Women from Newcastle are the most body confident in the UK

A nationwide survey of British females has found ladies from the North-East city are the least likely to have hang ups about their bodies.

The study by Veet Hair Removal of 2,000 women found 60% of ladies from Newcastle – the highest number of women by UK city – claim they are more than happy and confident in the way they look and feel. A further eight in ten said you don’t have to look perfect to ‘feel sexy’. According to the research, over half of women from Brighton also saw high body confidence, followed by Sheffield, Cambridge and Oxford.

The report showed as a nation, only a quarter of women are truly happy with their body. According to the study, the average woman suffers from six body hang-ups, with the stomach being named as the area women were least happy with at 58%. Over half at 51% said their weight was their main worry but stretch marks, varicose veins, acne and wide hips were also of concern, as were fat thighs, facial hair, being too pale and sun spots.

Twenty-three percent said they are more than comfortable to sport some leg or underarm hair, nearly three quarters of women said today’s generation are more body confident than their mothers or grandmother’s generation.

“While it’s great to see that those in Newcastle, Brighton and Sheffield are comfortable in their own skin, we want to help women across the UK take ownership and pride in their bodies,” Marian Gual, category manager personal care at Veet, commented. “Our study reveals that women who remove their body and facial hair feel more confident and comfortable in their own skin.”

Overall, being happy was what women said was most important to them at 54%, followed by being healthy at 41%, while only one in twenty said looking good was the most important thing to them. A third felt body confidence was gained the older you get.

The most body confident cities in the UK
1. Newcastle 60%
2. Brighton 57%
3. Sheffield 56%
4. Cambridge 55%
5. Oxford 55%
6. Norwich 54%
7. Leeds 54%
8. Leicester 53%
9. Cardiff 51%
10. Birmingham 47%