Introduction
In many countries, cosmetic surgery becomes more and more widespread among both men and women. The initial goal of plastic surgery is to eliminate defects that can be congenital or acquired; currently, it is often used to improve one’s body to adjust a form of nose or eliminate excessive weight. Such procedures as liposuction, breast augmentation, and eyelid surgery are the most demanded surgeries all over the world (ISAPS 2015: reports increase of over 1 million cosmetic & aesthetic procedures 2015). In terms of marketing, it is important to understand what the incentives that make women choose cosmetic surgeries are. The hypothesis is that cosmetic surgery positively affects young Irish women’s self-esteem.
Body
For various reasons, women turn to plastic surgeons – some want to become younger or think their body parts are not attractive enough, others want to look like a certain person. The more young women who seek help from facial surgeons, the more research on their psychological state is conducted. Swami et al. (2009) state that the intention to change one’s physical appearance without any evident reasons may be a sign of low self-esteem. In particular, the impact of public opinion, as well as stereotypes related to the so-called body image, make young women choose cosmetic surgery as means of obtaining an appraisal from others.
With the desire to achieve satisfaction from appearance, young women select specific surgeries. They emphasize that intentionally want to improve their self-esteem that directly depends on what other people would say about their body. In the study by van Soest et al. (2009), patients were examined immediately before the surgery and several months after. The authors of the study emphasize that before the surgery, self-esteem and the level of self-sufficiency in women from the first group were significantly lower than in the representatives of the general population, and, later, according to the questionnaire, it rose to the norm. According to the mentioned scholars, there were no external significant differences in appearance between patients and representatives of the control group (van Soest et al. 2009). At the same time, the former pointed to the baseness of self-esteem about the eyes, nose, and facial features as a whole.
The identified study demonstrates that despite obvious improvements in self-esteem after surgery, many women may need additional psychological preoperative support. Similar findings are revealed by Farshidfar, Dastjerdi, and Shahabizadeh (2013), who focuses on women’s attempts to improve their appearance through surgical intervention due to low self-esteem and rejection of their own body. According to these authors, plastic surgery contributes to increasing self-esteem as a person becomes an active transformer of his or her own life and becomes confident that even an “unsuccessful” appearance can be changed.
In Ireland, the niche of cosmetic surgeries seems to be favorable for various marketing strategies. For example, stem-cell-based interventions may also be considered in terms of plastic surgeries as they are rather demanded by women (Berger et al. 2016). Since the Irish law has no specific laws regarding the mentioned area, marketing strategies may be developed according to the general ethical and aesthetical principles. As stated by Prendergast, the founder of Venus Medical in Dundrum, demographics, location and innovation should be taken into account while preparing PR actions and attractive offers to clients (O’Connor 2014). It is also reported that the above clinic strives to provide the best services as well as after-care, thus ensuring that clients achieve their goals, be it the increased self-esteem or elimination of depression.
Among the factors that impact young women’s decisions regarding cosmetic surgery, one should also note such concepts as body appreciation, the role of media, and weight status. Swami (2009) pinpoints that cosmetic surgery is especially desirable for those women who perceive the media messages as informative and relevant. On the one hand, the constant states that people should accept themselves as they are, while others will love one not for appearance but inner content. On the other hand, the media sends a reverse signal: everyone can change to feel better. The cult of human beauty and sexuality existing in the modern media leads to the fact that many people use the translated images as role models (Swami 2009). On TV and the Internet, cosmetic surgery is often advertised, which transforms the appearance so that a person gets self-esteem, becomes more attractive, and, as a result, finds love and happiness.
To make the research more comprehensive, one may also discuss the findings presented by Păduraru and Răşcanu (2013). The results are similar to those of other authors – the self-esteem of participants increased after the surgery. However, it should be stressed that this study focuses on people who need such surgery due to medical prescriptions, and their paramount intention is associated with survival (Păduraru & Răşcanu 2013). Therefore, further research is needed to understand the role of body image and the clinical necessity for surgery affect one’s self-esteem.
Conclusion
To conclude, the studies show that cosmetic surgery is useful to transform one’s appearance, and it helps people with low self-esteem to improve their quality of life. With the help of cosmetic surgery, young women receive the opportunity to become more confident and open to the future. Therefore, it is possible to conclude that cosmetic surgery increases self-esteem in young Irish women, which can be used in marketing to promote the corresponding services.
Reference List
Berger, I, Ahmad, A, Bansal, A, Kapoor, T, Sipp, D, & Rasko, JE 2016, ‘Global distribution of businesses marketing stem cell-based interventions’, Cell Stem Cell, vol. 19, no. 2, pp. 158-162.
Farshidfar, Z, Dastjerdi, R & Shahabizadeh, F 2013, ‘Acceptance of cosmetic surgery: body image, self esteem and conformity’, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 84, pp. 238-242.
ISAPS 2015: reports increase of over 1 million cosmetic & aesthetic procedures2015, Web.
O’Connor, R 2014, ‘Clinic’s success is more than just cosmetic exercise’, The Irish Times, Web.
Păduraru, MC & Răşcanu, R 2013, ‘Body scheme and self-esteem of plastic surgery patients’, Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, vol. 78, pp. 355-359.
Swami, V 2009, ‘Body appreciation, media influence, and weight status predict consideration of cosmetic surgery among female undergraduates’, Body Image, vol. 6, no. 4, pp. 315-317.
Swami, V, Chamorro-Premuzic, T, Bridges, S & Furnham, A 2009, ‘Acceptance of cosmetic surgery: personality and individual difference predictors’, Body Image, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 7-13.
von Soest, T, Kvalem, IL, Roald, HE & Skolleborg, KC 2009, ‘The effects of cosmetic surgery on body image, self-esteem, and psychological problems’, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, vol. 62, no. 10, pp. 1238-1244.