Internalization of Appearance Ideals and Cosmetic Surgery Attitudes: A Test of the Tripartite Influence Model of Body Image

We conducted a set of four studies with a total of 1288 adult and undergraduate women and men to develop the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale. These studies provide evidence of this scale's reliability, as well as convergent and discriminant validity. Initial explorations using this 15-item scale indicate that acceptance of cosmetic surgery is negatively related to satisfaction with physical appearance and positively related to attitudes about make-up use. The acceptance of cosmetic surgery may be more related to fears about becoming unattractive than to hopes of becoming more attractive. Cosmetic surgery attitudes were positively related to age for women but not for men. The study's limitations and implications are discussed.

The tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance is a recent theoretical approach that includes a test of direct (peer, parental, and media factors) and mediational links (internalization of societal appearance standards, appearance comparison processes) as factors potentially leading to body dissatisfaction and eating disturbance. The theory was evaluated in the current study in a sample of 391 adolescent females. A structural equation model that evaluated the tripartite model replicated previous findings reported by Keery, van den Berg and Thompson (2004) [Keery, H., van den Berg, & Thompson, J. K. (2004). A test of the tripartite influence model of body image and eating disturbance in adolescent girls. Body Image: An International Journal of Research, 1, 237-251.]. Additionally, a second model extended these findings, suggesting that peer and media influences are more important than parental influences. The results are discussed in light of the need for prevention programs to incorporate formative influences and mediational processes in the construction of intervention strategies.