This article was sent through to me by a friend and my jaw dropped as I read it. A survey conducted in British Universities showed that almost one in every three women would be willing to die younger in exchange for their ideal figure.

Some 16 per cent said they would swap one year of their life for their ideal body and 10 percent were willing to trade between two and five years.

Many women valued their lives less, with 2 per cent willing to forego up to a decade, and one percent saying they’d give up at least 21 years younger in exchange for a slimline shape.

Most of the ladies taking part in the poll were in the normal weight range (some were apparently underweight), and they ranged between the ages of 18 and 65. Read the full article to see the other things that women were prepared to give up, what they viewed as the ideal body, and what they thought about eating disorders.

Although it is quite shocking to see survey results like this in black and white, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise. Women in society feel under enormous pressure to conform to some sort of ideal. I’m fortunate that as a fashion stylist I’ve learned that there isn’t one way to be beautiful in just the same way that there isn’t one ideal style. One of the best illustrations of this is the blogosphere, where an incredible variety of beauty and style is on display.