Two recent studies reveal the real relationship women have with their faces and bodies and the new beauty ideals to which they subscribe.
The new beauty perspective
Women are seeking confidence over youth, reveals a new global research report from Allergan.
The Changing Faces of Beauty: A Global Report has revealed the views of nearly 8,000 women across 16 countries and identifies a new age of beauty confidence.
In one of the largest research projects ever undertaken in medical aesthetics, the report compares beauty and ageing trends in 16 diverse nations, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, Turkey, the UK and the US.
Allergan commissioned the research to inform and shape its marketing and educational programs and to inspire the development of products to address the evolving beauty needs of women around the world.
Examining the concept of beauty, skincare routines and anti-ageing treatments, the comprehensive research reveals women are more aware and open to aesthetic enhancement and are taking control of how ageing affects their appearance as a way to feel more confident about themselves.
“Never before has women’s external image been so important or so hotly debated. 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,” says Caroline Van Hove, Senior Vice President, International Medical Aesthetics at Allergan.
According to the report, female beauty is no longer driven solely by a desire to look younger – women want to control how they look as a way to change how they feel as an individual.
“When it comes to women’s beauty goals, some key cultural differences are apparent. In Europe, women embrace ageing naturally and subtly. In Asian markets, women want a more obvious transformation, while in the Middle East women want to look more beautiful with fast enhancing results that accentuate their best features. What is especially exciting about this new research is the discovery that women around the world are united by an increasing desire to control how their looks evolve with time,” says Van Hove. “And whether through photography filters, makeup or aesthetic procedures, investing in beauty is their way of positively influencing their image.”
Among these thousands of individuals, some interesting trends were apparent but one strong universal truth emerged: women choose to look great for themselves. Modern, empowered women are embracing aesthetic treatments to look great not for social acceptance, but because it makes them feel confident and strong.
“Now, with innovations in aesthetics and the broader beauty sector, women are able to harness the power of their own image and create a natural look that is right for them. This is no longer something to aspire to or wish for – it is accessible and acceptable. Aesthetic treatments are setting a new standard in beauty, which women will come to demand in the same way they expect great looking hair colour,” says Van Hove.
“We know that women across the globe are experiencing a beauty revolution as they seize control of their own image and use it to express their inner self.”
Across all countries, women want to look beautiful first and foremost for their own satisfaction – rather than for others’ validation. It was revealed that almost three quarters (74%) of women make the effort to look good primarily for themselves, with partners (37%) and friends (15%) having less of an influence.
For women seeking aesthetic treatment it was shown that the desire to boost self-confidence (42%) is equally important as improving the aesthetics of sagging skin (42%).
General ‘beautification’ was found to be a bigger motivator (63%) than addressing the signs of ageing (50%), except in China where changing or enhancing a specific feature was the key trigger for seeking out beauty treatments.
“There has been a real change in attitudes in recent years. Today it is what women feel about themselves that matters most to them. Although they are coming for aesthetic reasons, such as treating facial lines and folds, their real goal is to feel and look better,” says Brazilian plastic surgeon Dr Mauricio de Maio.
“Sometimes their request is to look less tired and more healthy;, other times they want to look more attractive and younger. When I treat women, I take the time to understand the emotional motivation behind the changes they want to make – it’s no longer just about what they want corrected, it’s about how they want to feel after the treatment.”
Skin quality is the new beauty ideal
A key trend identified within the report was the significance of the skin when defining a woman’s beauty – quality was a defining factor. Despite cultural variations and preferences, the search for a smooth and youthful skin quality remains a constant across countries. Words describing skin quality – ie, complexion, glowing, clear, flawless – were the most commonly used descriptions of female beauty.
It’s evident women want to look their best and make the most of what nature has given them. For most, this means healthy, hydrated and radiant skin.
When asked to rate what elements contribute most to a women’s outer beauty, complexion and skin quality (56%) were ranked as equally as important as body shape and figure (56%). For some women, including many Australians, it might mean subtle enhancement of their natural features – a kind of ‘beautification.’
When asked what phrases come to mind when thinking about a beautiful woman, skin quality (23%) rated as more important than words such as attractive and pretty. This was even the case for countries with culturally opposing views on beauty and ageing, such as Brazil and the UK.
“In this age of digital documentation, women are now stepping much closer to the mirror to check out how their ‘close up’ will appear on screen. So skin is now under the spotlight more than ever before,” says cosmetic surgeon Dr Jonquille Chantrey, from the UK.
“Not too long ago many women were more focused on their wrinkles but now having healthy, plump and glowing looking skin is higher on their agenda,” says Dr Chantrey.
Injectables – a beauty choice for women around the world
The evolution of the aesthetic market means that women are now faced with a wider range of options when it comes to achieving the look they want.
As women take control of their appearance, there has been a shift in the role that facial fillers play in helping women to look and feel like the best version of themselves.
From clever skincare to facial fillers, a whole host of effective, versatile products with noticeable results are now available to treat women’s facial or ageing concerns, giving women the confidence to explore the available solutions without feeling judged.
The growing acceptance of injectables to achieve beauty goals in interesting, with 65% of women agreeing that facial fillers are more socially acceptable than they were five years ago.
The highest levels of acceptance were in Brazil (76%), Mexico (76%) and Thailand (80%). The top three countries with the highest number of users and considerers of facial fillers are Turkey (96%), Thailand (90%) and Brazil (72%).
Fifty-seven percent believe facial fillers can look natural, but 21% are still concerned about ending up with a ‘frozen’ facial expression.
The area of the face that most women are interested in enhancing is under their eyes, with 66% specifically concerned about bags under the eyes.
In Brazil, women are most interested in correcting age spots (81%) whilst in China, 40% want to enhance their cheeks.
“Most women I see are overly critical of their eye area – mainly because it is so heavily scrutinised as they apply makeup each day,” says Dr Chantrey.
“Looking happy and well rested is the key ambition for my patients, and treating the eye area can help them to achieve this. Bags under the eyes can make women look sad and drawn, when they feel the total opposite. Addressing the eye area means their face will be a better and truer reflection of their emotions.”
Overall, Australian women are more aware and open to aesthetic enhancement and have a refreshed attitude towards beauty, prioritising confidence over a youthful appearance. The results also confirm a high level of acceptance of injectable procedures, alongside a national preference for natural-looking results and a heightened focus on skin quality.
This research plays a pivotal role in exhibiting the diverse range of opinions and attitudes around beauty and the role of facial aesthetics in helping women achieve their goals.
“The Changing Faces of Beauty report will help us communicate with women better and in a way that will resonate with how they want to look and feel – this will help our customers approach their consultation and treatment plans differently.”
“Only by continuing to understand women inside and out, can we meet their evolving beauty needs,” concludes Van Hove.
How Australian women view their bodies
A study by McCrindle Research, in partnership with Cynosure, reveals what women are concerned about when it comes to their bodies.
New study has unearthed the attitudes of women towards self-care, aimed at providing an insight into the body concerns of Australian women today.
More than 1,000 Australian women were questioned as part of the McCrindle-Cynosure study, which took answers from candidates aged between 25 and 60, revealing how they felt about their bodies.
The research revealed some interesting statistics in terms of body confidence ratings and self-esteem, with an incredible 93% of women admitting they would change their body if they could.
Researchers had asked the participants which celebrity they would most like to look like, with fairly unsurprising results.
Twenty-five percent opted for Jennifer Aniston, 15% wanted to be Miranda Kerr, 13% went for Jennifer Lopez), and 11% for Sofia Vergara.
What would women try?
When asked if they would try a way to sculpt their body other than diet and exercise, 55% of women said they would be open to alternative body sculpting methods such as SculpSure.
Nearly half the women reported they had never considered using laser technology to target problem areas because it has never been suggested to them, highlighting the need for therapists to educate clients about the treatments on offer.
Similarly, with 23% of women stating they would need more evidence before trying laser, education seems to be the key.
Women are thinking about their bodies more than ever before. Though troubling, these results are also unsurprising, given the increasing pressures women face today imposed by media, social media and advertising.
This research will help to heighten awareness, helping to increase body-confidence education and communication.
Body confidence and self-esteem
The study went on to discover how happy women are with their body shape and what they would do (if anything) to change it.
Only 7% of women reported feeling ‘extremely happy’ about their body shape, while 34% said they were ‘mostly’ happy. A whopping 42% were ‘only slightly’ happy and the remaining 17% were ‘not happy at all’.
The study discussed how happy women are with their body shape and what they would want to do to change it.
When asked which specific parts of their bodies women would like to change, the overwhelming response was excess body fat around the abdomen, with excess body fat on the thighs coming in second. Also mentioned were love handles, arm fat, wrinkles, stretch marks and excess hair on the face and arms.
In total, 93% of women said they would change something about their body if they could.
Respondents also reported that achieving their ‘ultimate sculpted body shape’ would make them happier with themselves (43%), more confident to go out with friends (37%), more confident in their love life (32%) and help them enjoy the beach more (31%).
Over half the women surveyed said they were open to alternative body sculpting methods like laser.
