Study: Trying on Swimsuits Makes Women Anxious, Depressed - East Idaho News

Study: Trying on Swimsuits Makes Women Anxious, Depressed

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GETTY H 042412 FittingRoom?  SQUARESPACE CACHEVERSION=1335261861109Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — We’re heading into that dreaded time of year for many women: swimsuit season.

A study by Australian researchers seems to confirm the fear that women have of trying on bikinis or one-piece suits in store dressing rooms as the summer approaches.

What’s more, just thinking about it can put women in a crummy mood, according to Flinders University psychologist Marika Tiggemann.

These negative thoughts only exacerbate feelings of self-objectification, which basically reduces women to thinking they’re only being evaluated as objects.

Tiggemann says this can lead to women “always worrying about how you look, shame about the body, and [it] is linked to eating disorders and depression.”

Put women in a dressing room and this self-objectification only grows worse because of “mirrors, bright lighting, and the virtual demand that women engage in close evaluation of their body in evaluating how the clothes appear and fit.”

Tiggemann admits it’s a tough predicament, especially if you need to buy a bathing suit, so her advice is to avoid mirrors and comparisons with others and stick to activities that deemphasize appearance such as yoga or sports.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

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