From waxing to plastic surgery the changing face of Australian beauty

From waxing to plastic surgery - Yellow™ looks at the changing face of Australian beauty

Australians are toning, dieting and preening themselves to perfection in their search for the body beautiful, according to research by Yellow™ Online.

Analysis of online searches made on yellow.com.au in the past five years Search data from yellow.com.au 2001 and 2006. shows that pampering companies are big business as people appear to be more self-indulgent than ever before.

Yellow™ Product Manager, Isaac Pfitzner, explained that searches on yellow.com.au, tend to indicate levels of demand for particular products and services in the Australian economy.

"Looking at the number of searches for particular products and services today compared with years gone by provides some interesting insights into social trends of the day."

"The other factor affecting growth in online searches for products and services is the general growth in use of the internet," said Mr Pfitzner.

Two of the most popular modern-day searches were for Beauty Salons where searches have increased by 37 per cent since 2001 to more than one million searches and Hairdressers which increased by 35 per cent to approximately 1.4 million searches.

Day Spa searches, which did not have a category listing until 2002, grew by 74 per cent from 2005-2006 to more than 300,000 separate searches.

The number of Australians searching online for ways to manage their weight or improve their fitness has also shot up. Searches for Weight-Reducing Treatments have increased by 42 per cent to more than 59,000 searches.

"Even the way we exercise has changed. For example, Sydneysiders could have burned fat in 1980 by going to one of 18 roller skating rinks in the city but now there are only two roller skating rinks compared with approximately 127 gyms and 154 personal trainers. "

Shows such as The Biggest Loser or Dancing With The Stars may have helped inspire the nation to get physical. Searches for Personal Fitness Trainers increased by 53 per cent between 2005 and 2006 and Dance Tuition searches are up 41 per cent to more than 140,000.

If all else fails, the prospect of going under the knife may be an option for some Australians. Online searches for Cosmetic Surgery Procedures/Practices leapt from just six in 2004 to more than 90,000 in 2006. Further research showed there were no Cosmetic Surgeries advertised in Yellow Pages® in the mid 1970s but by 2007 in the Sydney Yellow™ Directory there were more than 120.

Click here for a good article on brazilian wax.