Celebrity worship and incidence of elective cosmetic surgery: evidence of a link among young adults.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of the current study was to explore among young adults whether celebrity worship predicted the incidence of elective cosmetic surgery within the period of 8 months after controlling for several known predictors of elective cosmetic surgery.


METHODS
A total of 137 young adults completed questionnaire measures of attitudes toward a celebrity whose body image they admired, previous and vicarious experience of elective cosmetic surgery, attitudes toward cosmetic surgery, and a range of psychological and demographic measures at time 1. Participants were then asked to report whether they had undergone elective cosmetic surgery 8 months later.


RESULTS
After controlling for several known predictors of elective cosmetic surgery, intense-personal celebrity worship of a celebrity whose body shape was admired by the participant predicted the incidence of elective cosmetic surgery within an 8-month period.


CONCLUSIONS
The current findings suggest that the type of para-social relationship that young adults form with celebrities, particularly with those whose body shape is admired, may need to be considered by those when speaking to, and educating, young people about their choices around elective cosmetic surgery.
School of Psychology, College of Medicine, Biological Sciences and Psychology, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. jm148@le.ac.uk
John
J
Maltby
Liz
L
Day
D001828:Body Image; D004954:Esthetics / Q000523:psychology*; D005197:Famous Persons; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007600:Judgment; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012649:Self Concept; D012938:Social Perception; D013240:Stereotyping; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult