Capstone Research

Abstract

Throughout human history, society has regarded certain physical characteristics and traits as “beautiful.” Individuals have gone to extreme measures to live up to these standards, and cosmetic surgery is today’s solution for people who wish to adhere to what society deems as aesthetically pleasing. People often credit social media as being the primary method of enforcing these standards for physical appearances. Research has shown that continuous exposure to photo-sharing sites has caused an unnatural expectation of body image. As a result, many people suffer from body dissatisfaction, a condition when an individual feels that he or she does not meet society’s standard of what is considered beautiful and consequently has negative feelings about their physical traits. As the number of Americans using social media for personal purposes has increased significantly over the past few decades, the number of businesses utilizing these platforms as an advertising tool has increased as well. Given the role of cosmetic surgery in assisting individuals achieve a certain appearance, it has been questioned if the presence of cosmetic surgery practices on social media worsens this elevated standard of beauty. This study explores the ethical standards these accounts uphold. 417 Instagram accounts and 554 Facebook accounts were reviewed and categorized by use of the platform to promote cosmetic surgery or to educate individuals on this specialty.