A new study by Reebok highlights the most body-positive countries and influencers across the globe in an effort to shed light on the state of representation in 2021.
The concept of body positivity and inclusion has become increasingly popular online within the last decade. With over 14.5 million posts promoting the ‘body positive’ hashtag on Instagram, more and more brands are joining the social movement in order to become more inclusive.
According to the study by Reebok, the UK is paving the way for a more positive media landscape with high media coverage on body positivity, scoring the highest out of all the countries analysed. Following suit is the US, coming in as a close second. Next is Ireland who not only has the most media coverage about body inclusivity but also scores an 8.20 overall making it the third most inclusive country.
Analysing how body inclusive major countries in the world are, Reebok took a look at how often terms like ‘body confidence’, ‘body positive’ and ‘plus size’ and more appeared in the news and were searched for online around the world.
Take a look at the full data below:
| Population (Million) | Body Positive Monthly Search Volume | Body Positive Search Volume Per Million | Body Positive Search Volume (score) | Body Positive Media Coverage (Past year) | Body Positive Media Coverage (Past year, Per Million) | Body Positive Media Coverage (Past year score) | Overall Ranking | |
| UK | 68 | 67,700 | 996 | 10.00 | 4,245 | 62 | 7.68 | 8.84 |
| USA | 332 | 326,710 | 984 | 9.89 | 20,067 | 60 | 7.46 | 8.68 |
| Ireland | 5 | 3,040 | 608 | 6.40 | 418 | 84 | 10.00 | 8.20 |
| Australia | 25 | 21,020 | 841 | 8.56 | 1,247 | 50 | 6.30 | 7.43 |
| Canada | 38 | 33,430 | 880 | 8.92 | 1,607 | 42 | 5.47 | 7.20 |
| New Zealand | 5 | 4,080 | 816 | 8.33 | 112 | 22 | 3.29 | 5.81 |
| Brazil | 213 | 68,260 | 320 | 3.72 | 7,153 | 34 | 4.52 | 4.12 |
| Italy | 60 | 12,060 | 201 | 2.61 | 2482 | 41 | 5.37 | 3.99 |
| Netherlands | 17 | 8,400 | 494 | 5.34 | 202 | 12 | 2.14 | 3.74 |
| Germany | 84 | 44,290 | 527 | 5.64 | 342 | 4 | 1.28 | 3.46 |
| Belgium | 12 | 4,720 | 393 | 4.40 | 75 | 6 | 1.52 | 2.96 |
| France | 65 | 23,160 | 356 | 4.05 | 494 | 8 | 1.67 | 2.86 |
| Spain | 47 | 6,190 | 132 | 1.97 | 235 | 5 | 1.38 | 1.67 |
| South Africa | 59 | 7,800 | 132 | 1.97 | 205 | 3 | 1.22 | 1.59 |
| India | 1,380 | 38,540 | 28 | 1.00 | 2,087 | 2 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
Jenna Rigby, body transformation coach on body-inclusive marketing said: ‘Body positivity rejects the implication that any size is more appealing than another and has recently evoked strong emotions around the way brands market to women in particular.’
Joe Mitton, personal fitness trainer at MittFit on the realities of social on our physical well-being said: ‘Social media has given us a great platform for showcasing the best of our lives and has helped improve understanding and awareness, especially when it comes to the realistic expectations of what a “normal” physique is.’
Melissa Howard, founder of The Confidence Academy on body equality and celebration said: ‘The re-evaluation of conventional beauty standards has evolved in response to the growing trend where body equality is accepted and celebrated. Consumer trends and cultural changes in relation to this social movement have influenced how media promote and advertise inclusivity. In 2018, nearly a third of the models who took part in a New York fashion show could be considered diverse men and women.’
