THREE-QUARTERS of girls dislike some part of their body by the age of 12, an alarming survey has found.

And by the time they turn 16, nine out of ten are so dissatisfied they want to change the way they look.

A quarter of these would even be willing to have plastic surgery.

The study of self-esteem in girls and young women warned some are letting dissatisfaction with their looks hold them back from taking part in everyday activities.

Research commissioned by skincare brand Dove found seven in ten teenage girls worldwide had avoided some school activities due to a poor body image.

Girls in Britain were among those with the lowest self-esteem in the world.

Almost a third of eight to 12 year olds questioned wanted to be slimmer.

Twenty-seven per cent wanted to change the colour of their hair and 15 per cent wished they were taller.

Dove carried out the global study among 3,300 girls and women aged 15 to 64, including more than 1,000 in Britain.

Researchers interviewed young girls and their mothers, women and teachers to see how the younger generation regard themselves.

Nine in ten teachers believe poor body image prevents girls participating fully in lessons.

A third of girls aged between 15 and 17 won't go to the beach or pool because they are unhappy about how they look in their swimming costume.

Nearly a quarter won't go to a party, 17 per cent won't go shopping for clothes and 18 per cent don't take part in physical exercise or sport all because of the way they look.

An overwhelming 96 per cent of mothers want celebrities to set a better body image example to help their children feel happier with their natural shapes.

They want their daughters to aspire to being like the curvy singer Charlotte Church and the rounded actress Billie Piper rather than skinny models such as Kate Moss or the pop group Girls Aloud.

The findings showed teachers also agree that more positive celebrity role models would help girls feel better about their bodies.

Dove has started a publicity campaign in schools in partnership with the Eating Disorders Association to educate and inspire girls to be happier with themselves.

TV presenter Holly Willoughby, who is launching the BodyTalk campaign, said: 'I'm a size 12 and proud of my curvy figure. It's important to encourage young women to accept themselves for who they are and campaign for more positive celebrity role models.' Other celebrities supporting the campaign include actress Angela Griffin and TV presenter Kaye Adams.

Dove brand manager Ceri Oest said: 'The research has uncovered some really disturbing findings among young girls.

'It is particularly alarming to see how inadequate girls feel in comparison to the images of perfection they are bombarded with each day.' An advertising campaign featuring young girls who are dissatisfied with an aspect of their physical appearance will be run to highlight the need to improve selfesteem.

Kaye Adams, who presents ITV1's Loose Women daytime chat show, said: 'It's heartbreaking to think that girls and young women would question their sense of selfworth because of the way they feel about their looks.

'We've got to reverse the trend and show that each and every individual is unique and wonderful in their own way.' c.gill@dailymail.co.uk

THE CHEERLEADER COVER-UP

A GROUP of cheerleaders have been told their skimpy costumes must go for fear of giving young girls the wrong impression.

The Spirit Shockers, a team of 11 to 14-year-olds, have been banned from wearing midriffbaring crop tops in a ruling that will affect all 11,000 cheerleaders across Britain.

The British Cheerleading Association has given the team, based in Glossop, Derbyshire, three months to change the tops in time to compete in the British National Championships.

BCA chairman Bob Kiralfy said: 'What has been happening is that the uniforms were getting skimpier and levels of makeup were starting to make them look like exotic go-go dancers, which is not appropriate to the image of cheerleading.' 'There is a lot of pressure in society to make young ladies feel uncomfortable about their size. The outfits may not be complimentary to some girls and it could put a lot of pressure on them to go on diets, which can be dangerous.'