You already knew that French fries and cigarettes were bad for you. But were you aware that great hair is, too?
Surgeon general Regina M. Benjamin recently warned attendees of the Bronner Bros. International Hair Show in Atlanta, Georgia that women who skip exercising in order to protect their hairstyles should focus more on their health.
"Oftentimes you get women saying, 'I can't exercise today because I don't want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,' said Dr. Benjamin. "When you're starting to exercise, you look for reasons not to, and sometimes the hair is one of those reasons."
Jeff Stier, a senior fellow at the National Center for Public Policy Research, told the New York Times that it was "bizarre" for the surgeon general "to engage in smaller issues like this." But multiple studies show women worry more about their looks than their health -- and that's a serious healthcare issue that affects us all.
The phenomenon is an advertising issue as well: a survey conducted last year by East Tennessee State University found that women are more likely to buy products that ward off "age spots" than skin cancer. And a recent report shows that women spend way more on beauty products than health care: $540 a month on hair products, make-up, and fake tanners, compared to $360 on their physical well-being.
"It would be wrong to say that these results come as a surprise, " a healthcare spokesperson told TheMoneyTimes.com. "So many of us are guilty of taking shortcuts to ensure we look good -- often at the expense of our health."
I'm not surprised by the results either. But I think they're due less to plain old vanity and more related to our fear of being considered unattractive and our fear of aging, which both translate to a fear of being unwanted. A moisturizer chock-full of enzymes or a defrizzing hair mask promise to assuage that fear, at least in the short term.
The studies also remind me of what economists call the "Lipstick Effect." When times are tough, sales repeatedly show that women seek out inexpensive beauty products rather than, say, gym memberships. Beauty products provide a quick fix -- or at least the promise of one -- when larger problems are or feel unsolvable.
But advertisers exist to make profits, so it's safe to say they'll continue to market even products that are actually beneficial to women's health as "beautifying" rather than "healthy." What's the solution? Is there a way to combine health and beauty, a la Jessica Seinfeld sneaking zucchini into milkshakes?
YouBeauty, a new website with the tagline, "The Science of a Beautiful You," is counting on it. The startup, which was founded by "Oprah Winfrey Show" veteran Dr. Mehmet Oz and Dr. Michael Roizen, targets women aged 25-55 and partners with big-name beauty brands like L'Oreal. According to MedCityNews.com, YouBeauty distinguishes itself by connecting beauty with health instead of asking women to choose between the two and promotes "the belief that the best way to achieve beauty is to live a healthy lifestyle."
But Steve Lindseth, the company's Cleveland-based CEO, seems to be sticking with the beauty-not-health sell. "Instead of eating your broccoli because it's good for you, eat your broccoli because it'll make you beautiful," he said.
Would women exercise more if the surgeon general informed them that sweating improves their looks? I'm not sure. But I hope her message -- choose health over hair -- will provoke a larger discussion about the message the media sends women about priorities.
A woman’s hair is like the icing on the cake. I can understand to a point why women say they will not exercise because of it; however, I do feel that this should be your deciding factor in exercise. I view exercise as very important, so once in a while I will use this as an excuse, but the next time I workout, I make up for that time lost at the gym. Physical well-being will always be more important than trying to fit into a stereotyped look of beauty, and I hope that others feel the same way.
One night 15 years ago, I was limping through my front door, furious and resentful over the hours of agony I'd just endured from wearing high heels. I took them off- then threw them in the garbage. I then went through my closet and discarded every shoe with more than an inch of height. I wore flats and boots to work every day since. My sore toes straightened out, my callouses disappeared, and it wasn't long before I had healthy, flawless, painless feet. I regret that it took almost half a lifetime to reject such a stupid convention as high heels, and I took a long look at my entire routine to make sure I wasn't making any other ridiculous sacrifices.
Hopefully, other women will also examine their habits and question the value of making themselves miserable for beauty. I recall that on several occasions when I was riding the bus home from work, someone noticed I was uncomfortable and asked if I was OK. The lesson here is simple- suffering isn't pretty.
Yeah, it's just men. Ask the high school geek how well he does with girls, then ask the athlete. Ask the skinny, awkward accounting major how he does with women, then ask the jock with money. Ask the minimum wage 30-year-old how he does with women, then ask the hedge fund manager.
This is the world as it is, with superficial men and women. Everybody is a victim. Well, anyone who allows themself to be. If you want men to change their nature, be prepared to change yours.
I'm in the gym 5 days a week for up to 3 hrs. My face and hair is done before I go; and I'm a sweaty mess when I leave. That's what hair clips are for--to the pull my frizzy mess up with for the ride home.
You can find the fugliest, most average dress guy and his wifey will be a model lookalike. That's the sad part. Men are allowed to be happy with what "God" gave them, however with women there is always some improvement to be done (just look at the commercial aim at changing one's appearance and losing weight. 99% for women)
But even though my relatives look like coming out of magazine cover and I do not, I believe I am happier than them. I rather spend 1 hour with my children and hubby than 1 hour in front of the mirror.
Besides, makeup and hair will not make the fat slimmer or the ugly attractive. It's a giant waste of time. Get in shape and be as healthy as you cam, both internally and externally. Men don't look at makeup and hair, we look at the woman.