Yesterday, the team at Models Direct, one of the UK’s leading modelling agencies, blogged about a body image survey conducted by Central YMCA and the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England.

The research, which explored public attitudes towards images of models in the media and advertising, concluded that model diversity does indeed promote positive body image.

Unfortunately, however, it also found that there clearly isn’t enough diversity on the modelling scene, as a shocking 1 in 4 adults revealed they felt depressed about their bodies having been negatively affected by images of so-called ‘perfect’ models.

Given that so many people have poor body image, the survey went on to ask whether the public would be prepared to adopt a quick fix solution to feel better about their bodies, and if so, to what extent.

These are the disheartening results:

• Nearly 10% of men (8.5%) would consider taking steroids to change their body shape

• If money wasn’t an issue, a quarter of men (24%) and a third of women (29.5%) would have cosmetic surgery to change their body shape

• A fifth of adolescent boys (17.7%) have taken protein supplements to make themselves more muscular

• Over one in ten boys (11.1%) would take steroids to build muscle if they were unhappy with the way they looked

• Nearly 10% of boys and girls (8.3% and 7.7%) would start taking laxatives to lose weight if they were unhappy with the way they looked

• Nearly 15% of girls would start taking diet pills to lose weight if they were unhappy with the way they looked

The survey also found that the desire for cosmetic procedures among adolescents is popular, with the most desired being breast implants (14.7% of girls), rhinoplasty (7.7% of boys and 11.5% of girls) and Botox (9.8% of girls).

Statistics as shocking as these really do outline the need for more diverse shapes, sizes, and ages on the modelling scene. What do you think?