CosBeauty Magazine #94

LOCKDOWNS AND THE NEW WFH
CULTURE HAVE PROMPTED A BIG
SHIFT IN HOW WE VIEW OUR OWN
BEAUTY AND A NEW PRESSURE TO
‘LOOK GOOD’ ON VIDEO CALLS.
for the good part of two years, many of us have
been viewing our own digital reflection on a daily
basis, taking our place amid rows of headshots
featuring colleagues and acquaintances displayed
side-by-side, just centimetres apart, for up to an hour
or more at a time.
The frequency of video calls increased by 70%
last year for employed Australians – and all this
‘up close and personal’ Zoom time is adding an
additional layer of scrutiny as we watch ourselves
speak and react to others.
Are you noticing lines and wrinkles and double
chins you just don’t see while looking in the bathroom
mirror? If you answered yes, you’re not alone. In a
recent survey, ‘Up Close and Personal’ conducted
for Allergan Aesthetics, 68% of the 2,018 Australians
surveyed said they sometimes feel anxious about their
appearance on video calls. Thirty-one percent report
they feel more aware of their flaws on video calls and
27% say they have felt more critical of their appearance
in the past 12 months due to digital interactions.
One-quarter of respondents said they ‘feel they
look continuously tired and drawn when they see
themselves online’. Ageing was also a key issue, with
20% ‘feeling they look older on video calls’ and 25%
‘feeling pressured to look younger online’.
The research reported it’s not just fine lines and
wrinkles that Australians are taking a closer look at,
with camera angles prompting a new perspective on
the jawline – over a quarter (27%) of people surveyed
www.cosbeauty.com.au 95