We are our own worst beauty critic, appears to be an overwhelming truth in the research released by Dove today, as over 85% of Australian women agree to this. Women cited hatred and dislike for everything from the stomach and hips to the tips of their toes. Majority of women (88%) believed that the pressure to be beautiful is everywhere, and half of Australian women (50%) admits that the biggest influence is the pressure they exert upon themselves to look beautiful.

In 2006, Dove found out that only 1% of Australian women described themselves as beautiful. Interested to find if its work to boost young people's self esteem paid off, this recent research was again conducted. Forward to this period, Aussie women, around 81% believe that beauty is more about who they are than what they look. Thus, showing a fair understanding of beauty but at the same time uncovering the presence of an inner beauty critic that threatens to hold women back.

Aging plays a significant role in women's introspective beauty anxiety. 81% of girls described themselves as beautiful, but the figure drops dramatically to 57% when the woman ages.

The women's inner beauty critic lurks in the bathroom where Aussie women spend an average of 11.7 minutes per day looking at themselves in the mirror. The scale is also unforgiving, as more than two in five women critique themselves when on the scale. Naked in front of the mirror, more than half of Aussie women will feel they are not as beautiful as they would like to be.

The inner beauty critic doesn't reside in the home alone but haunts throughout the day. 52% of women feel insecure when their body is visible to others in the beach, or when they are in a room full of beautiful people (45%).

If money were not an issue, almost 40% of women would have cosmetic surgery to change the way they look. Primary reason amongst those who want to have surgery to enhance is their look is that they would like to feel better about themselves (83%). Surgically altering the stomach is favoured by more than one in three women (36%), and close to a quarter of women (24%) would wish to surgically alter their breast.

"Alarmingly our research shows that while Australian women might be intellectually aware that

beauty comes in all shapes and sizes, the reality is that most women have an inner critic,

suggesting our society is still to some extent pursuing a fixed ideal when it comes to the way we

look and the achievement of what we think is beauty," according to Sharon Parker, Dove Marketing Director.

"These are concerning statistics which support an increasing body of evidence about the serious impact of negative body image in Australia. While the statistics are not surprising to Butterfly, we are saddened that so many women have such a severe inner critic when it comes to how they look - and value - themselves. It is another reminder of the importance of positive self-esteem and positive body image when valuing ourselves. Campaigns that raise awareness of the importance of positive body image - such as the Dove BodyThink program - are crucial in the fight to turn this situation around nationally" commented Christine Morgan, CEO, The Butterfly Foundation.

State Specific Findings of the Dove Research further shows the following:

NSW

Women from NSW are the most likely to describe themselves as beautiful (63% vs national

average 57%) and pretty (77% vs national average 71%).

VIC

Victorian (and SA) women are the least likely to feel satisfied about their own beauty (75% vs national average 83%).

Victorian women are the most likely to hate their breasts (16% vs national average 11%) and wrinkles (20% vs national average 13%).

Victorian women are the most likely to feel that they are not as beautiful as they would like to be when they see themselves naked in a mirror (65% vs national average 59%).

Victorian women spend the longest time looking in the mirror on an average day (13.9 mins vs national average 11.7 mins).

QLD:

Women from Queensland are the most likely to describe themselves as ugly (34% vs national average 26%) and worried (83% vs national average 75%).

Women from Queensland are the most likely to want to have cosmetic surgery to change the way they look (48% vs national average 39%).

Women from Queensland are the most likely to want to change their bottom by cosmetic surgery (23% vs national average 7%) and wrinkles (29% vs national average 19%).

SA:

Women from SA (and WA) are the least likely to describe themselves as beautiful (51% vs national average 57%).

Women from SA (and VIC) are the least likely to feel satisfied with their own beauty (75% vs national average 83%).

Women from SA are the least likely to hate their stomach (17% vs national average 27%).

Women from SA are the most likely to want to change their breasts by cosmetic surgery (32% vsnational average 24%).

WA:

Women from WA (and SA) are the least likely to describe themselves as beautiful (51% vs national average 57%).

Women from WA are the least likely to describe themselves as pretty (61% vs national average 71%) and worried (64% vs national average 75%).

Women from WA spend the longest time performing their daily beauty routine (15.6 mins vs national average 12.6 mins).