Girls are exposed to greater scrutiny and judged more harshly on their appearance than boys.

Society favours beauty and sets "ideal" standards.

The “halo effect” suggests pretty people are assumed to possess other positive attributes.

My experience of being a girl and talking to hundreds of girls about their physical appearance tells me that we feel exposed to greater scrutiny, judged more harshly, and become more hung up on how we look than boys and men. But why?

Evolutionary theory suggests that the reason is in our DNA. The theory goes that males are attracted to females with a pretty face and an hourglass figure because these characteristics symbolise fertility and so these characteristics evolved. Females, meanwhile, are attracted to wealthy males who are physically strong because these traits show they can take care of us and our future offspring. The theory only accounts for heterosexual partner choice and doesn’t apply to independent women or those who choose not to reproduce.

Evidence from cross-cultural analysis of Lonely-Hearts columns in the 1990s showed that........

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