The majority of women feel pressure to look good. A new survey by Nielson highlights that 80% of British women, and two thirds of men (64%) feel under pressure in our increasingly image conscious society.
In total 70% of people feel that the pressure to look good now is much greater than it was for previous generations.
Eleni Nicholas, Group Managing Director of ACNielsen commented, "We are constantly bombarded with images of beautiful people. It is telling that 8 out of ten women feel that the pressure upon them to look good is greater than it was for their mothers. The survey also highlights that impressionable youngsters feel the most pressure."
Personal grooming is just that, with motivations as varied as the women practising them. When it comes to beauty regimes 75% of women say that personal grooming makes them feel better about themselves, but the core users are today's empowered twenty something's, with 66% of under 20s and 70% of 21-29 year olds regularly using beauty regimes.
Today's youth seem to feel the pressure most acutely. In general younger consumers spend money on grooming in order to look good for a partner, and a massive 60% of under 20s and 50% of those 20-24 primp and preen to attract a partner.
Nicholas added that: "Though they have the benefit of time on their side it seems that the inexperience which youth brings makes for a rather self conscious, appearance focused group - a perfect target market for the beauty industry."
However, despite these strains, older consumers appear more confident in themselves with just over 30% of those aged 50+ making the effort to look stylish at all times.