The Impact of Cosmetic Surgery Advertising on Swiss Women’s Body Image and Attitudes Toward Cosmetic Surgery

Abstract

International concern has been expressed about advertising for cosmetic surgery (British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons [BAAPS], 2005, 2008). A recent study showed that exposure to such advertising resulted in a more negative body image and attitudes toward surgery among women living in the UK (Ashikali, Dittmar, & Ayers, 2015). This study investigates the impact of cosmetic surgery advertising on women living in Switzerland, a country with relatively little advertising for cosmetic surgery. A group of 145 women (mean age 23.07) were exposed to advertising for cosmetic surgery containing either discount incentives, risk information, no additional information, or to the control condition. Exposure to advertising for cosmetic surgery resulted in increased dissatisfaction with both bodyweight and appearance. Highly materialistic women perceived such surgery as being less beneficial to their image when exposed to advertising for cosmetic surgery as well as when exposed to risk information rather than discount incentives. Moreover, appearance-dissatisfied women considered surgery to a lesser extent when exposed to risk information compared to discount incentives. Our findings highlight the need for research examining the impact of cosmetic surgery media, the content of advertising for cosmetic surgery as well as cultural variability.