調查:英國男性最擔心頭髮變白

It's supposed to be a mark of distinction, but going grey is now the top concern for British men, according to new research.

Hair color is the number one appearance concern for men today, with more than half of British men worrying about graying hair, and 45 marks the age when panic really sets in, according to a poll from market research firm Mintel.

"Although grey hair is traditionally seen as a mark of distinction in men, the reality is many men are unhappy with their newfound gravitas," Mintel Head of Beauty Research Vivienne Rudd said in a statement.

"The physical changes associated with aging can act as a catalyst to mid-life crisis and our research has discovered that men become less content with their appearance after the age of 45."

Hair loss or thinning, is the second most common concern, worrying 40 percent of the respondents to the Mintel survey of 2,000 British men.

Unwanted hair (in the nose and ears) preoccupied 38 percent of respondents, being overweight bothered 37 percent and 30 percent were worried about yellowing teeth.

Mintel said that men appeared to be more accepting than women when it came to their appearance, but found that at 45 years of age, men become increasingly less happy with their looks.

More than a quarter of men aged 45-54 dislike four aspects of their appearance compared to an average of just over one in 10 men overall.

Rudd said that delayed retirement and working later into life than their parents did as the British population ages will bring older men into competition with younger colleagues.

"As a result, older people may feel the need to try to maintain appearance and therefore bring a future boost to the male grooming market," she said.

頭髮顏色原本只是區分年齡的一個標誌，然而一項最新調查顯示，對於英國男性來說，頭髮變白是他們最關心的問題。

據敏特市場調查公司開展的一項民調顯示，頭髮顏色是如今英國男性最關注的外表問題，超過一半的人對慢慢長出的白髮感到擔憂，而過了45歲後這種恐慌的情緒便真正到來。

敏特公司美容研究部主管薇薇恩•路德在一項聲明中說：“儘管白髮一直被認爲是區分男性年齡的標誌，但事實上很多男性對標誌着莊重的白髮並不感到高興。”

“與衰老有關的身體變化會成爲引發中年危機的催化劑，我們的調查發現男性在45歲後對自己的外表越來越不滿意。”

據這項對2000名英國男性開展的調查顯示，脫髮或頭髮稀疏是男性擔心的第二大形象問題，有40%的受訪者對此感到擔憂。

38%的受訪者不希望（鼻子和耳朵）長出毛髮，37%的受訪者最擔心肥胖問題，30%的人擔心牙齒變黃。

敏特公司稱，男性比女性似乎更能接受自己的外表，但調查發現，過了45歲以後，男性對自己的相貌越來越不滿意。

在年齡在45歲到54歲之間的男性中，超過四分之一的人對自己的外表不滿意，而從受訪男性總體看，平均只有略超過十分之一的人對自己的外表不滿意。

路德說，隨着英國人口的老齡化，退休年齡推遲、工作年限延長使得年齡較大的人不得不與年輕人去競爭。

“這樣，年齡較大的人可能就會覺得需要對自己的容貌進行保養，從而會推動男性美容市場的發展。”

Vocabulary:

set in: to begin and seem likely to continue（到來；開始）

gravitas: dignity, formality in bearing and appearance（莊重；莊嚴）

catalyst: a person or thing that causes a change（促使變化的人；引發變化的因素）

preoccupy: if something is preoccupying you, you think or worry about it very often or all the time（使日夜思考；使憂心忡忡）

grooming: the things that you do to keep your clothes and hair clean and neat（打扮；裝束）