Blog Posts by YouBeauty.com

Courtesy of MissRepresentation.orgWhat should a powerful, successful woman look like?

Every day, the media tells us. At the store, you'll see tabloids splashed with Christina Aguilera's thighs, then come home to news of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton's pantsuits (yes, still). Regardless of whether you're a fan of what the woman is saying or doing, the critical commentary drowns out her voice.

We're left with a very narrow definition of beauty.

This is the focus of the new documentary "Miss Representation," airing Thursday, October 20th at 9 p.m. on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN). The film, the directorial debut of Jennifer Siebel Newsom, an actor, Stanford MBA, mother and wife of California Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom, suggests that girls and women will painstakingly aspire to meet these unrealistic standards, even subconsciously.

Confidence-cutting messages continue to sell, and we're buying it.

QUIZ: How's Your Self-Esteem?

The documentary depicts how American women are

ThinkstockA new study out of the Sociology Department at Cornell University has shown that men need time to hang with their buddies and it isn't just for their physical and mental health-it's time well spent for their partners too.

While it's easy to fall into the trap of sharing friends by socializing as a couple, data analyzed from the National Social Life, Health and Aging Project-a 2005 survey of 3,005 Americans ages 57 to 85, has shed light on the importance of men having their own close personal friends. And the benefits don't just last through their poker game!

According to the study, about a quarter of men experience "partner betweenness" and that these men are 92 percent more likely to report erectile dysfunction.

Within that 92 percent, baby boomers (ages 57-64) showed over double the likelihood of erectile dysfunction if they cited their wives or girlfriends as the primary link to the people they call their pals.

COLUMN: Sneaky Health Issues that Mess with Your Sex

ThinkstockHow important is money to you? That answer means a lot for your relationship.

In a study of 1,734 married couples, those who (in so many words) said "I don't care too much for money" were totally right that money can't buy them love-or at least a stable, happy marriage. These non-materialistic couples scored about 10-15 percent higher on several measures of relationship quality than their materialistic counterparts.

COLUMN: The Truth About Money & Happiness

It turns out, those materialistic couples who admitted they loved money, had more fights over it-even though they were better off financially. Having two materialistic people in the relationship was significantly worse for relationship quality than having just one materialistic partner.

Money-hungry couples were more likely to have poor communication and conflict resolution, as well as low responsiveness to each other. Why? Aside from fights over money, author Jason Carroll suggests that the partners may spend

ThinkstockFrom YouBeauty Relationship Expert, David Sbarra, Ph.D.

I have tried a little "relationship experiment" and I think it is working well. This real-life experiment is grounded in some very good science, so this week I am going to tell you about what I did, then tell you why I did it.

Here's the back-story: After writing my YouBeauty.com column Why Is It So Hard to Appreciate Your Partner? I received many excellent and thoughtful emails. The premise of the column was that there are quite a number of times in our relationships when we become too self-focused. As a consequence, we can miss opportunities to appreciate (show gratitude) to our spouses, lovers, friends and/or other family members. I started thinking about this idea and, in particular, about the ways my own needs, wants and desires might limit my relationship with my wife. What would happen if, rather than being so self-focused, I became totally relationship-focused?

QUIZ: What's Your Relationship Style?

Let

ThinkstockWhich TV show is better for your body image: "How to Look Good Naked," which encourages real women to love their bodies, or "America's Next Top Model," which parades skinny, young girls hoping to become the next Tyra?

Sound like a no-brainer? It's not.

New research coming out next year in the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, finds that TV shows promoting positive body image actually have the opposite effect-a conclusion most people wouldn't expect.

MORE: Fat Talk: Ditch This Bad Habit

In the study, 120 female college students were separated into three groups: 40 students watched a TV show promoting positive body image (the British version of "How to Look Good Naked"), 40 watched a show promoting the thin ideal ("Britain and Ireland's Next Top Model"), and 40 watched a neutral nature documentary.

The researchers, led by YouBeauty Attraction Expert, Viren Swami, Ph.D., measured mood, body anxiety and body weight dissatisfaction before and after subjects

Fans of Yahoo Shine and YouBeauty asked questions to Nutrition Advisor Kristin Kirkpatrick, R.D. on Yahoo Shine's Facebook page, about eating well for cheap.

We know how difficult it could be to shop for specialty food items and "go organic," all in the name of health and beauty. But it's worth it! That's why we held a live chat to answer your biggest questions about eating healthily on a budget. Here is a recap of 15 questions from the chat.

MORE: Your Guide to Eating Healthy for Cheap

QUIZ: Are You Eating Pretty?

MORE: Start Your "Eat Pretty" Journey Here

ThinkstockOk, no news there. But new research does show how the sizes stack up.

A lucky few, 128 men to be exact, were picked to participate in a study at the University Of Wroclaw, in which they were forced to ogle ta-tas from not one, not two, but three different angles!

Not a bad way to do your part for science, ey, gentlemen?

And while a not-so-sneaky peak at our cleavage might induce an eye roll from the average woman, the findings could prove even more disheartening for women with cup sizes C and up.

According to the study, men attracted to busty babes were romantic rolling stones whose relationships were mostly short lived. On the other hand, men who preferred a perfectly petite pair tended to be the kind that liked to settle down in committed relationships.

QUIZ: What's Your Unique Body Shape?

Clearly those commitment types know what requirements are really important for a woman to fill and it's not a bra!

Although, perhaps that's a little altruistic