Beauty at Any Cost (PDF; 824 KB)
Source: YWCA
From press release (PDF; 77 KB):

YWCA USA today released a new report that reveals the impact of idealized, airbrushed beauty and body image obsession on the economic well-being, health and interpersonal relationships of American women and girls. The report, Beauty at Any Cost, shows alarming new trends and money spent on cosmetic surgery alterations, including dramatic increases among young women, and other serious health risks.

Young women and girls are increasingly spending more money and going to unhealthy extremes to achieve an unattainable image of physical perfection, according to Tracy Lakatua, YWCA USA Board Chair. The costs include physical harm, including risks posed by smoking to maintain a low weight and risky cosmetic surgeries; and mental and emotional harm, including low self-esteem and interpersonal problems that create an unhealthy, competitive “mean girls culture.” The report also reveals the health risks of unsafe cosmetic ingredients and the consequences of appearance-based job discrimination.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 at 1:07 pm and is filed under Business and economics, Consumer issues, Health and healthcare, Social and cultural issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.