Shadow Minister for Climate Change and Energy Mark Butler told Q&A that eating disorders “are the mental illness type which has the highest mortality rate”. We check the research.
The proliferation of mass media has helped to create a standardisation of beauty ideals, making them harder to cope with. But there are encouraging signs that things could change.
It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can still look fabulous. This message is sold to us by magazines, newspapers, the cosmetics industry, fashion labels and dating agencies. Think of the recent movie…
Facebook use increases young women’s concerns about their face, hair and skin.
Thiago Marques/Flickr
If you’re one of the world’s 1.3 billion regular Facebook users, you’ll know the feeling of being consumed by your news feed. If you don’t use Facebook, you need only get on a busy train or bus to see…
Most of us struggle with our own attractiveness and whether we have enough of it.
Tony Bowler/Shutterstock
You probably aren’t beautiful. It’s statistical, not personal. Most of us are average, a few of us are ugly, and a tiny number of us are beautiful or handsome. Many of us struggle with our own attractiveness…
Steroid use is growing in Australia but not among the usual suspects.
Jhong Dizon/Flickr
Steroids are easy to scapegoat. Users are viewed as aggressive, violent and mentally unstable, able to snap at any moment and cause great harm to the people around them. Ostensibly, it is this perception…
The market for men’s grooming products is doubling each year.
Flickr: Alan Antiporda
Youth can be a difficult phase of life, as young people attempt to forge new identities, while facing challenges at school and in their social life. Many also experience pressure and stress related to…
People with body dysmorphic disorder have an excessive fear of looking ugly or disfigured.
DeeAshley/Flickr
When people think of mental problems related to body image, often the first thing that comes to mind is the thin figure associated with anorexia. Body dysmorphic disorder is less well known, but has around…