The ITV doctor shared five “lies” women have been told about ageing, weight, body hair and skin imperfections
The ITV doctor shared five “lies” women have been told about ageing, weight, body hair and skin imperfections
Fiona Callingham Lifestyle writer
05:52, 04 Apr 2026
A medical professional has revealed five “lies” that women are repeatedly told about their bodies. He claimed these assertions have been made “just to make money”.
Dr Amir Khan uploaded a video to his Instagram warning that “generations of girls” are falling for these falsehoods. The doctor, widely recognised from his appearances on ITV, stated: “Here are five lies capitalism has sold women about their bodies, just to make money.
“And the worst thing is younger and younger generations of girls are still believing this.”
Ageing
Dr Amir said: “Firstly, ageing is not a problem to fix. We’ve medicalised something completely natural – wrinkles, skin changes, hair change – these are biological processes, not diseases.
“But the global anti-ageing industry is worth hundreds of billions because women are taught to fear what is actually a privilege.”
Weight
He continued: “Secondly, you should always be smaller. There is no single ideal body type in science.
“What we call attractive has changed dramatically over decades, but the pressure on women to shrink and be thin has stayed constant. Research shows body dissatisfaction is directly linked to exposure to unrealistic body ideals especially through the media.”
Looking ‘perfect’
“Thirdly, you should look effortlessly perfect,” Dr Amir said. “Poreless skin doesn’t exist in real life.
“Filters and editing have completely distorted what normal looks like. Studies have shown that frequent exposure to filtered images increases anxiety, lowers self-esteem, and even drives people to consider cosmetic procedures, and that’s up to you if you want to do it – but you don’t have to.”
Body hair
He said: “Fourthly, body hair is unhygienic. It’s not.
“There is zero medical evidence that removing body hair improves hygiene. Hair has protective functions – reducing friction and helping regulate temperature.
“The idea that women should be hairless, that’s marketing, not medicine.”
Skin imperfections
Dr Amir concluded: “Fifthly, you need fixing. Cellulite, stretch marks, loose skin, these are normal physiological features. Around 80 to 90 per cent of women have cellulite.
“It’s linked to how fat and connective tissue are structured, not a flaw, not a failure, and definitely not something a cream can cure, despite what the advert claims.”
He added: “So if you’ve ever felt like your body isn’t good enough just ask yourself who profits from you feeling that way, because your body was never the problem. The marketing, though, is.”
