Recent Posts
Culture February 10, 2017
Millennials may need to get their priorities straight when it comes to a career and financial stability, a new study suggests.
Two-thirds of millennials value “the perfect body” over career advancement. And 20 percent of them would be willing to take a pay cut if it meant achieving it.
More specifically, 42 percent say they would take the cut for a flat and/or toned stomach, while 27 percent would trade some salary for a thigh gap.
This news comes as the struggle for millennials to advance in the workforce has been well-documented, with many 20-somethings even needing to borrow money from their parents just to make rent.
RELATED: Here’s What 40% of 20-Somethings Have in Common (Hint: It’s Not Good)
The study from from holistic health website MakeYourSwitch.co.uk found that millennials are just as likely to be emotionally affected by putting on a little holiday weight as missing out on a promotion at work.
The tendency to stress over body image is particularly an issue for young women, who are seven times more likely to worry about their figure than their career.
Even while at work body image is on the mind for millennials, as 17 percent of them have reported receiving comments about their weight from a colleague.
A new study shows that millennials are more concerned with their body image than career advancement. Image via Paramount Pictures
Emma Kenny, a psychologist and Director of MakeYourSwitch.co.uk – a health, diet and fitness website – expressed concern about the study’s alarming findings.
“It’s very concerning that young people are attributing more importance to achieving the ‘perfect body’ in the short term while important long-term life goals that contribute to wider well-being and satisfaction are being sacrificed and overlooked,” Kenny said.
And though millennials are far more likely to let the quest for the “perfect body” distract from their career goals, Kenny found body image to be the number one insecurity across all age groups and both genders.
