A young woman today is thought to be exposed to more images of so called 'perfect' bodies in one day than a young woman one or two generations ago would have seen through their entire adolescence. We cannot deny that this is having an effect. The numbers of women and girls who feel bad about the way they look is reaching epidemic proportions. Girlguiding UK report that over 70% of young women believe that the pressure to look attractive is the worst part of being female.

As the government's Minister for Equalities, this is an issue I care deeply about. Recent polling for the Bailey Review showed that parents felt their kids' lack of body confidence was a real cause for concern and I agree. When half of young women are open to the idea of using cosmetic surgery and girls as young as 11 do not feel comfortable leaving the house without makeup, we know we need to act.

We are also seeing a worrying shift in the way boys perceive their body image. In a survey conducted by YMCA, one in ten boys say they would start taking steroids to build muscle if they were unhappy with the way they looked.

I want to encourage a more open and public conversation about body shape and ensure that we start supporting young people to have healthier and happier futures where a wider spectrum of body shapes is represented. Too many people feel pressured to focus their energies on how they look. It's time for a culture change to help people see their value is worth so much more than just their physical appearance.

But this is a problem which isn't the fault of any one group or industry. So while it might be tempting to try and invent some new miracle law to make this problem go away, that really isn't the answer.

As part of the government's body confidence campaign, I'm talking with experts and industries from all sides of the debate and I have convened the first ever government expert advisory group on the issue. We want to see the various industries and interest groups widen the definition of beauty to include all ages, shapes, sizes and ethnicities. A key element of this is shining a light on the fantastic initiatives that are out there to boost body confidence - the work of Models of Diversity is an excellent example of what can be achieved. It is great to see an organisation working with the fashion industry taking such a prominent role in promoting a range of body images as diverse as the society we live in.

There is no doubt in my mind that if each and everyone of us take responsibility for tackling low levels of body confidence, and work together on this, we will, eventually, start to see change.

Lynne Featherstone
Equalities Minister