THE EMPATH

Sometimes you don't know whether to smile or be very afraid. This morning I needed a good moment to regain my composure after choking on a mouthful of muesli upon seeing this new ladies' undergarment.

Apparently, 'if it's worn for 8 hours a day for 8 to 12 weeks, women might experience more permanent results ... of body redefining and lifting' (my italics). At best, a rather flawed claim. Reading on, the 'Road Test' makes one wonder why, being so concerned about looking her best, she's humiliating herself in that awful picture.

There's perhaps more to it than first appears (pun intended, now utterly regretted) for it raises that issue of what motivates people (in this case women) to wish to alter their appearance. And ironically, the one person you'd think would matter most to Gina, her husband Ron, seems to be by far the biggest net loser.

The familiar rationalisation is 'I'm doing it for me', yet one assumes she doesn't put make-up on to watch telly, nor to go to bed, and hopefully also removes her LipoContours. As I see it, it's once again the illusion of identity - that fragile construct that needs to be constantly fed through validation from the world around us, from mirrors, reflections and prisms - in this case, and most crucially, other women.