The face of beauty is changing as most women now prefer to look more natural with the majority of us aspiring to look more like natural beauties such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Kidman according to a new survey.
A whopping 83% of women across the globe reveal that it is important to look natural according to one of the largest international studies conducted into the beauty perceptions of women and men.
Gwyneth Paltrow (71%) and Nicole Kidman (56%), topped the 'natural look' list for both men and women - beating off stiff competition from Renee Zellweger and Halle Berry (both 51%). Among men, Hollywood hunks George Clooney (78%) and Sean Connery (75%) came out on top for looking good for their age - for once Brad Pitt (70%) only made it in at third place! One thing is for sure, the Pamela Anderson era and all it embodies, is definitely over.
Women across the globe are ditching the quest for wrinkle-free perfection in favour of looking as natural as possible - according to the largest international study conducted into the beauty perceptions of women and men.
Despite the obvious diversity between national cultures, the Aesthetic Anthropology: Beauty Across Cultures study reveals a worldwide consensus among women to want to look as natural as possible to reflect their personality, expressions and to protect their emotional wellbeing.
The study, commissioned by Allergan, makers of botox, is the first time beauty attitudes and perceptions have been assessed in this way. The aim was to assess the cross cultural attitudes to beauty - similarities and differences - to capture the socio-cultural moment in time.
The study confirms that the new notion of beauty is contrary to the last decade's obsession with being wrinkle free. While 80% of women across Europe (82%) and the US (80%) recognise they have wrinkles or fine lines, 6 out of 10 of them admit they only want to reduce some of them, if any at all.
The most popular wrinkles women want to reduce are the frown lines between the eyebrows and the forehead wrinkles (25%). UK women reveal that their top three reasons for considering to use wrinkle relaxing injections are to look more refreshed (55%), to look good for their age (52%) and to look less stressed and tired (48%).
UK women feel the most pressure to look good, with 59% acknowledging that there is increasingly more pressure on them to look more attractive compared to 49% of US women, and just 30% of Italian women. One third of all women (35%) also reveal that their beauty regime has a more significant impact on their self esteem than it did five years ago, and only 4% of women surveyed would use the word attractive to best describe their face.
Dr Isabella Lepri, anthropological expert from the London School of Economics, says: "People everywhere have always endeavoured to look attractive for many reasons. However, what is beautiful varies tremendously, and in the western world we are currently seeing a shift."
"There is an ever-growing pressure on people, especially women, to be successful as well as look good, which constantly challenges their self-esteem. This is compounded by ultra-thin models and super mum expectations. However, the results of this survey seem to suggest a change in attitude ... today the ultimate challenge is to meet all the expectations while looking effortlessly, naturally beautiful, but feeling good about yourself, taking pride in your accomplishments or liking what you see in the mirror may no longer be defined by the need look perfect".
Women across Europe spend an average of £30.00 on beauty treatments per month. Nearly 1 in 5 women (18%) are spending 50% or more than they did 5 years ago!
It's not just women (48%) who are feeling the pressure to look good. One third (30%) of men admit to feeling the pressure to improve the way they look compared to five years ago. Anti ageing creams are now something men in the UK would consider as part of their grooming routine (13%), with 17% of European men considering facials! Feeling refreshed was the key driver behind grooming for men, although one in five (20%) admit that it helps them look more professional in the workplace - this is clearly more important to US men vs European men (31% compared to 10% respectively)!
Wendy Lewis, international beauty consultant and author comments: "Just like we are striving harder to protect our environment and return to nature, we are also seeing women and men who want to look healthy and real - it's not a coincidence. People are finally realising that 'natural' is sustainable, perfection is not, and we are experiencing a backlash to the 'extreme' look. As a beauty expert, I welcome this new era in aesthetics."