The “Perfect” icon

The latest studio shot of actor Nicole Kidman on the cover of Perfect magazine, a publication that “celebrates the achievements of the most outstanding figures in culture” really made me think.

On one hand, I am thrilled with the idea that women can now display honed muscles without being called unfeminine. I mean, muscles are useful, not just for everyday tasks and for helping you stay fit and mobile as you age.

On the other, there is something very disturbing about a culture that now requires women’s faces and bodies to be ever-young.

Kidman is 55 and reportedly maintains a super-hero like figure with at least five intense workouts a week and, no doubt, a strict, body-building diet.

According to Perfect magazine, she is an “icon”.

It seems the pressures on women, of every age, to multitask never ends.

I’m not saying health and fitness isn’t a great goal. We all need to look after ourselves by getting at least 30 to 45 minutes of moderate activity a day, eating a healthy diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables as well as lean protein, and practicing some kind of stress relief.

But while the catwalk now embraces larger or older models, to a very small extent, age-shaming has moved from older women being invisible in Hollywood to stars who do not age at all and who are celebrated for it.

This isn’t progress. It’s still about women being judged on appearance.

Australians spend a combined $1 billion each year on cosmetic treatments, according to the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery and Medicine.

Breast augmentation is the most popular surgery while the most popular beauty treatments include teeth whitening, laser hair removal, eyelash extensions and Botox.

A very small percentage of this money is spent by men.

I’m trying to imagine a world in which women just put on a suit and tie, turn up at the office and work on a goal of world domination!

Yes, I’m joking but I do wonder when women will actually be accepted in the media no matter what size or shape they are, or what their faces look like.

Or whether there will be a continued, superficial standard for women of which many of us fall short.

No matter what you look like, it’s important to celebrate who you really are – someone who is smart, funny, successful, caring, kind, financially savvy, healthy, happy … fill in your own adjective.