A new study has revealed depressing results when it comes to our self image.
The results of a new study by market research group GfK should come as no surprise to anyone not living in a cave in the new millennium.
With personal image of more heightened importance than ever before thanks to selfies and social media (unmistakingly Kim Kardashian’s greatest marketing tool) and the media’s physical appearance standards increasingly less attainable – even if you’re a rich and famous celeb (Cindy Crawford was famously quoted saying, “Even I don’t look like Cindy Crawford”) – it’s not shocking the vast majority of us aren’t feeling crash hot about the way we look.
one in five of us are completely unsatisfied with what greets us in the mirror each day.
In fact, according to the international appearance study, only one in 12 Australians consider themselves completely satisfied with their appearance, while one in five of us are completely unsatisfied with what greets us in the mirror each day.
Despite our general unease with our appearance as a country, Australia ranked as the third least satisfied country about looks out of 22 countries surveyed, with Japan taking the top spot as the world’s most self-critical place to be, with a shocking 38 per cent of Japanese adults fessing up to being completely dissatisfied with their outer selves.
And our growing dissatisfaction with the way we look might explain why more than half of us are actively working on our looks, with 61 per cent of Australian adult study participants saying they exercised regularly (compared to 57 per cent globally), and 44 per cent using skincare and beauty products on a frequent basis (versus 38 per cent globally).
…teens are the most likely to be dissatisfied with their looks
Interestingly, when it comes to confidence in our outer selves, the study also revealed youth has a little something to do with it, with teens the most likely to be dissatisfied with their looks and a trend of decreasing dissatisfaction with age, with 60+ year old study participants only registering 7 per cent dissatisfaction.
Perhaps its that older generations spend less time on image conscious activities like social media and selfie taking, or that we grow more comfortable with our inner selves as we mature, making superficial aspects of ourselves take on less importance.
Whatever the case, research has consistently shown that people who are the most self confident tend to not only feel better about their appearance, but appear more attractive to others, too; so maybe we could all do with a little dose of self love, and a little less Kim Kardashian.
Have your say: Are you happy with your appearance? What about your clients?