Chat: Appearance matters

Chat: Appearance matters
By Charlotte Cullen
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If self image has been a factor for humans since Adam and Eve used fig leaves to hide their modesty, why is it now becoming an increasingly worrying issue? Perhaps because, according to research, children as young as 5 and adults as old as 80 are saying they are worried about their appearance.

It is especially tough for young people who feel pressured from society to look a certain way. So what happens when someone lives with a visible difference: from congenital defects to facial burns or scars? What support do they need to overcome this additional challenge? And what role does the media play in all this?

We discussed all this – and more – in a web chat with Martin Persson and Nicole Paraskeva, experts from the Centre for Appearance Research at the University of the West of England.

We were joined by Wilhelm Vukovich from the European Commission which is funding an exciting project that supports people with a ‘visible difference’ and we also spoke to Alexandria, the star of our last episode and a member of The Cleft Lip & Palate Association (CLAPA) who was herself born with a cleft lip and palate.

Replay the chat in the box below to hear from our panel and to see what our audience had to say.

Appearance matters

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