Beauty is ever evolving and now, more than ever, how you feel about the way you look and how society perceives you are increasingly important and a very real factor in women’s everyday lives.
The Face Value survey, commissioned by pharma giant Allergan, asked 2,000+ Australian women aged 20-49 how they feel about their looks, the pressure they feel to stay ‘youthful’, what they know about treatments available to address ageing, and how they view those who have cosmetic procedures such as dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle injections.
The result? Behind efforts to improve their appearance, Australian women desire to ‘feel good and look good’ and overall they want to achieve a natural, best version of themselves.
While women want to take the steps to maintain their appearance, in direct conflict with this is that the act of doing so may cause them to be seen as superficial, and therefore makes them uneasy. Experts say that despite rising interest and use of non-surgical treatments, limited understanding makes it hard for women to openly explore whether these options are right for them.
Societal pressures
The findings confirmed overwhelmingly that the bulk of Australian women are feeling the need to address their appearance. How women today feel about facial appearance, the main drivers for enhancing their looks, and how they think age and looks are perceived at work and by society in general plays an integral role in how they view themselves.
Over two-thirds (67%) of women surveyed stated they are under ‘more pressure than men to stay looking young’ and that facial attractiveness and perception of age impact work opportunities. More than half (61%) of respondents aged 35-49 agree ‘women are increasingly judged on how they present themselves’.
While it was found that all women prioritise health, appearance and fitness, the focus was highest in younger women (67% of 25-29 years olds vs. 41% of 35-39 year olds, for example), highlighting a possible shift in the perception of beauty.
When it comes to social media, one third (33%) of women aged 35-49 say they post fewer pictures of themselves now they sense they are looking older; and 1 in 4 women in this age group are ‘less comfortable when people are taking pictures of them’ than they used to be.
The research also uncovered a general desire for more openness about facial injectable procedures among women, with nearly half (46%) of all respondents believing women should be able to be public about their experiences and do so without feeling judged (39%).
Nearly half (46%) of all respondents also said they would ‘be supportive’ if a friend was considering these procedures and a further 37% would be neutral; only 17% say they’d actively ‘discourage them’.
Snap-shot on beauty
71% of Australian women make an effort to look good ‘just for themselves’
42% say a desire to boost self-confidence is why they would seek treatment
64% believe dermal fillers have become more socially acceptable compared with five years ago
11% have used injectable facial fillers
53% believe facial injectables can look natural
Injectables and the fear of judgement
While women want to take the steps to maintain their appearance, the research revealed that they sense some of the methods available do not have full social acceptance and therefore perceive a need for them to be kept private.
The research delved into how open women are to sharing information on facial aesthetic procedures, and the challenges of whether to keep it private or go public and ‘risk’ scrutiny.
More than two-thirds of women in the survey (71%) said they would expect judgement for using an injectable treatment, citing reasons to keep it private including: being viewed as ‘false or superficial’ (24%), being made to feel ‘vain or self-indulgent’ (16%) and fearing ‘people talking negatively about me behind my back’ (12%).
Even more uncomfortable than the thought that people are judging them is the direct challenge where women may be asked if they have had a procedure. Overall it places them in an uncomfortable situation where they may have to tell a ‘white lie’ or provide an incomplete response.
When asked whether they had had a procedure, 41% of female respondents (35-39 years old) said they would change the subject or tell a ‘white lie’; only 37% would be truthful and admit to it.
Our faces are our calling cards – an outward projection of who we are – and they are shared more widely than ever on social media, as well as representing us in everyday life
Knowledge gap
The results show a significant information gap, and Australian women appear to lack knowledge about facial aesthetics options, and whether they use them or would consider using them.
The research found approximately 6% of 20 to 49-year-old women are using facial injectables (dermal fillers and/or wrinkle injections), equivalent to more than 600,000 women – but knowledge levels remain low. One in five (21%) of the women in the survey confirmed they are considering dermal fillers yet over one-third (31%) admitted they were not aware of them.
For women aged 35-44, 23% feel the celebrity looks in Hollywood ‘set unrealistic and superficial ideals for younger women’. Views on this are mixed, however; 20% of women the same age say the Hollywood look is ‘deliberately attention-seeking and not meant for everyday women’ – but then 16% of all women also empathise that ‘their income relies on their looks and, given the same situation, perhaps we’d all do it.’
