Body Image And Beliefs About Appearance

1878 Words4 Pages

Women spend hundreds of dollars on makeup, clothing, and hair products every year. They will then use these products to alter their appearance to make themselves look more attractive, or what they feel is more attractive. Women spend an hour or more a day getting ready, picking out their outfit and perfecting their hair and makeup. The stereotype that women only care about their appearance is widely spread, and it is shown throughout society when people make comments about men always waiting on women that are getting ready. It is also shown when people call a woman high maintenance due to her always being dressed up and having her hair and make-up done. The stereotype that women only care about their appearance is a bold statement that is not …show more content…

In “Body Image and Beliefs About Appearance: Constraints on the Leisure of College-Age and Middle-Age Women,” they conducted research on how body image, beliefs about appearance, and constraints on leisure were related among college-aged women and their mothers (311). They found that, “mothers influence their daughters’ beliefs regarding the importance of appearance” (324), suggesting that attitudes of women’s appearance are formed from the mother’s perception and handed down to her children. This stereotype has been passed down to young girls for hundreds of years and will continue to be passed down unless mothers and society teach girls that appearance is not the most important thing in their …show more content…

When comparing the amount of time that it takes men and women to get ready in the morning, it was found that 52 percent of men and 52 percent of women took 10-30 minutes to get ready. Men and women both had similar proportions for taking more than 30 minutes to get ready in the morning, 25 percent for men and 21 percent for women (“High-Maintenance, Eh?”). This gives a comparison of how men and women have a similar priority set on how they look when they are around others. It can also be agreed upon that improvements in appearance, self-care, and body image can change a woman’s body image from being negative to more positive (Long et al. 16). Women always want to have a positive body image about them in order to feel good about who they are. If making it a priority to spend a little time every day on how they look will help them feel more positively about themselves, then that time will pay off in other parts of their lives. Research shows that a low self-esteem is associated with delinquent behaviors, antisocial behaviors, and aggression (Donnellan et al. 331). The extra time set aside for women to spend on their appearance can help them be a more social and positive person around others. When women feel better about themselves they will be more self-confident and aspire to more success in their careers and daily

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