How good looking do you think you are? A new LivingSocial local trends survey conducted among more than 4,000 respondents by Mandala Research found that most Americans think they are well above average in looks, with one in three (32%) rating themselves an 8, 9, or a 10 and more than half (56%) saying they deserve at least a 7, on a scale of 1-10.
Looking at those around them, however, Americans are much less sympathetic, with half of respondents (50%) saying people in their city are overweight, only 46% agreeing that women in their city are beautiful, and only one in three (36%) saying that men in their city are handsome.
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, apparently, as long as the beholder is looking in a mirror at the time," said LivingSocial local trends expert Amy Wolf. "When most Americans look at the people around them, however, they are less generous in their assessments. Little surprise that cosmetic procedures and spa treatments have become a personal oasis to escape from the looks- driven arms race around them."
Among findings of the survey:
A Nation of Vanity: On a scale from 1-10 in looks, respondentssay that they believe other people would rate them a:
One__ 3%
Two__ 2%
Three__ 3%
Four__ 4%
Five__ 16%
Six__ 16%
Seven__ 24%
Eight__ 20%
Nine__ 5%
Ten__ 7%
America's Vainest Cities: The nation's ten vainest cities, by self-rating, were: Miami (#1), Chicago (#2), Atlanta (#3), Philadelphia (#4), Phoenix (#5), Los Angeles (#6), Seattle (#7), Washington, D.C. (#8), New York (#9), and Tampa-St. Petersburg (#10).
America's Most Insecure Cities: The cities that gave themselves the lowest ratings in looks were: Cleveland (last), Dallas (second to last), Detroit (third to last), Denver (fourth), Minneapolis-St. Paul (fifth).
Judging Others: When asked about the looks of the other local residents of their cities, the following percentage of respondents agreed with each statement.
People in my city have tattoos__ 59%
People in my city are overweight__ 50%
People in my city are athletic__ 47%
Women in my city are beautiful__ 46%
People in my city are superficial__ 36%
Men in my city are handsome__ 36%
People in my city dress badly__ 28%
Men in my city are metrosexual__ 22%
People in my city have bad personal hygiene__ 19%
Men in my city are short__ 18%
Most Common Cosmetic Procedures: Percent of respondents who said they knew someone who had the following cosmetic procedure:
Breast implants__ 23%
Laser hair removal__ 20%
Botox/Dysport__ 13%
Tummy tuck__ 13%
Nose job/rhinoplasty__ 12%
Liposuction__ 12%
Facelift__ 12%
Eyelid surgery__ 10%
Collagen injections__ 8%
Hair transplant__ 8%
Lip enhancement__ 6%
Brow lift__ 6%
Butt implant__ 4%
Most Common Beauty/Relaxation Activities: Percentageof respondents who said they had taken part in the following beauty or relaxation activities in the last year:
Hair coloring/highlights__ 45%
Manicure/pedicure__ 43%
Massage__ 43%
Visit to spa__ 32%
Facial__ 28%
Teeth whitening__ 27%
Wax (hair removal)__ 24%
Tanning__ 18%
Spray tan__ 11%
The LivingSocial Vanity survey is part of LivingSocial's ongoing efforts to discover and share information about local social trends and behavior.
Methodology
The LivingSocial Vanity survey was conducted in November 2011 among 4,000 online Americans in the top 20 media markets (DMAs) by Mandala Research, LLC. Respondents were not limited to LivingSocial members. The survey was conducted online.
Source: yellowbrix
