The Kardashian Effect: Exploring Consumers' Intention to Pursue Cosmetic Surgery - Essay Sample

Introduction

In the past few years, there has been an upsurge in levels of plastic surgery linked to content on television. For the assignment, an analysis will be done on an article written by Abhinav Sood, Venessa Quintal, and Ian Phau, 2017 Curtain University, Perth, Australia. The article is titled, keeping up with Kardashian: Consumers' Intention to Engage in Cosmetic Surgery. In a nutshell, the article scrutinizes the predictors of the motive to engage in cosmetic surgery. In addition, favorable motive had a substantial positive effect on the drive to engage in cosmetic surgeries for the females. Besides, subjective norms had a positive impact on males for their motive to engage in a cosmetic procedure. Therefore, to understand all the quest about plastic surgery, an argumentative analysis will be discussed on what drives consumers to engage in cosmetic surgeries?

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The cosmetic procedures industry is growing rapidly and also gaining attractiveness among young consumers. Undertaking such procedures are full of risks, and thus, the practitioners should give comprehensive information regarding the possible risks of engaging in a cosmetic procedure. Besides, public policy relevant to medical procedures should offer subsidized therapy services for younger clients who would wish to undertake cosmetic procedures. Thus, such an industry can offer guidance to young clients to make knowledgeable decisions and prohibit them from undertaking unnecessary cosmetic surgeries.

Motives behind the cosmetic procedures vary from individual to the other. First, one's belief system can drive them to engage in such procedures. A belief formed by a person towards something is linked attributes as intrinsic attained and the cost incurred in getting the subject. Consequently, since the attributes are already linked to positively towards the object, then the consumer has a positive attitude towards the objects. From the media influences, the persons who undertake such procedures attitudes towards cosmetic procedures are positively molded through messages conveyed by the media. The increase of cosmetic surgery programs on television has significantly motivated the young female audience to engage thoughtlessly in the procedures. Due to their dissatisfaction with their body appearance as modeled by television programs, females are more likely to opt for cosmetic procedures. Ideally, TV programs geared towards body image resulted in definite boldness toward undertaking the cosmetic procedure and hence act as influences to participate in such behaviors.

Another motivator in cosmetic procedures is one's social identity. Psychologically, people desire and compelled to attain and keep a confident self-image in a given social group. According to Sood, Quintal, and Phau, Subjective norm shows one's belief on whether or not a perceived behavior will be accepted or even rejected by another individual within a social group important to such a person (5). Because of subject norms, younger consumers incline more towards getting attention from their social groups. Specifically, young female consumers tend to be more concerned with their physical appearance to fit in a particular social group.

A sense of belonging has been a driver towards the consumption of cosmetic procedures among young females. Young women are likely to develop body image concerns in social groups. They are burdened because of the pre-set criteria of physical outlook. Social norms on acceptability and physical appearance have significantly been shaped by media. Social media like Tweeter and Facebook facilitates peer interactions between the like-minded consumers hence enhancing the appeal of cosmetic procedure. Different studies have shown that younger women undertaking cosmetic procedures are very much into those social platforms.

Perceived behavior control is another driver of cosmetic procedures among young women. According to Sood et al., the theory of planned behavior, it is defined as one's belief about their ability to undertake an intended behavior (6). A combination of both none-motivational and motivational aspects depicts a person's self-control over a given behavior and motive to undertake the behavior. Such aspects include time, money, knowledge, and cooperation with others.

Lack of control over the financial implications of cosmetic procedures is a negative influence for one to engage in a cosmetic procedure. As the culture dictates, attractive persons are perceived as competent and intelligent hence motivating others to focus on such attractive people. Thus Sood et al. concluded that celebrities influence purchase intentions for young consumers aged 17 and 25 years (7).

Behavioral intentions push people into a cosmetic procedure. Sood et al. assert that an individual forms a behavior intention towards behavior, and the intention controls the actual response (7). An intention has two dimensions; individuals' attitudes and expectations. Thus, the stronger the intention to engage in a particular behavior, the higher the chances that it will affect engagement in the typical behavior. Therefore, young women attitude and possible expectations may motivate and push them to engage in cosmetic procedures.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the analysis has expounded on the decision-making framework. The framework explains the intentions behind young consumers to undergo a cosmetic procedure for their very first time. Age difference among the consumers has also been vital, pointing out to younger women who take lots of risks to maintain their body image.

Work Cited

Sood, Abhinav, Vanessa Quintal, and Ian Phau. "Keeping Up with the Kardashians: Consumers' Intention to Engage in Cosmetic Surgery." Journal of Promotion Management 23.2 (2017): 185-206. DOI. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/10496491.2016.1267677