New Zealand Women Bare All

NEXT Magazine
New Zealand Women Bare All
9th February

The latest body survey from NEXT magazine reveals New Zealand women are feeling increasingly happy about their weight. The refreshingly positive results also come with a change in attitudes towards diets and plastic surgery, uncovering a more confident approach to their bodies.

NEXT magazine discovered the results when it spoke to a cross-section of New Zealand women about body image in a new survey, its first since 2012.

1500 women of varying ages, backgrounds, shapes and sizes responded to questions about their appearance, ideal body shape, diet and cosmetic surgery.

Happier with weight
The results showed almost a third of women, or 31%, are happy with their weight. This is a marked difference from the 2012 survey when only a quarter of women surveyed shared the same sentiment.
Appearance is still important, but women are not dwelling on it as much; only 49%, down from 57%, think about how they look several times a day.

Cosmetic surgery
The research points to the fact that women have gone off cosmetic surgery in a big way. The percentage of women who would consider a major procedure - which includes breast augmentation and nose and chin operations - is down. The biggest decreases are in tummy tucks and liposuction, both down a massive 10%. Facelifts have dropped in popularity by 8%, with stomach banding dropping by 7%. Even non-surgical treatments, like Botox and fillers, have seen a 6% decrease.

NEXT editor Sarah Henry is pleased with the findings: “It seems we’re fighting back and might just be on our way to winning the war against negative body image. I think we’re finally starting to get our head around the fact it’s about health and happiness, not hip bones and hunger pains.”

Dieting
The research also shows that the number of women dieting has decreased from 32% in 2012 to 23% in 2015. Added to that, the amount of women who would never consider dieting has almost doubled - from 10% to 17%. Instead there is a refreshing trend towards following more nutrition-based food movements. Fifty five percent favour the clean eating health trend, while 50% are eating sugar-free, and 45% are embracing raw food – a trend which is all about uncooked meals.

Breasts are best
The part of their bodies Kiwi women like the most is still the face, neck and breasts. But they’re also more accepting of other areas of their bodies like their tummies and thighs, the percentage for each doubling in popularity this year. According to NEXT’s research, size 10-12 is not the norm. In fact, of those surveyed it was found 47% are size 14 or bigger.

Role models
In 2012 the most coveted body was Jennifer Aniston’s, but now it’s 69-year-old Helen Mirren, noted for her natural look, and 50-year-old Elle Macpherson, for her sporty physique. Other popular role models are Rachel Hunter, Nigella Lawson and Jennifer Lopez.

“It’s fantastic that Kiwi women are embracing their curves and becoming increasingly happier with their weight because it shows we’re getting more confident about our appearance. Just like age is about more than the number, weight is also about attitude rather than what the scales say,” says Sarah.

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* The survey was conducted through Bauer’s All Women Talk Panel between October 2 and October 7, 2014
* The survey featured 22 questions on body image
* A total of 1500 women completed the survey
* Full results will be featured in the March issue of NEXT (on sale February 9)

Next circulation: 38,906 (Source: Audit Bureau of Circulation, Average Net Circulation – 12 months to September 2014).
Next readership: 240,000 (Source: Nielsen CMI, Oct’13 – Sep’14).

About Bauer
Bauer is New Zealand’s leading magazine publisher, publishing some of the country’s most popular magazines, including NEXTt, Woman’s Day, NZ Woman’s Weekly, The Australian Women’s Weekly, NZ Listener, North & South, Metro, Fashion Quarterly and Your Home and Garden.

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