Superdrug
KID'S WORRIES
One in three schoolgirls is more worried about looking good in class than getting decent grades, according to a new study.
Researchers found that image takes precedent over academic success once girls reach their teens.
One in four of the 3,000 nine-to-15 year old girls who were polled by Superdrug said they believed good looks would get them further in life than good exam results.
More than half also said they felt pressure to look perfect like celebrities such as Jordan and Coleen Rooney.
By contrast, only one in four boys said the same thing and 36 per cent of boys said they wanted to do well in their exams so they could go on to have a successful career.
Yesterday (Fri) Joanna Hutton, Superdrug skin care buyer, said: ''This research shows how important looking good is to today's teens and especially girls who are spending too much time worrying about the way they look.
''Worries about hair and spots are in both boys and girls top tens and of the things that are keeping teens up at night this is the one that we know we can help them with.
''Today's teens' top worries are exactly those of a generation ago - getting rid of spotty skin, wanting to fit in and wanting to look good for their friends.''
The report also found a third of girls spend just under an hour a day worrying about what they look like.
Bad hair, weight issues, bad skin, looking good and body image are five of their top ten worries.
More than half of girls questioned said they were influenced by celebrities, compared to just 25 per cent of boys.
And 26 per cent of girls believe good looks will get them further in life than personality or a good education, compared to just 13 per cent of boys.
More than a third of girls claimed their appearance was the most important thing to them, while 49 per cent said they felt pressure from friends to look good.
Tellingly, girls spend double the amount of time getting ready for school each day - a minimum of 25 minutes each morning compared to 13 minutes for boys.
The poll also revealed boys are more concerned with being bullied than girls - with 23 per cent of lads frightened of being the butt of someone's joke compared to 17 per cent of girls.
Boys are also more concerned with serious issues such as crime, gangs and knife culture.
According to the research, children are most likely to be bullied at school if they have weight issues, if they are 'too clever' or if their families are poor.
Girls and boys both worry about fitting in with friends and agree this is a main concern for kids across the UK.
Girls are far more likely to wake up worrying about something in a morning - with 75 per cent regularly waking feeling anxious compared to 61 per cent of boys.
And if children are worried, girls are far more likely to confide in someone than boys - choosing to offload their feelings to mum or their best friend.
TOP 10 BOY'S WORRIES
1. School work / homework (36 per cent)
2. Fitting in with friends (27 per cent)
3. Being bullied (23 per cent)
4. Looking good (17 per cent)
5. Bad skin (14 per cent)
6. Bad hair (11 per cent)
7. Weight (11 per cent)
8. Gun / knife culture (11 per cent)
9. Crime (10 per cent)
10. Gangs in the local area (10 per cent)
TOP 10 GIRL'S WORRIES
1. Looking good (31 per cent)
2. School work / homework (28 per cent)
3. Fitting in with friends (28 per cent)
4. Bad hair (18 per cent)
5. Weight (18 per cent)
6. Being bullied (17 per cent)
7. Bad skin (17 per cent)
8. Body image (11 per cent)
9. Gun / knife culture (10 per cent)
10. Being too hairy (10 per cent)
