Lookism may be a recently coined term but its concept has already caught on with women across the country, a survey carried out by a local advertising company showed.

Cheil Communications, one of the leading advertisers in the country, said Sunday that it surveyed 200 women aged between 13 and 43 on the influence of lookism in Korea.

According to the survey, 78 percent of the women said they view improving their appearance as an essential part of life, and not simply an aesthetic practice. Also, 68 percent said appearances dictate success or failure in one's life, and 72 percent of surveyed ladies said facial beauty is more important than one's physique.

Korean women's perception of their appearances was also found to have changed as they grew older. Responses from women aged 13 to 18 said they work on their appearance in order to stick out from the crowd and make more friends, paying more attention to accessories such as shoes and backpacks rather than their facial appearance.

Women aged 25 to 34 were found to be the most desperate among the age groups to improve their appearance, believing that it is essential to enhancing individual competitiveness. The company drew the conclusion that, for Korean women, lookism has become an accepted fact of life.