A growing body of research reveals just how deeply appearance shapes the way we think and feel about ourselves. A recent survey found that 12% of women would sacrifice years of their lives to reach their ideal weight, while nearly a third of men report thinking about their appearance multiple times a day. These figures point to a powerful question: what exactly defines the “ideal” body, and why does it hold such influence over us?
Each new decade of life offers us the chance to reflect on where we’ve come from, what goals we’ve achieved, and which new ones we’d like to set for the future.
Self-protection comes in many forms. There’s abstinence (you’re on your own there, kid), condoms (a time-honoured tradition) and new-kid-on-the-block, PrEP.
