It’s that time again. Easter’s over for another year and our waistbands are tight enough to stop blood flow after consuming enough chocolate to sink a ship in one weekend.

Just like after an indulgent Christmas, after Easter slimming group memberships skyrocket and we all pledge fervently to detox and never let junk food pass our lips again.

Well if you’re anything like me, who’s been on an eternal diet since my mid-teens, that vow lasts little more than a few hours before I’m reaching for the crisps again and feeling guilty with every mouthful.

There is a song by Lily Allen, about being a woman in a pressured society, and one of the lyrics is ‘I wish I could eat spaghetti bolognese and not feel bad about it for days and days.’

I always remember that lyric because I think it’s true to how a lot of women today feel.

How sad that because of the world that we live in today, we should even momentarily feel guilt about eating something like bag of crisps or a plate of spaghetti.

But the sad truth is, many of us do, thanks to a society so focused on looks and one that pressures us to conform to a certain body type.

Body image affects girls and women of all ages. It’s said that nowadays, girls as young as 10 are already struggling with body image, more than 80% of 10-year-old girls are afraid of being fat and 40-70% of girls are dissatisfied with two or more parts of their body.

Is it any wonder? Every day we are constantly bombarded by photographs of celebrities looking slim and toned, and even though we know these images are unrealistic, unattainable and often not even real, we still beat ourselves up for inevitably failing to live up to that image.

But in the 50s and 60s, things were very different. The celebrities back then had real figures, with real curves. There was no constant pressure to lose weight, and no internet or weekly gossip magazines flaunting bikini bodies to make us feel inferior.

I do wonder though, what women must have talked about back then, because many of the conversations I have with female friends ultimately always end up going back to the topic of weight loss – it brings us together, and gives us an unshakeable bond.

And what happens when we do actually reach that elusive dream weight? Will we ever be satisfied enough to stop talking about it and accept we have the body we always wanted?

Highly unlikely.

Do you agree there is too much pressure on women in today’s society to have perfect bodies? Tweet your thoughts to @ChesterChron.