It should come as no surprise that female confidence is at an all-time low given the increased expectations placed on women, says new research.The Dove study on "global beauty and confidence" by UK-based Edelman Intelligence found "increasing pressure from advertising and |media to reach unrealistic standards of beauty is a key force in driving appearance anxiety".South African women were among the more than 10000 women from 13 countries who admitted having little body confidence.The study showed about 85% of women between the ages of 18 and 64, and 79% of girls aged 10 to 17, admitted they choose to opt out of important life events, such as attending a family gathering, when they are not feeling the best about their appearance.Nine out of 10 women said they would not eat and hence risk their health when they felt bad about their body image. Seven in 10 girls said they were more likely to be less assertive in their decisions when they were feeling insecure.Assistant clinical professor of Harvard Medical School Nancy Etcoff said the research highlighted that low body confidence was a global issue at "a critical level"...