An Examination of the Role of Objective Self-Awareness on Cosmetic Surgery Motivations

Sociopsychological research over the past four decades provides robust evidence for the existence of a pervasive physical attractiveness stereotype, illustrated by the phrase what is beautiful is good (Dion, Bersceid, and Walster 1972). Accordingly, individuals place particular importance on their personal appearance and try to improve their self-representations (Foustanos et al. 2007). Cosmetic surgery, considered to effectively contribute to the improvement of physical attractiveness, is one of the fastest-growing medical practices in the world (Pentina et al. 2009). However, consumer research literature on this topic is extremely sparse (Slevec and Tiggemann 2010). The present research aims to address the question of what motivates individuals to pursue cosmetic procedures. Objective self-awareness (OSA) is the theoretical basis for this research, as it provides a better understanding of the reasons why people conform their beliefs and behaviors to those of the larger society.