Periods, pregnancy and hormones: new research reveals the major life moments that contribute to women’s body dissatisfaction

Butterfly and Liptember Foundation launch The Changing Room – an initiative to educate and destigmatise women’s experiences with body dissatisfaction and eating disorders over a lifetime.

• The Changing Room – a powerful collaboration between Butterfly and women’s mental health charity, Liptember Foundation – is inspired by new research that reveals how body dissatisfaction is experienced at different ages and stages for women and girls
• A quarter (25%) of women say that hearing other stories of body dissatisfaction or body positivity helps them to navigate their own
• The campaign features a dynamic mix of high-profile Australian women including Myf Warhurst, Jules Robinson, Mia Findlay, Michelle Sheppard, Bella Davis and Ruchi Page
• It is supported by other women’s health organisations including Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, PANDA, Endometriosis Australia and the National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC).

A lifelong journey

Despite 1 in 10 Australians believing that ‘only young girls are affected by eating disorders’^[1], Butterfly & Liptember Foundation’s new campaign explores that body dissatisfaction can be a persistent and non-linear journey for women of all ages.

A quarter of women reported that hearing or reading stories of body dissatisfaction or body positivity helps them to navigate their own. In response, Butterfly & Liptember Foundation have teamed up to develop The Changing Room where audiences can hear candid conversations on body image and different life stages from a diverse pool of women.

Major life events found to most negatively impact a woman’s body image are periods and menstrual issues (39%), puberty (29.8%), the breakdown of a relationship (22.6%) and dating/the start of a new relationship (21.1%).

Other women’s health conditions that can often intersect with eating disorders and body dissatisfaction, include pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), endometriosis, perimenopause and menopause, pregnancy and fertility issues. The Changing Room looks to create a safe space where women can share and explore their individual and collective experiences.

Enter the Changing Room…

The campaign centres on a content series set in a changing room where some of our most intimate and personal conversations can take place with perfect strangers. The series features three pairs of women exploring themes of pregnancy, menopause, weight stigma, gender diversity, ageing, and hormonal issues, and, crucially, their intersection with body image. The pairs include:

• Renowned media personality Myf Warhust with gender equity leader Michelle (‘Mama Mish’) Sheppard
• Reality star Jules Robinson with social creator and body acceptance advocate, Ruchi Page
• Eating disorder recovery coach, Mia Findlay with body acceptance advocate, Bella Davis

Melissa Wilton, Head of Communications and Engagement at Butterfly, said:

“Women and girls are disproportionately impacted by eating disorders and body dissatisfaction – we saw this reiterated in the recent Cost of Appearance Ideals report, which showed that women and girls consistently experience the highest levels of body dissatisfaction compared to males, across all age groups^[2].

“However, harmful stigma persists that eating disorders and body image issues only impact young people – these experiences in fact can endure through or re-emerge in adulthood. As our bodies change, so too does our relationship with it. But time and time again, we see that talking helps, and this campaign is an important reminder of that.

“This campaign was built from the insight that intimate conversations can happen in intimate spaces – we want women to feel seen in The Changing Room, and we want to invite them in on the conversation,” Wilton said.

Luke Morris, CEO at Liptember, said, “The Liptember Foundation is incredibly proud to stand alongside the Butterfly Foundation in supporting this vital initiative, which highlights that body image struggles are not just a concern for young women—they can persist and evolve throughout life. Our annual, women’s mental health research found that almost 1 in 3 women were facing body image issues in 2024, so this collaboration is an important step forward to helping reduce these statistics. This campaign serves as a powerful reminder that through awareness, open conversations, and meaningful support, we can help women feel seen, understood, and empowered at every stage of their journey.”

Myf Warhurst, said, “Sharing my experience with body image – especially now that I’m middle aged, which comes with its own new challenges – felt like a great way to help others who might be struggling with similar issues. Hopefully, through sharing our stories, others will realise that they’re not alone.”

As part of the campaign, Butterfly is also making evidence-based resources available for free via its website. These have been developed in partnership with Liptember Foundation, Endometriosis Australia, Jean Hailes for Women’s Health, PANDA and the National Eating Disorder Collaboration and can be accessed by heading to www.butterfly.org.au/thechangingroom

-ENDS-

For more information, please contact:

About Butterfly Foundation
Butterfly is the national charity for all Australians impacted by eating disorders and body image issues, and for the families, friends and communities who support them. Butterfly changes lives by providing innovative, evidence-based support services, treatment and resources, prevention and early intervention programs, and by advocating for the needs of our community.

About Liptember Foundation
The Liptember Foundation is the respected leader when it comes to women’s mental health in Australia. They deliver an informed impact by investing in tailored women’s mental health outcomes, focusing on research, advocacy and education, while collaborating with government, industry and community.

Editor and producers note
Please include the following support line details in all media coverage of this story and refer to the Mindframe Media guidelines for safe reporting on eating disorders.

Anyone needing support with eating disorders or body image issues is encouraged to contact:

• Butterfly National Helpline on 1800 33 4673 (1800 ED HOPE) or support@butterfly.org.au
• Eating Disorders Victoria Helpline on 1300 550 23
• For urgent support call Lifeline 13 11 14

About Butterfly Foundation’s 2025 women’s market research
Released by Butterfly Foundation. Overview and Consumer Sampling: This research was produced by Butterfly Foundation, based on an online study conducted by Pure Profile Research with n = 1002 Australian women and non-binary people. The sample was designed to be nationally representative of age and location, with 1000 women and 2 non-binary people completing the survey. This research took place in January 2025.

^[1] Community Insights Research, 2024. https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/ButterflyCommunityInsightsReport2024.pdf

^[2] Cost of Appearance Ideals: The economic and social impact of body dissatisfaction and weight-based discrimination, 2025. https://butterfly.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/25.02.07_Butterfly-Foundation-Appearance-Ideals-Report-Final.pdf