‘Would you sacrifice a year of your life for the perfect body? I would’

Is it worth the pound of flesh?

44% of Australian women would give up a year of their lives for a perfect body. Image: Unsplash

Dove's 2024 Global State of Beauty Report found 44 per cent of Australian women would sacrifice a year of their lives to achieve the societal beauty ideal. It sounds like a hefty price, but with the prevalence and power of social media, it's no wonder women are looking for a way out.

Humour me for a moment. 

Say one day, you were tidying up your grandmother's garage and happened upon a box of old knick-knacks. To your surprise, one such item uncovered in this box happened, as they so often do in fairytales, to be a magic lamp – and contained not just a hefty amount of dust and severed legs of years-old insects, but a genie. 

Unlike Aladdin's, this one won’t offer you three wishes. This genie will only offer you one, but the wish and its price are pre-set: surrender one year of your life, and you can have the perfect body. 

Bigger boobs, a smaller waist, longer legs, slender arms, a delicate neck, defined collar bones, a round bum, pouty lips, a sharp jawline, petite nose, almond-shaped eyes and long lashes – the list goes on. Whatever society deems the beauty standard can be yours in an instant, as long as you’re willing to pay the price. 

So, would you do it?  

I would. 

Genies and wishes aside, this hypothetical is a very real one: posed to women around the world as part of Dove’s 2024 Global State of Beauty Report.

The report, conducted by Edelman DXI, surveyed more than 33,000 people across 20 countries, with respondents ranging from 10 to 64 years of age. 24,148 of those respondents were women and girls, and 38 per cent said they would be willing to sacrifice a year of their lives to meet societal beauty standards. 

Honing in on the Australian respondents, that number was 44 per cent – almost half. 

Obviously these numbers are worrying. 

20 years ago, the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty shone a light on the insidious nature of digital image retouching on the self-esteem of women across the world.  The campaign, which was groundbreaking at the time, is still entirely relevant. But while retouching in advertising and editorial was one of the biggest barriers to a healthy body image then, a different kind of beast lies at the centre of what we’re facing now. 

AI-generated imagery, along with filters and other forms of flawless image-warping, are only increasing in prevalence – and this year’s Global State of Beauty Report shows that it is already having devastating impacts. “Even when they know the images are fake or AI-generated, one in three women and girls feel pressure to alter their appearance because of what they see online.” 

Body image is taking a hit. Image: Unsplash

We know that young people in particular are suffering higher levels of stress and mental illness than any other generation. We also know that when it comes to mental health, social media has a lot to answer for. 

In a recent piece for Body+Soul, registered psychologist for We Lysn, Nancy Sokarno, noted “Research has shown that heavy use [of social media] is associated with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and body dysmorphia.”

“The constant exposure to idealised images, or the ‘highlight reel’ of other people’s lives can lead to comparison, which then leads to concerns with self-esteem or body image,” she added. 

AI or not, we know we’re in the midst of a body image epidemic. Increased exposure leads to increased pressure. Increased pressure perpetuates the cycle. But it’s not often that you’re given the statistics on a silver platter, and shown just how severely women and girls in particular are feeling the heat. 

Dove Campaign for Real Beauty shone a light on the insidious nature of digital image retouching. Image: Unsplash

Like I said, I get it. If I were included in the respondents of that survey, I would have answered yes. Or rather, much like I did when I sat in the official presentation of the report, I’d have said no, outraged and fighting my own urges away from the moral high ground – but known deep in my bones that if afforded the opportunity, I’d take it. 

Decades on from the Campaign for Real Beauty, a magic pill for weight loss isn’t as fictional as it once was. And, no, weight loss isn't the only path to a 'perfect' body. But in lieu of going under the knife or needle, people across the globe are clamouring for the opportunity to slice their sizes in half – and taking cues from the very people setting the beauty standards to begin with.

And as much as I critique, I can’t blame them. If given the opportunity to look exactly as I ‘should’ I’d grip it with both hands and run. A year for a literal pound of flesh? You can have it – in fact, you can have two. 

Just 12 months to never feel bad about the way I look again? Sold. 52 weeks for the price of perfection? You can take them. 

People across the globe are clamouring for the opportunity to slice their sizes in half. Image: Unsplash

How easy would it be to never catch a glimpse of yourself in the office lift again and wish you were seeing someone else? There's no doubt that's a concerning train of thought. 

I’m contradicting myself, but I’m also self-aware enough to know that how I’ve felt about my body – how so many women feel about their bodies – is not healthy. I also know I’m not entirely to blame. 

Social conditioning that glorifies certain body types is endemic to the current status of humankind. We’re learning, slowly, and many of us are fighting to sever the noose around our necks that represents sexism, patriarchy, perfection and power – all of which contribute to the ever-present pressure to look and be a certain way.

But, bloody hell, it’s not easy. And given the chance to make it all go away – with all that’s going on in the world – it’s no wonder so many women would take it. 

In psychology, the power of self-talk is inarguable. Image: Unsplash

When I ponder more about the body image issue at hand, I fall back on a common solution. In psychology, the power of self-talk comes up again and again, and a suggestion often uttered by therapists and psychs is to speak to yourself the way you’d speak to a friend. 

So how would I talk to a friend? If someone I love told me they were willing to sacrifice the world’s most valuable commodity, time, for a perfect appearance, I think my heart would break in two.

Without taking a breath, I’d reject the sentiment from a place so deep inside of me, because I know, without a doubt, that how they look does not matter. I would tell them how special they are, how beautiful too, and how little their size matters in the grand or minute scheme of things. 

I would tell them societal pressure, social media and years and years of unfair conditioning are to blame. I’d say their size is the least interesting thing about them, and that when it comes down to it, everyone’s only looking at themselves anyway. 

Societal pressure, social media and years and years of unfair conditioning are to blame. Image: iStock

When tantalised with a prize as shiny as perfection, a year doesn’t sound like much. But when I think of missing out on everything that’s happened in my life over the past 12 months, it’s time I’d never sacrifice. Not for a gram, and not even for a kilo.

I’m yet to crack 30, and when it comes to years on this planet, that’s not all that many. But if there’s one thing I’ve learnt in the years I have spent kicking around, it’s the relative value of time. 

Defined by Einstein himself in the Special Theory of Relativity, it’s a concept my dad hammered into me from a young age – mostly to instil enough fear within me before an exam period that I’d start studying more than a few days out. This has, shockingly, resulted in A) anxiety, and B) an insatiable desire not to waste time, but it’s also a lesson that becomes more important the older I get. 

Half an hour spent on my phone now, endlessly scrolling and numbing my mind, is 30 minutes I could have spent asleep, resting my body and my soul, before another big day tomorrow; time my body needs to repair and recuperate. 

An hour spent laughing with a friend over coffee is time I’ll wish I had all over again when they’ve moved to the other side of the world. A day with my family is a day that, at some point in the future, I’d do anything to have another go at, anything to live through again. 

Imagine the relative value of a year. 

Why waste time worrying about something as boring and baseless as your body? Image: Unsplash

It’s a year I could use to travel to places I’ve always wanted to visit. A year with the person I’ll one day fall in love with. A year with my siblings, with my best friends, with my parents. Maybe one day with my kids.

A year I could spend reading all the books on the New York Times Top 100 list, and listening to podcasts from my favourite minds. A year in which I could train for a marathon, or even just walk my favourite routes over and over again, breathing, and watching, and moving just for the joy of it. 

Would I really give that up just to look ‘perfect’ now? Right now, as so many other women will attest, most days the answer inches towards yes.

But I also know that in 10, 20, 50 years from now, that time will become all the more precious. And if afforded the opportunity to do it all again, I also know, even now, that the older version of me would undoubtedly pick longevity over perfection. 

So while none of us have the real-world opportunity to do a deal with the devil, and cash in 365 precious days for a lifetime of aesthetic idealism – it serves as one hell of a reminder. 

When it comes down to it, time is so much more valuable than anything else we have, so why waste it worrying about something as boring and baseless as your body? 

Originally published as ‘Would you sacrifice a year of your life for the perfect body? I would’