50% of Brits can't stand how they look on video calls
Despite Zoom, Skype and Microsoft Teams helping to connect people during the coronavirus pandemic, this way of networking has created a new wave of self-consciousness, with 50% of Brits saying they “loathe” seeing their own face on video calls.
A quarter (25%) say they avoid video calls at all costs, believing “they have a face for telephone but not for camera”, found the report by skincare brand Medovie, while of those who can’t avoid video chats, 75% confessed they can’t concentrate on the topic because they are too distracted by their own appearance.
Just under a third (29%) of Brits have felt so self-conscious about how they look that they have switched their camera off at all times during video calls so that no one can see them.
A further 16% have lied to their colleagues and said their camera isn’t working in order to get out of showing their face, the report found, while 23% wish that all calls could go back to being on the phone.
Brits top 10 areas of concern about their appearance during video calls:
- Skin (26%)
- Yellow teeth (20%)
- Spotty skin (20%)
- Wrinkles (18%)
- Eye bags (18%)
- Frizzy hair (16%)
- Blotchy skin (16%)
- Skin flare-ups (8%)
- Crooked teeth (7%)
- Head looks too big (6%).
Skin conditions such as acne, eczema and psoriasis left 8% feeling embarrassed to be on camera at all, while a further 23% said how their skin looks impacts their mental health, found the report.
Just under a fifth (15%) have also considered making an appointment with a GP or dermatologist to try and remedy a skin complaint, which they felt would be laid bare in the call.
One in five Brits insist on getting ready for a video call like they would a normal face-to-face meeting and 36% make sure they are camera ready but only from the waist up. A fifth (20%) also said they wouldn’t dream of doing a video call without a full face of make-up.
“Our research clearly indicates that the upsurge in Zoom calls this year has made plenty of Brits feel self-conscious about their looks. In fact, a quarter of us are trying to avoid Zoom calls at all costs for this very reason, worrying about how they look from the condition of their skin to their hair and teeth,” said Nadav Shraibom, scientific founder at skincare brand Medovie.
Medovie surveyed 1,500 British adults to find out how they feel about being on video calls.
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