Controversies In Cosmetics

By Fiona Shaw, Giles Turner and Peter White

Aims and Objectives

1. Summarise cosmetic surgery in the media

2. Provide an evolutionary explanation of cosmetic surgery

3. Outline evidence of a cultural phenomenon

4. Evaluate these arguments

Cosmetic/Aesthetic SurgeryDefinition

Surgery for non-medially explained reasons E.g. enhancing

aesthetically the facial and bodily appearance.

(Kisely et al, 2002)

Articles: BBC News Online, UK Edition

1. The Stigma of Plastic Surgery

2. Doctors Slam Plastic Surgery on TV

Summary of Articles:

Media attention is growing e.g.

I Want a Famous Face (MTV)

Nip/Tuck (Sky One)

Cosmetic Surgery Live (Channel 5)

Media creates unrealistic expectations

(British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, 2004)

Source of ridicule and fascination on UK

Ethically neutral in U.S. with “Flaunt it” parties.

(Lane & Duffy, 2004)

The Figures

British estimates per annum:

25,000 surgical procedures 50,000 non-surgical procedures

(Lane & Duffy, 2004)

Who’s Having What?

What Women Want What Men WantBreast Augmentation Otoplasty (ear pinning)Blepharoplasty (eye-lids) BlepharoplastyFace/Neck Lifts Face/Neck LiftsLiposuction LiposuctionRhinoplasty (nose surgery) Rhinoplasty

Source: British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons

(Land & Duffy 2004)

Cosmetic Surgery – A Modern Mating Strategy

Animals use their body to attract a mate A Classic example is the Peacock The human body also conveys messages We have evolved mechanisms to recognises these signals Through them we can assess:

1. Age2. Reproductive status3. Individual quality

(Diamond, 1997; Ridley, 1993)

Sex Messaging

Indicators of Reproductive Maturity

Female MaleBreasts Increased muscularityHips Voice deepeningButtocks Beard growthHair Colour Penis size

(Diamond, 1997)

Indicators of Health and Genes

An Honest Face Facial beauty is a vital health indicator One of the most sensitive areas of the body Easily shows signs of age, disease and injury E.g. Symmetry, averageness and hormone markers

The Body Beautiful Women favour men with classic V shape Men favour women with optimum waist to hip ratio

What the Body Communicates A healthy body is a costly investment It conveys two crucial messages:

1. Good genes2. Good Resources

Faking It

Cosmetic surgery provides a unique mating strategy It cheats the signal system Effectively change phenotype to suggest better genotype Creates the illusion you are a better mate Hides ageing

(Diamond, 1997)The Benefits:

Access to superior quality mates Improved quality offspring Increases survival chances of offspring

Criticisms – Psycho-Social Influences

Is Appearance that Important?

Less emphasis on the body than we think in mate choice

Men look for Women think men look for1. Personality 1. Good looks2. Good looks 2. Good body3. Brains 3. Breasts4. Humour 4. Butt5. Good body 5. Personality

Women look for Men think women look for1. Personality 1. Personality2. Humour 2. Good body3. Sensitivity 3. Humour4. Brains 4. Sensitivity5. Good body 5. Good looks

(Pease & Pease, 1999)

Beauty and Attractiveness as a Cultural Construct

Socially-Constructed ideals based on Western Culture

Case Example – China (Watts, 2004) Rise in men and women wanting surgery Aim to westernise their features Girls have legs broken to try and become taller

Its Fashionable

Free-Market Economy Globalises fashion-culture Societal norms then dictated by market forces Aesthetic Surgery becomes a fashion accessory

Is the Current Ideal Maladaptive?

Weight & Reproduction Recent cultural ideation favours thin females E.g. decreasing weight in magazines, beauty pageants and

pornography (Ridley, 1993)

This ideal is maladaptive Skinniness reduces fertility A “harbinger of lactational failure” (Diamond, 1997, p146) Difficult to attain – promotes eating disorders Serious health threat

(Lindeman, 1998)

How can this be an adaptive strategy?

Is it Abnormal to want Cosmetic Surgery?

Growing concern about those wanting cosmetic surgery High prevalence of psychopathology Women 13 time more likely to seek surgery

(Kisely et al, 2002)

Many display Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Body Image Disorders

(Sarwer et al, 1998; Sarwer, 2004)

BDD link to mental health problems: Attachment anxietyPTSDIdentity problemsNeuroticismPersonality Disorders

(Davis & Vernon, 2002)

Criticism of Debate – Conclusion

Problems

Surgery only around for 30 years, lack of empirical evidence

Limited research in this area

Most evidence can be adapted to either argument

Crucially

“A Darwinian story is not Mendelian Evidence”

(Orr, 2003, p18).

Surgery is learned - Not innate genetic

But

Behaviour potentially evolutionarily advantageous

Could this be the missing link?

References

British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (2004). Doctors slam plastic surgery on TV. BBC News Online, UK Edition. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3700685. Accessed 11/05/04.

Deborah., D. (2002). Sculpting the body beautiful: attachment style, neuroticism, and the use of cosmetic surgeries. Sex Roles. Vol. 47 (4). p129-138.

Diamond, J. (1997). Why is Sex Fun? The Evolution of Human Sexuality. London: Weidenfeld and Nicholson.

Henderson, J.A. & Anglin, J.M. (2003). Facial attractiveness predicts longevity. Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.23 (5). p351-356.

Hughes, S.M. & Gallup, G.G. Jr. (2003). Sex differences in morphological predictors of sexual behaviour: Shoulder to hip and waist to hip ratios. Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.24 (3). p173-178.

Jones, B.C. Little, A.C., Feinberg, D.R., Penton-Voak, I.S., Tiddeman, B.P. & Perrett, D.I. (2004). The relationship between shape symmetry and perceived skin condition in male facial attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.25. p24-30.

Kisely, S., Morkell, D., Allbrook, B., Briggs, P. & Jovanovic, J. (2002). Factors associated with dysmorphic concern and psychiatric morbidity in plastic surgery outpatients. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. Vol.36 (1). p121-126.

Lane, M. & Duffy, J. (2004). The stigma of plastic surgery. BBC News Online, UK Edition. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/3389229. Accessed 08/05/04.

Lindeman, A.K. (1998). Quest for ideal weight: costs and consequences. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Vol.31 (8). p1135-1140.

Marzano-Parisoli, M.M. (2001). The contemporary construction of the perfect body image: bodybuilding, exercise addiction and eating disorders. Quest. Vol.53 p216-230.

Orr, H.A. (2003). Darwinian storytelling. The New York Review. p17-20.

Pease, B. & Pease, A. (1999). Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps. Pease Training International.

Ridley, M. (1993). The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature. Penguin Books.

Sarwer, D.B. (2004). Body image and cosmetic medical treatments. Body Image. Vol.1 (1). p99-111.

Sarwer, D.B., Wadden, T.A., Pertschuk, M.J. & Whitaker, L.A. (1998). The Psychology of cosmetic surgery: a review and reconceptualization. Clinical Psychology Review. Vol.18 (1). p1-22.

Shackelford.T.K. (1999). Facial attractiveness and physical health. Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.20 (1). p71-76.

Soler, C., Nunez, M., Guterrez, R., Nunez, J., Medina, P., Sancho, M., Alvarez, J. & Nunez, A. (2003). Facial attractiveness in men provides clues to semen quality. Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.24 (3). p199-207.

Thornhill, R. & Gangestad, S.W. (1999). Facial attractiveness. Trends in Cognitive Sciences. Vol.3 (12). p452-460.

Thornhill, R. & Gangestad, S.W. (1996). The evolution of human sexuality. Trends in Ecology and Evolution. Vol.11 (2). p98-102.

Thornhill, R. & Grammer, K. (1999). The body and face of woman: one ornament that signals quality? Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.20 (2). p105-120

Tovee, M.J., Tasker, K. & Benson, P.J. (2000). Is symmetry a visual cue to attractiveness in the human female body? Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.21 (3). p191-200.

Watts, J. (2004). China’s cosmetic craze: leg-lengthening operations to fight height prejudice can leave patients crippled. The Lancet. Vol.363. p958.

Wetsman, A. &Marlowe, F. (1999). How Universal Are Preferences for Female Waist-to-Hip Ratios? Evidence from the Hadza of Tanzania. Evolution and Human Behaviour. Vol.20 (4). p219-228

Widemo, F. & Saether, S.A. (1999). Beauty is in the eye of the beholder: causes and consequences of variation in mating preferences. Trends in Evolution and Ecology. Vol.14 (1). p26-31.

Image SourcesSlide 1 - http://www.lifetowncartoons.com/cosmetic_surgery.gifSlide 4 - http://www.surgery.wisc.edu/plastic/images/patients_uwcsc_2a.jpgSlide 6 - http://www.cosmeticsurgery18-30.co.uk/assets/images/front_540.jpgSlide 8 -http://www.washingtoncosmeticsurgeon.com/pics/photos/facelift_01.jpgSlide 10 – http://ccce.51.net/solar/earth/images/globe.jpgSlide 11 - http://www.anorexicweb.com/InsidetheFridge/Resources/1.jpgSlide 14 - http://www.ananova.com/images/web/55360.jpg