Do students have negative stereotypes of women who elect to have breast augmentation?

Abstract

This study explored whether women who have breast augmentation are more vulnerable to negative stereotypes about their intelligence and abilities than women who do not elect to have breast augmentation. Furthermore, whether the motivation for seeking such surgery contributes to stereotypes was also explored. Participants in this study read experimentally manipulated biographies of a fictitious female author, followed by her short story. The only manipulation was one line in the author's biography which varied the reason for the plastic surgery across 4 conditions (for herself, for her significant other, for medical reconstructive reasons, or no surgery). The participants were asked to read and evaluate the author and her work. The results of this study suggest that women who elect to have plastic surgery for herself or her husband are perceived as being less deep. The results also suggest that women who have previously elected to have plastic surgery judged the authors' fictional work more critically when she had plastic surgery for herself or for her husband.

Notes

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Thesis Completion

2007

Semester

Fall

Advisor

Whitten, Shannon N.

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

College

College of Sciences

Degree Program

Psychology

Subjects

Dissertations, Academic -- Sciences;Sciences -- Dissertations, Academic

Format

Print

Identifier

DP0022127

Language

English

Access Status

Open Access

Length of Campus-only Access

None

Document Type

Honors in the Major Thesis

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