COST – Marios Argyrides

Name of Program: COST – Dr. Marios Argyrides

Title of the program: European Cooperation or Science and Technology (COST)

COST Action IS1210 — Appearance Matters: Tackling the Physical and Psychosocial Consequences of Dissatisfaction with Appearance

COST is the longest-running European framework supporting trans-national cooperation among researchers, engineers and scholars across Europe.

The Aim of Action IS1210

Until recently, societal interest in ‘looks’ has been considered largely benign, however, debilitating levels of appearance dissatisfaction are now normative in resource-rich nations, with extensive and damaging impacts on physical and psychological health. Although there are examples of research and activism in the field in Europe, many researchers work in isolation, diluting the potential impact of their work. Europe currently lacks a harmonized approach to establishing levels of appearance-related distress, the impacts on key areas of living and to the systematic evaluation of interventions currently being implemented within and beyond Europe. This Action will co-ordinate and increase research across Europe, offer support to the high proportion of female and early career researchers in this field and will forge crucial links between researchers, practitioners and policy makers, offering the potential for significant benefits to the millions of Europeans adversely affected by these issues.

Prof. Marios Argyrides is a Member of Working Group 5 which will address Social and Cultural issues relating to appearance dissatisfaction, including the impact of globalization, the influence of the media and fashion industries, differences in the prevalence and impacts of appearance dissatisfaction between countries and regions in Europe, and the particular pressures experienced by people from socially marginalized and disadvantaged groups. This Working Group will focus on best practice techniques and the evidence base relating to methods of raising awareness of the extent and impacts of appearance dissatisfaction in policy-makers and practitioners.