Rachel Treweek, the bishop of Gloucester, has said she is highlighting the issue of body image among children to challenge perceptions that physical appearance determines self-worth.
On Monday, Treweek – the first female bishop to sit in the House of Lords – will visit All Saints Academy in Cheltenham to talk to a group of 13- to 16-year-olds in the first of a series of school visits in her constituency to discuss the issue.
It follows a report from the Children’s Society last month that found one out of three girls aged 10 to 15 was unhappy with her appearance and felt ugly or worthless.
The study highlighted the growing pressure of social media with regard to body image. The proportion of girls with negative feelings about their bodies increased from 30% to 34% over five years; among boys it remained unchanged at 20%.
Treweek told the Guardian the issue urgently needed addressing. “When I talk to girls, it strikes me how much of how they view themselves and their self-worth is caught up with appearance and the way that society sees them,” she said. “Issues of health and mental health are more and more linked with how people are viewed by others, and much of that begins with external appearance.”
The bishop plans to listen to the concerns of teenagers over the coming months before considering what action can be taken.
“I want to challenge the subconscious messages we’re giving,” she said. “We need to look at the language we use as adults and how it shapes our culture. For example, when adults engage with girls, nearly always the first thing we say is a comment on appearance. We need to find out who they are, what they enjoy, what they’re good at, what makes their souls sing.”
She added: “I don’t want to say to girls: ‘Don’t worry about hair or nails or fashion’ – I want them to enjoy those things. But I want these things to be an expression of who they are, not their starting place.”
Treweek acknowledged that as one of a handful of female bishops she had a different perspective on society than her male colleagues. “The church doesn’t always appear in touch with people’s everyday lives. This faith stuff has got to connect with people’s lives – and if this is shown to be an issue affecting girls’ mental health and happiness, then we have to be listening to that, the church needs to engage with it.”
The Children’s Society report found that 14% of girls aged 10 to 15 were unhappy with their lives as a whole. Another study last month by the Department for Education found an increase in psychological distress among 14-year-olds in 2014 compared with similar research in 2005.
