Dangerous Beauty: The Pursuit for Physical Perfection May Be Harming Women

The report “Beauty at Any Cost” by the non-profit women’s organization YWCA USA studied the obsession for beauty among American women and girls, suggesting the pursuit for physical perfection is creating potentially serious problems for the health and well-being of women and young girls.

Highlights from the report included:

•  Eighty percent of women are unhappy with their appearance, and 67 percent are attempting to lose weight even though they are a healthy weight.
• Sixty-nine percent of the respondents (18 or older) said they are in favor of plastic surgery—a 7 percent increase from 2006.
• Americans spend nearly $7 billion a year for cosmetics, beauty supplies and perfumes. About $100 a month on cosmetics and beauty products.
• Nearly 11.7 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed in 2007.  A 446 percent increase of such procedures compared to 1997.

Additional reading:

Reuters: Report raises alarm over U.S. beauty obsession

Los Angeles Times: YWCA warns: Beauty obsession a danger to American women

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