Helping Women Better Appreciate Their Bodies.

3D technology has transformed movies and medical imaging, and now it might be able to help young women better appreciate their bodies, which might in turn improve mental health, maintains a study by Virginia Ramseyer Winter, assistant professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Missouri, Columbia, and director of the Center for Body Image Research and Policy.

"3D body image scanning is a relatively new tool in social science research, and the research on using 3D tools for improving body image is scant. We wanted to see if it could provide a way to help young women shift their focus away from appearance and toward function."

In her study, women between the ages of 18 and 25 were scanned in a 3D device used by students in the Department of Textile and Apparel Management. Modeling software was used to convert the scans to 3D avatars. Participants then digitally "painted" body parts that they appreciated for various reasons, such as their utility or role in their relationships.

"In digitally painting...