TELEVISION is literally shaping the way women in Bahrain think they should look, according to new research, writes BASMA MOHAMMED.

It is changing their perception of beauty, with most now thinking 'skinny' is best, as opposed to the traditional Arab taste for a fuller figure, according to the Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR).

Eighty-seven per cent of women surveyed in Bahrain said they trimmed down to match the Hollywood image of beauty portrayed on television. Sixty-seven per cent said they were also influenced by women's magazines and 59 per cent by the internet.

All these influences are changing the way Bahraini and other Arab women define themselves and beauty, says BCSR studies assistant general-secretary Dr Abdulrahman Musaigar.

'It is the media that is pressuring our women to see beauty as being skinny,' he said.

Five years ago, a similar survey revealed that women thought a fuller figure was beautiful, but they were now swinging away from the traditional perception, said Dr Musaigar.

'Even their role models are no longer women from the region, but are Hollywood or Lebanese celebrities,' he said.

Thirty-six per cent of those polled said they were influenced by their favourite stars in how they tried to look themselves.

More than 250 women, aged 17 to 26, were chosen at random from Bahrain University for the poll.

Bahraini model cum designer Noor Al Shaikh said:_'I think in a way this survey can encourage women who want to lose weight but they should not take it to the extreme.

'You do not need to starve yourself to be beautiful and through that you will end up developing disorders.

'Some women look better curvy - skinny is not necessarily beautiful. Besides, beauty is within and women should accept their bodies and love themselves.