Brits 'less body-confident than Americans'

31/07/2008

Europeans are more worried about stripping off to their speedos or bikinis to go on the beach than their American counterparts.

In a poll by travel and lifestyle site lastminute.com, it was revealed that ten per cent of people from Europe would consider cosmetic surgery before going on holiday so that they look good on the beach.

However, among Americans, this figure was just five per cent. The poll also revealed that people in the US believe they are the most attractive in comparison with Europeans.

Commenting on the survey, contributing editor for lastminute.com, Jennifer Gaines, said: "For decades, the ''Ugly American'' sentiment has alluded to the notion that Americans are arrogant and ethnocentric.

"The poll findings imply that this perception of the American culture has crippled our confidence, unleashing a self-deprecating attitude."

On average, three-fifths of both Americans and Europeans try and lose weight before going on holiday. However, in Britain this figure rose to nearly three-quarters.

A recent poll by Del Monte Ice Creams found that 80 per cent of women in the UK do not feel confident enough about their bodies to wear a bikini on the beach.

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