Ban Plastic Surgery Reality TV

There are three significant negative effects of plastic surgery reality tv shows among college students that have been studied.

1) Yeunsoo Kim, member of the International Communication Associated clarifies the first effect in his periodical for the International Communication Association as follows:

Plastic surgery depicted on reality tv makes plastic surgery seem like a social norm. The shows depict positive outcomes of plastic surgery. The more exposure college students have to it, the more their increased positive thoughts and intentions to undergo plastic surgery themselves.

2) The second effect is examined by Marwick as creating what she calls “Body culture media” or a genre of popular culture which positions work on the body as a morally correct solution to personal problems. This goes for all areas of one’s life: romantic experiences, employment opportunities, and overall happiness. Contestant Erica Moore of season two stated she signed up for the show because, “I want the pizzazz. I want the wow out of life. I want to be somebody.” She blames all of her problems in life on her appearance and even worse, she believes altering her appearance will also inherently make all of her problems disappear. To Erica Moore, cosmetic surgery is the appropriate means to achieving her authentic self.

3) Third, people that view reality television as credible, tend to base their decisions about plastic surgery on the unbalanced information in the shows—viewers get false impressions. Marwick again supports my claim, stating that “the Swan testimonials are heavily edited to serve producer’s ideological ends: in this case to emphasize the shamefulness of the non-ideal body, reinforcing the idea that only sexy people deserve to have sex and be happy.” Her research points out “While the show is nominally about transforming bodies, the more significant transformation is that of our viewers moral understanding of plastic surgery.”