Almost half of young Australian women are prepared to do almost anything to look beautiful, according to new research.
Conducted by Pure Profile for Andalou Naturals, the survey of a representative sample of over 2000 women found that 46 percent of 18-34-year-old women will go to any length to achieve their perception of beauty, with 48 percent saying they feel more empowered when they have good skin.
Seventy percent of the young women said the overwhelming source of pressure to look good comes from their own high expectations while 30 percent said it comes from social media.
Whatever the source, the researchers noted that “the pressure to look good leads a quarter of all women (18-65+) to undergo a cosmetic procedure, with almost one in five (19 percent) undergoing invasive treatments despite 94 percent claiming they “prefer the natural look” and 84 percent saying “we are taking cosmetic procedures too far”.
Commenting on the findings, Melbourne based Clinical psychologist, Dr Zac Elizabeth Buchanan, says the research shows that women are still being “largely objectified by society”.
“It starts from an early age; from being praised for being a ‘pretty girl’, to being repeatedly told by the media that in order to be successful, admired, or be treated with value, you must look ‘perfect’,” she says.
“Embracing one’s beauty should not come at the cost of your self-worth, women should be sure they are doing it to nourish and care for themselves,” says Dr Buchanan.
Noting that Australians spent an estimated $1 billion on cosmetic surgeries and procedures last year, with $350 million spent on wrinkle reduction procedures from Botox alone, the researchers said around half of all the women surveyed said they want to make a switch to natural beauty products although a quarter believe they won’t be as effective.
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