1. Female dissatisfaction with appearance - poor body-image - begins at a very early age. Human
infants begin to recognise themselves in mirrors at about two years old. Female humans begin to
dislike what they see only a few years later.
We are all more obsessed with our appearance than we like to admit. But this is
not an indication of 'vanity'. Vanity means conceit, excessive pride in one's
appearance. Concern about appearance is quite normal and understandable.
Advances in technology and in particular the rise of the mass media has caused
normal concerns about how we look to become obsessions.
How? 3 reasons:
• Thanks to the media, we have become accustomed to extremely rigid and
uniform standards of beauty.
• TV, billboards, magazines etc mean that we see 'beautiful people' all the
time, more often than members of our own family, making exceptional good
looks seem real, normal and attainable.
• Standards of beauty have in fact become harder and harder to attain,
particularly for women. The current media ideal of thinness for women is
achievable by less than 5% of the female population.
A Harvard University study showed that up to two thirds of underweight 12-
year-old girls considered themselves to be too fat. By 13, at least 50% of girls
are significantly unhappy about their appearance. By 14, focused, specific
dissatisfactions have intensified, particularly concerning hips and thighs. By 17,
only 3 out of 10 girls have not been on a diet – up to 8 out of 10 will be unhappy
with what they see in the mirror.
Among women over 18 looking at themselves in the mirror, research indicates
that at least 80% are unhappy with what they see. Many will not even be seeing
an accurate reflection.