Personal Injury Law

Disconnect Between Women's Body Image and Weight

By Victor E. Long, Esq.

 Associated Press-iVillage poll suggests many women also think they're fat when they're not.  The poll reveals that there's a major disconnect between body image and true physical condition. Many women who say they are dieting are avoiding healthy fruits and veggies.  The priorities are flipped," says Dr. Molly Poag, chief of psychiatry at New York's Lennox Hill Hospital.  She points to women athletes as much better role models than super models.  "There's an undervaluing of physical fitness and an overvaluing of absolute weight and appearance for women in our culture."

About a quarter of the women surveyed said they'd consider plastic surgery to feel more beautiful. Their overwhelming choice: a tummy tuck.  "There isn't any quick fix," says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, who directs the women's heart program at the New York University Langone Medical Center.A tummy tuck is cosmetic, removing just some surface fat, and a far cry from more radical surgeries like stomach stapling that are reserved to help the health of the very obese.

The questions and results for this poll are available.

Full post as published by DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog on May 15, 2009 (boomark / email).