Women's Body Confidence Is A 'Critical Issue' Worldwide, Warns Dove's Largest Ever Report 女性外貌信心調查：南非女人自認最美 中國排第五

Women's body confidence has become a "critical issue" around the world and pressure from the media is largely to blame for our low self-esteem, a new report warns. 一項最新報告指出，女性對自身外形缺乏信心已成為全球性重要問題，來自媒體的壓力是主要原因。

The Dove Global Beauty and Confidence Report, given exclusively to The Huffington Post UK, has been created using interviews with 10,500 women and girls across 13 countries and is the largest the brand has ever commissioned. 由《赫芬頓郵報》英國版獨家披露的《多芬全球美麗自信研究報告》來源於對13個國家10500位婦女和女孩的採訪。這是該品牌委託進行的最大型的調研。It found that women in the UK have one of the lowest body confidence scores in the world, with only 20% of us saying we like the way that we look. 研究發現，英國女性的外形自信位列全球最低之一，僅20%的人表示喜歡自己的外貌。

Globally, more than two-thirds of women (69%) and girls (65%) say increasing pressures from advertising and media to reach an unrealistic standard of beauty is the key force in driving their appearance anxiety.從世界範圍看，超過三分之二的婦女（69%）和女孩（65%）表示，廣告和媒體宣傳的不切實際的美麗標準，給女性造成越來越大的壓力，是導致她們外貌焦慮的主要原因。 Meanwhile, 56% of all women recognise the impact of an "always on" social media culture in driving the pressure for perfection and negative body image. 同時，56%的女性意識到，"始終線上"的社交媒體文化迫使她們追求完美，並對負面的身體形象感到壓力。

The report reveals that low body-esteem is causing the majority of women (85%) and girls (79%) to opt out of important life activities – such as trying out for a team or club, and engaging with family or loved ones – when they don't feel good about the way they look. 報告顯示，對外形缺乏自信導致大部分婦女（85%）和女孩（79%）在不滿意自己的外貌時放棄生活中的重要活動——比如參與團隊或俱樂部活動，和家人或心愛的人在一起。Additionally, seven in 10 girls with low body-esteem say they won't be assertive in their opinion or stick to their decision if they aren't happy with the way they look, while nine out of 10 (87%) women will stop themselves from eating or will otherwise put their health at risk.此外，有七成對外形不自信的女孩說，如果她們不滿意自己的外貌，就無法肯定自己的觀點或堅持自己的決定。而近九成的婦女（87%）會為此節食，或進行其他危害健康的行為。 What's more, nearly eight in 10 (78%) of both women and girls feel some pressure to never make mistakes or show weakness.還有近八成（78%）的女性，包括婦女和女孩，感受到從不犯錯或示弱的壓力。

"This latest research shows that low body confidence is a global issue," says Dr Nancy Etcoff of Harvard Medical School.哈佛醫院學院的南茜•埃特考夫博士說："這項最新研究顯示，對外形缺乏自信是一個全球性問題。"

"Though troubling, these results are also unsurprising, given the increasing pressures women and girls face today. "考慮到當今婦女和女孩面臨的壓力持續增長，這些結果雖讓人不安，但也不足為奇。"

"We need to help empower women and girls in many ways, including increasing body-confidence education, driving meaningful conversations around the pressures women and girls face, and advocating for change in how females and their appearance are talked about and portrayed in the media." "我們需要以各種方式説明婦女和女孩獲得力量，包括開展增強外形自信的教育，圍繞她們面臨的壓力進行有意義的交流，並且宣導女性及其形象在媒體報導和呈現上的改變。"

The report found that beauty and appearance anxiety is a global issue, but one that women are experiencing differently by culture and country.該報告發現，美麗和外貌焦慮是一個全球性問題，但女性的體驗會因為身處不同國家和文化環境而不同。While women in South Africa are the most body confident with 64% saying they have "high body-esteem", women in the UK come in 12th out of 13 countries, with only 20% of us saying we feel good about the way we look. 南非女性對自身外形的自信程度最高，有64%的女性表示"對外形高度自信"。而英國女性在13個國家中排名第12位，只有20%表示滿意自己的外貌。

Percentage Of Women Who Feel Body Confident 對外形感到自信的女性比例：

1. South Africa: 64%
1. 南非：64%

2. Russia: 45%
2. 俄羅斯：45%

3. Turkey: 42%
3. 土耳其：42%

4. India: 40%
4. 印度：40%

5. China: 37%
5. 中國：37%

6. Mexico: 36%
6. 墨西哥：36%

7. Germany: 34%
7. 德國：34%

8. Brazil: 27%
8. 巴西：27%

9. US: 24%
9. 美國：24%

10. Canada: 22%
10. 加拿大：22%

11. Australia: 20%
11. 澳大利亞：20%

12. UK: 20%
12. 英國：20%

13. Japan: 8%
13. 日本：8%

But it's not all bad news for women and girls when it comes to body image. 但婦女和女性在身體形象方面也並非都是壞消息。 The report reveals there is a pro-active desire among females to challenge existing beauty norms.報告顯示，女性中存在一種主動挑戰現行美麗標準的渴望。 A total of 71% of women and 67% of girls want to call on the media to do a better job portraying women of diverse physical appearance, age, race, shape and size. 71%的婦女和67%的女孩希望呼籲媒體做出改善，更好地塑造不同外貌、年齡、種族、身材和體型的女性形象。 Additionally, while 60% of women believe they need to meet certain beauty standards, at the same time, 77% agree it is important to be their own person and not copy anyone else. 此外，儘管60%的婦女認為她們需要符合一定的美麗標準，而同時，77%的人同意堅持自我、不模仿他人是重要的。

For many women and girls, the key to breaking a cycle of beauty and appearance anxiety seems to be the experience of taking time to care for their minds, body and appearance. 對於許多婦女和女孩來說，打破美麗和外貌焦慮的關鍵，似乎在於花費時間關愛自己的心靈、身體和外貌。In fact, seven in 10 women and eight in 10 girls report feeling more confident or positive when they invest time in caring for themselves. 實際上，七成婦女和八成女孩報告稱在投入時間關懷自己時感到更自信、更積極。

Why Chinese women are using 'plastic surgery' apps to whiten their skin 為什麼中國女性如此熱愛自拍修圖？

Vocabulary:
 selfie：自拍，自拍照
plastic surgery：整形，整形手術

Chinese women are radically altering their faces to look whiter and more 'Western' online CREDIT: QUARTZ Chinese girls were taking selfies way before the West had even heard of them – and probably even before the word 'selfie' had been invented in English. 在西方國家的人們還沒聽說“自拍”這個詞的時 候，中國女孩就已經開始玩自拍了，甚至在還不 存在“自拍”（selfie）這個單詞的時候就已經開始了。

And so, while the world embraces the selfie revolution – young Chinese women are again one step ahead, editing their pictures in a way the rest of us can only imagine. 之後，當世界開始“自拍革命”的時候——中國年輕女性又領先一步，用我們只能靠想像的方 式，開始編輯她們的自拍照。 We're not talking about adding a few flattering filters on Instagram here. The augmentation of facial features – using phone apps such as Meitu Xiu Xiu – is becoming so widespread and powerful in China that it's become fashionable to say online that they work better than plastic surgery. 這裡所說的圖片編輯不只是在Instagram上添加一些好看的濾鏡那麼簡單。調整面部特徵 ——使用手機應用程式，如美圖秀秀——在中國變得如此的普遍和有影響力，網上盛傳這比 整形手術還管用。

These hugely successful, homegrown photo editing apps specifically target two distinct psychologies of Chinese women: the unabashed posting of selfies (often a whole series of close­up pictures with different expressions) and the desire to look whiter than they really are. 這些極其成功的國產照片處理應用專門針對中國女性的兩大明顯的心理特徵：一是可以隨心 所欲地曬自拍（通常是一系列的特寫照片，只有表情不同）；二是希望自己看起來比實際更 膚白貌美。 Such apps play to Chinese women's fantasies of achieving a 'Westernised' aesthetic ­ whiter skin and bigger eyes. 這類應用也使中國女性實現了她們所追求的“西化”的審美觀——皮膚白皙、大眼睛。

Photo enhancements are nothing new, of course and Photoshop has been readily available for a long time. But simple­  photo­-editing apps, which create the same effect as Photoshop on your phone, are a relatively new invention. 當然，美化照片並不是什麼新技術，Photoshop這樣的圖片處理軟體我們已經使用了很久。 相對而言，操作簡易、功能與Photoshop相似的手機應用軟體卻是一個新發明。 In China at least, the phenomenon has become an integral part of the online culture. Most of my female friends edit their faces before posting pictures on social media – it's a must do, ingrained step. 至少在中國，這種現象已經成為網路文化的一個必不可少的組成部分。我的大多數女性朋友 在社交媒體發佈照片之前一定會先美化這些照片，這已經成為發照片的“必經之路”，成為一 個根深蒂固的習慣。

This is more than a digital 'touch up' – the likes of which are growing more popular in the Western world, too. Such apps play to Chinese women's fantasies of achieving a more refined––or more 'Westernised'––aesthetic that specifically lies in having a more streamlined facial contour, whiter skin and bigger eyes. 這已經不僅僅是數碼“潤色”，這在西方國家也逐漸盛行起來了。此類應用軟體説明中國女 性“實現”了她們對精緻容貌的追求——或者說是更“西化”的美貌——有更流線型的面部輪 廓、白皙的皮膚和大眼睛 Meitu Xiu Xiu, the leading app of its kind in the Chinese market, is phenomenally successful, According to its official website, Meitu has over 500 million users and is installed on over 900 million mobile devices worldwide. 美圖秀秀，是中國美圖類應用市場中領先的應用軟體，此款應用獲得了極大的成功。根據其 官網資料，美圖秀秀的用戶超過5億，全球超過9億用戶安裝了這款應用。

 The 'refine and whiten' button is by far the most popular function, since having white skin in itself is a standard of beauty in China. 一鍵“磨皮美白”是目前最受歡迎的功能，因為皮膚白在中國是美的標準之一。 Famous Chinese women are driving the trend. The best­known actress in China, Fan Bingbing, has publicly declared Meitu her favourite app and often posts photos of her snow ­white skin. 一些中國知名的女性也在推動這個潮流。中國最有名的明星范冰冰，就曾公開稱美圖秀秀是 她最喜歡的應用，也經常在網上發她肌膚白皙的照片。

In recent weeks, a $1,000 'selfie camera' has also been flying off the shelves, as it make users look like they've had plastic surgery. The Casio's official name is Exilim TR, but it's mostly known as ”zipai shenqi” in China, which means ”Godly tool for selfies.” 最近幾周，一款價值約1000美元的“自拍相機”也被搶購，因為這款相機拍出來的照片能讓用 戶看起來像是她們做過整形手術。這款卡西歐自拍相機的官方名稱是Exilim TR，它在中國 被稱為“自拍神器”，意思是神奇的自拍工具。 Indeed, the hot plastic surgery trend in China and Korea in recent years has been 'jawline thinning' – where women try to reduce their 'bigger faces' to resemble those of Western women. This 'shaving' involves cutting into the jaw and trimming off some of the bone. The result is a more sculpted face and a more triangular chin that resembles the supposed “pixie” look of Western faces. 事實上，近年來在中國和韓國的整形手術中，“削尖下巴”十分熱門——女性們希望自己的“大 臉”可以像西方女性那樣立體精緻。這裡所說的“削”需要切削下頜，以及削骨。其結果就是一 張更有型的尖下巴“瓜子臉”，與人們印象中的西式“小精靈”面容相似。 But if you can't afford surgery, these new apps let you 'suck in' your face with the subtle slide of a finger. 但如果你負擔不起整形手術，那麼這些新興的應用軟體只需你動動手指就可以讓自己的臉部 縮小，擁有精緻的輪廓。

 One charmer asked me why I used such “life like photos” rather than edited pictures. 有人問我為什麼更喜歡用“生活照”，而不是美化過的照片。 “Brightening my skin and making my face thinner is normally all I do on Meitu”, says my attractive friend Leah Zhang. Although she does admit to having gone much further in modifying her features ­ and having toned it down after one boyfriend told her that her pictures looked nothing like her. 我的一位漂亮的朋友張莉（音）說，“我一般用美圖秀秀'美膚瘦臉'。”然而她承認自己對照 片改動很大，自從她的一個男朋友告訴她，她的照片與她本人相去甚遠之後，她對照片的美 化就沒那麼誇張了。

 I've experienced the opposite problem. All this extreme digital photo editing is leading to unrealistic expectations as to what Chinese women actually look like in real life. 而我卻經歷過相反的問題。所有的這些美化照片導致大家對於中國女性在現實生活中的模樣 有了不切實際的期望。 A guy I met on a dating app told me he was shocked when he first saw me as I was “much better looking” than my photos suggested. “You look really dark in your photos”, he said, “and your face looks round.” 我在交友應用上遇到的一個人告訴我說，當他第一次見到我時，他感到很震驚，因為我本人 比我的照片更好看。“照片上你看起來真黑，”他說，“而且你的臉在照片上看起來是圓的。” Another charmer asked me why I used such “life like photos” rather than edited pictures. 又有另一個人問我為什麼用這樣的“生活照”而不是美化過的照片。

“Nowadays, men are so used to seeing faces of girls on social media where the skin has been whitened, features softened and jaws thinned down, so that anything unfiltered looks strangely under par,” 27 ­year­ old graphic designer Xiaolin told me. 27歲的平面設計師小林告訴我，“現在，男性都習慣於在社交媒體上看到已經'磨皮美白、臉 部特徵更柔和、尖下巴'的女生的照片。所以，任何未經處理的照片反而讓人看起來覺得奇 怪不舒服。” My 24­ year­ old friend Zhao Siyuan tells me that plenty of her male friends have been deceived in online dating with a little help from Meitu. A few were apparently so appalled by the difference in their date's face that they “just directly turned around and walked away”. 我24歲的朋友趙思源（音）告訴我，她的很多男性朋友在網上交友時被欺騙了，就因為美 圖秀秀的“一點點幫助”。有一部分在見面的那一刻，對約會對象的相貌是如此的震驚以至於 他們“轉頭就走”了。

 A couple of months ago I too gave into the pressure downloaded Meitu Xiuxiu, partly because I was curious. Now I'm addicted ­ because it's so easy to change the way you look, and because, no matter where you are from, a bit of “brightening” is never a bad thing. 幾個月前，我也下載了美圖秀秀，部分原因是因為我很好奇。現在，我竟然“上癮”了，因為 它真的可以輕易“改變”你的容貌。而且，無論你來自何方，“白一點”總不是什麼壞事。 I can just tap to erase blemishes on my face – meaning my lazy morning routine doesn't impact my online persona. My jawline, as much as I don't want to admit it, is quickly streamlined with a quick 'sucking'. It's a lot of fun. 我可以點擊抹掉我臉上的瑕疵——這意味著即使我每天早晨再懶，也不會影響我在網上的形 象。雖然我不想承認，但我的下巴輕輕一點擊就迅速“變尖”了。這是一個很有趣的過程。

 Photo-shopping your face with an app is just that – fun ­ and isn't harmful in most cases. 用一款應用美化你的照片是如此地有趣——在大部分情況下，也是無害的。 But, in China, it's increasingly redefining standards of beauty. Chinese women are moving away from their natural selves and I can't help but feel this 'fun' is rapidly turning into an even greater pressure to conform, and look a certain way. 但是，在中國，美的標準不斷被重新定義。中國女性正逐漸遠離最本真的自我，這使我不禁 覺得這種“有趣”正在迅速轉變成一種巨大的順應潮流、以及以一定的方式去看待周圍的壓 力。 The gap between reality and our online lives is widening as we sit on our phones playing plastic surgeon ­ and it can't be long before Western women join in. 我們的現實和網路生活之間的差距正在不斷擴大，因為在手機上，我們都是一位整形外科醫 生——相信不用過多久，西方女性也將加入這個行列。

First published in The China Post, written by?