If there’s anyone who knows how it feels to suffer under the enormous pressure of societal body image standards, it’s Little Mix.

Being in the public eye is hard, and you could argue it’s harder still coming from a talent programme, when the whole world has watched your transformation from ‘normal girl’ to super star.

Little Mix have set, and smashed, the standard when it comes to tv show-created bands. While One Direction and JLS have faded into the background, here Little Mix are, stronger than ever and bagging more awards every year.

But while the likes of One Direction received little criticism on their outward appearance, as the patriarchal world would have it, Little Mix have not been blessed with the same treatment.

From Piers Morgan’s infuriating comments about their body positive video for Strip (which featured the four women sat together naked and covered with insults that have been previously hurled at them from the media and online) to constant discussion on their weight, outfits, make-up and every aspect of their appearances in tabloid papers, the women have opened up previously about how damaging mentally it is to be scrutinised like this. In fact, Leigh-Anne Pinnock just recently expressed the deep effect this treatment has had on her mental health. 

But now one member of the group, Jesy Nelson, has decided to speak out louder than ever, and will be fronting a new documentary with the BBC to tell her story and explore the themes of body image and mental health.

She announced the news on her Instagram yesterday (20 March) with a video and caption, which read: “Mental health awareness is something we should all be talking about more.

“Having suffered myself I decided I want to do something about it.

“So I’m pleased to announce I’m making a film with the BBC, telling my own personal story and exploring how social media, body shaming and trolling is effecting the mental health of young people.”

Speaking in the video, she says: “I can finally announce I’m making a film with the BBC and it’s a subject that’s really close to my heart and it’s about mental health awareness. 

“One in four men and women suffer from mental health and it’s a subject that I personally think that we don’t speak about enough, and I’m making this film because I really, really want to make a change and a difference to other people’s lives. More details will be coming soon but I’m so happy to finally say that I’m doing this.”

Currently the working title for the doc is set as Jesy Nelson: My Story and no release date has been confirmed, but the BBC says it will look at the “social media-fuelled age of selfies, body shaming and trolling is having a profound impact on the mental health of young people” and confirmed that it will premiere exclusively on BBC Three before it airs on BBC One.

We’ll keep you posted when we know more. 

Images: Getty