Oz women under constant pressure to be ‘yummy mummies’

Melbourne, Sept 16 (ANI): The hype created by celebrity yummy mummies like Angelina Jolie and Jessica Alba has put women under pressure to lose weight quickly after giving birth, reveals a new Australian study.

The study conducted by Deakin University showed that more than one in four women are “usually or always dissatisfied” with their post-baby body.

Researcher Lucia Bongiorno said that the hype created by celebrity yummy mummies has also contributed to an unrealistic ideal.

“People are obsessed with celebrity babies and celebrity pregnancies,” the Courier Mail quoted her as saying.

“Babies have become a must-have sort of item,” she added.

Although the study involving 346 mothers of infants aged 1-12 months compare themselves with their peers with babies and child-free friends, they felt the most pressure to lose post-baby weight from the media.

Moreover, some fathers also pressured their partners not to gain too much weight while pregnant and to lose it quickly after giving birth.

Bongiorno said while mums compared themselves most to peers, their peers were also likely to be influenced by the same media images.

“Both mothers and their peers with new babies, when confronted by media pictures of celebrity mothers such as Bec Hewitt, are saying ‘I’ve got to look like that’,” she said.

“But celebrity mothers typically have nannies and personal trainers … the average mother doesn’t. So such an expectation is unfair on themselves,” she added.

The study will be presented at the Australian Psychological Society conference in Darwin. (ANI)

Men, straight or gay, really do worry about their looks

Melbourne, Sept 14 (ANI): Straight men pine for a muscular body as much as gay men, according to a new study.

The study led by University of Canberra researchers showed that gay and straight men had “no significant differences” in how much they worried about having the ideal body and the need to be muscular.

The research revealed that while women desire to be thin, straight and gay men preferred lean and muscular physique.

Psychologist and study author Shane Greentree said it was hard to say if the male body image problem had worsened, but it did seem more acceptable to discuss it.

“Previously, particularly for straight men, this was an issue that was taboo topic and seen as being a women’s issue or … a “gay man’s” issue,” the Daily Telegraph quoted Greentree as saying.

Another study showed that men were unhappy with their stomach and waist (mid torso) but relatively satisfied with other areas of their body.

“These men would seek help for body image concerns in the future, although did indicate that there were some barriers to help seeking,” the study found.

Dr Vivienne Lewis, who was the part of both studies, said body image program for men showed the problem was real and needed addressing.

“You’d be surprised how many … men … are doing some of the things that women are doing,” Lewis said.

“They might be dieting, they might be binge eating and then purging their food.

“We don’t know how many men do it because men don’t come forward and say “I’ve got a problem”,” Lewis added.

The study will be presented at the Australian Psychological Society conference in Darwin. (ANI)

Footballers ‘are seedier than criminals’

Melbourne, May 9 (ANI): Football stars are more likely to have alcohol problems, be more verbally aggressive and more sexually promiscuous than criminals, a new study has shown.

The study, which was published in the Australian Psychological Society’s journal InPsych, based its findings on responses of 50 AFL footballers.

In the research, volunteers were subjected to personality tests and their results were compared to the results of similar tests conducted on 940 convicted criminals, The Courier Mail reports.

According to News.com.au, the study found footballers scored significantly higher than both the social average and the offenders in measures of alcohol problems, anxiety, verbal aggression, sexual promiscuity and anti-social behaviour.

“The data suggested that AFL footballers were most likely to offend in the context of alcohol usage, through offences such as drunk and disorderly, drink driving, or violent or reckless behaviour,” the study authors reported.

“The relatively high sexual promiscuity scores suggested AFL footballers may potentially place themselves at greater risk for sex-related offences and vulnerability to scandal,” it added.

Professor Bob Montgomery, president of the Australia Psychological Society, said: “Very often to become a high profile person, you’re a risk taker. You’re willing to take a chance that other people might turn their back on.”

He said the group mentality of young men in football teams was also part of the problem. (ANI)