August 25, 2008 - Is it okay when six year old girls idolize Britney Spears or Paris Hilton? Or teenagers consider liposuction and plastic surgery to alter their looks? How about when girls trash-talk based on physical attributes and appearance?

Well, the YWCA wanted answers and they just released a new report revealing the impact of idealized, airbrushed beauty and body image obsession on the economic well-being, health and interpersonal relationships of American women and girls.

The report, Beauty at Any Cost, shows alarming new trends and money spent on cosmetic surgery alterations, including dramatic increases among young women, and other serious health risks.

Standards perpetuated by a youth-obsessed media culture literally send thousands of messages, 24 hours a day. “We believe that the obsession with idealized beauty and body image is a lifelong burden that takes a terrible toll on all young girls and women in this country,” said YWCA USA CEO, Dr. Lorraine Cole. 

Some highlights of the Beauty at Any Cost report:

•  Americans fork over nearly $7 billion a year to cosmetics, beauty supply and perfume stores, and nearly 11.7 million cosmetic surgical and nonsurgical procedures were performed — an almost 500% increase in such procedures from 1997.
• If women put the average amount of money they spent on monthly manicure-pedicures ($50) into an interest-bearing retirement account every year for 10 years, they would have almost $10,000 saved.
• Over half of teenage girls use unhealthy weight control behaviors such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting and taking laxatives.
• Forty percent of newly diagnosed cases of eating disorders are in girls 15 to 19 years old, but symptoms can occur as young as kindergarten. Girls who spent the most time and effort on their appearance suffered “the greatest loss of confidence.”
• In the U.S., cosmetics are not subject to testing by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Individual companies are responsible for substantiating the safety of their products.

“We felt the problem had reached such a crisis proportion that we needed to speak up and draw a line in the sand that this must stop,” said Nancy Loving, director of communications for YWCA USA who added that the group will use the report as a jumping-off point for educational programs in its 300 locations in the U.S.

To help raise awareness and start a national conversation about these issues, the YWCA USA has teamed up with documentary filmmaker Darryl Roberts to become the distribution partner of his new documentary film, “America the Beautiful.”  The film provides an in-depth look and critical analysis of the harm inflicted by beauty obsession on young women and girls.

What do you think? Does America have an unhealthy obsession with being beautiful? 

Filed under: Beauty, General by jane
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Female athletes face some tough hair and beauty challenges, so read on for some revitalizing solutions.

Olympic swimmer Amanda Beard captured her first gold medal when she was just 14 years old, making U.S. swimming history as the second-youngest gold medalist ever. She competed in her second Olympics in 2004 in Athens and is heading to Beijing for the 2008 Games. At the height of her training, she’s in the pool four-plus hours a day. Find out how Shape Magazine helped get her hair back in peak condition.

You may not be in the water four or more hours a day - but if you’re a swimmer, you know the potential hair care problems.

The sun, coupled with chlorinated water, makes swimmers hair dry, brittle and in need of serious attention. For anyone who spends long hours in an outdoor pool, it’s critical to rehydrate the hair. It’s also a good idea to avoid overlayering too much to reduce exposure to lots of ends which eventually will split and look dull and frizzy.

In a quick search for great hair care advice, we came across some common hair-care myths. For example, do frequent trims make hair grow faster? No. Does switching shampoos make your hair healthier? No. Is brushing your hair 100 strokes each night good for your hair? No.

We also found out about some budget-friendly haircare products that can be purchased at the drugstore. These include Garnier Fructis Leave-In Conditioning Cream and Neutrogena Triple Moisture Deep Recovery Hair Mask.

Redbook offers some surprising ways you might be taxing your tresses — along with easy fixes.  Outdoor elements (wind, cool temperatures) can be rough even for dry hair but when hair is wet, it’s actually more fragile and susceptible to breakage so beware.

Once you get your hair in great shape, you have to decide whether to wear it hair up or down. Marie Claire taps some beauty pros who share what’s absolutely essential to sport each look.

Pretty Tough Tip
Here’s our advice: If you’re a swimmer and chlorine tends to turn your hair green, try squirting lemon juice in your hair. Let it soak in for about two minutes then rinse out in the shower. No guarantees but it’s worked for us!

Filed under: Beauty, Fashion, Health, Swim by maddy
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Dry skin is common in the winter when cold air outside and heated air inside rob skin of moisture. When your skin loses moisture, it may crack, peel or become irritated. Keep your skin healthy by following these five tips:

1. Limit baths and showers to five minutes and use lukewarm water.
2. Moisturize skin daily after you’ve showered or bathed. If you’re looking for a great skin moisturizer, try Gonzo Grapefruit Lotion.
3. Don’t put wool clothing directly on your skin. Put a cotton shirt or long underwear between skin and wool.
4. Use a humidifier in your home to add moisture to the air.
5. If you’re going to be outside, use a lip balm to seal moisture into lips and prevent them from chapping.

Filed under: Beauty, Health by jane
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You’re on the field or at the beach and the sun is beating down. Beads of sweat transform into streams of water. Do you know why?

Perspiration, or sweat, is your body’s way of cooling itself down. Running, jumping, dancing, and even thinking burns calories, which heats up your body. The cooling center in your brain signals the cells in your skin to release the excess heat. In turn, sweat begins to seep out of the millions of tiny holes in your skin. (more…)

Filed under: Beauty, Entertainment, Health, Training by admin
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Sunshine feels good. Summer or winter, it signals outdoor fun. Swimming, snowboarding, surfing, hanging out at park or beach. Look around and it seems like the beautiful people are soaking up the rays or sporting a great tan. But before you head to the beach or slopes, check out the 411 on the sun. (more…)

Filed under: Beauty, Health by admin
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It is not the first drink on the market that promises to boost your metabolism and burn calories. Enviga is, however, the first that promises to do the above with the marketing and distribution muscle of Coca-Cola and Nestle behind it.

The new drink, which comes through Beverage Partners Worldwide (a joint venture between Coca-Cola and Nestle), will be marketed as a “negative-calorie” beverage.

Jason Warner, group marketing director for Beverage Partners Worldwide Americas, told Ad Age, “There’s calorie, low-calorie, zero-calorie, and now we offer consumers negative-calorie products.”

According to Rhona Applebaum, chief scientist for Coca-Cola, consumers who drink three cans a day of Enviga will burn a net average of 60 to 100 calories. (more…)

Filed under: Beauty, News Bytes, Nutrition by jane
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