perspectus Global in August 2020 on behalf of CLOUD NINE