Abstract
Cosmetic procedures are growing rapidly in popularity each year. The aim of the current study was to investigate whether body-esteem, social comparison, gender and social media addiction were predictors of wanting a cosmetic procedure. One hundred and fifty-six participants filled out a questionnaire. The study was of a quantitative correlational design. Statistically reliable scales were used. Participants were asked how likely they would be to undergo a cosmetic procedure. Results indicate that low body-esteem, negative social comparison and high social media addiction predicted higher levels of a desire for a cosmetic procedure. Additionally, females were more likely to want a cosmetic procedure than males, on average, and females with low body-esteem were more likely to have negative social comparison. This study suggests that there may be underlying influences as to why people undergo cosmetic procedures, theoretical implications are discussed within.
