Warning! Women Feel Ugliest on Monday Mornings

There are lots of reasons why Monday is the most dreaded day of the week, and here's another one to add to the list: Forty-six percent of women feel “most ugly” on Monday mornings, especially between the hours of 5 a.m. and 9 a.m, a new study by media planning agency PHD USA reveals.

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In addition to sharing the days and times they don't exactly feel up for a photo shoot, women in this study, which included female respondents in all age groups and geographic locations within the United States, also noted activities that make them feel ugly. Number one? Simply waking up, which was called out by 69 percent of those surveyed. Other activities on the list included feeling sick (67 percent), sweating (62 percent), feeling stressed out (61 percent), and crying (60 percent).

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Despite the fact that many companies insist on blasting beauty product ads featuring unattainable images morning, noon, and night, Kim Bates, head of Brand Planning for PHD USA, tells Yahoo Shine that information like this can actually help beauty companies develop new ways to communicate with women and respect the fact there are times when female consumers simply don’t want to hear from them. “With this study, we learned there is an appropriate time to have a conversation with women about beauty and a not-so-appropriate time,” says Bates.

Heidi Hanna, PhD, a stress and performance expert, agrees. “I think messaging on Monday should be tailored for ways to refresh and recharge, and take care of yourself,” she says. “This may require less of a focus on putting together the perfect look and more on taking care of your energy needs so you can tackle what's ahead.”

But it turns out women don't feel bad about themselves all day long. Things actually turn around at lunchtime, with females feeling positive about their appearances during the three-hour window from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. As for the day of the week women feel their best, turns out it's Thursday, when, according to the study, women start having good feelings about the weekend.

Runner-up on the bad-day list was Sunday, said 39 percent of respondents who felt the weekend’s activities took a toll on their faces, and they began anticipating a long workweek ahead. After 10 p.m., any day of the week wasn’t high on the feel-good charts either.

“We found that an encourage/empower model is a great way to market to women,” Bates says. “How a woman sees herself in terms of beauty is situational and psychological, so it’s better to approach her in a way that will first make her feel good about herself on the inside before offering her antiaging cream if she’s feeling old.”

The best takeaway? No more runway-ready commercials first thing Monday morning or late at night! See you Thursday...

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