Beauty is, as they say, only skin deep. But self-worth – particularly for women – goes much deeper.
That’s the conclusion of a new study that found women with strong family support and limited pressure to achieve the 'thin and beautiful' ideal have more positive feelings of self-worth.
The study, conducted by University of Arizona researchers and published online in the journal Sex Roles, identified several factors that help young women have a more positive outlook. The findings are based on a survey of 301 first-year college women, from two U.S. universities.
Lead researcher Dr. Shannon Snapp and colleagues found women with high levels of family support and low pressure from friends and relatives to meet a media-driven “ideal” for physical beauty were more likely to “reject the superwoman ideal, had a positive physical self-concept, and were armed with skills to deal with stress.”
Snapp noted many women are dissatisfied with their bodies, putting them at risk for eating disorders, stress and related health problems.
"It is particularly important for women to develop a sense of self-worth that is not solely based on appearance,” the researchers concluded, “and to build resilience to pressures they may receive from family, friends and the media."