Until recently, societal interest in “looks” has been considered largely benign, however, debilitating levels of appearance dissatisfaction are now normative in resource-rich nations, with extensive and damaging impacts on physical and psychological health. Although there are examples of research and activism in the field in Europe, many researchers work in isolation, diluting the potential impact of their work. Europe currently lacks a harmonised approach to establishing levels of appearance-related distress, the impacts on key areas of living and to the systematic evaluation of interventions currently being implemented within and beyond Europe. This Action will co-ordinate and increase research across Europe, offer support to the high proportion of female and early career researchers in this field and will forge crucial links between researchers, practitioners and policy makers, offering the potential for significant benefits to the millions of Europeans adversely affected by these issues.
Appearance dissatisfaction - body image - disfigurement - risks to physical and psychological health
