University of Aberdeen - Vain? Moi?

Women who have plastic surgery are more likely to criticise the vanity of others than their own, a study has found. Debra Gimlin, senior lecturer in sociology at the University of Aberdeen, surveyed 40 British and 40 American women, questioning them about their views of cosmetic surgery. The study reveals that many women who choose to go under the knife create a fictional "surgical other" who undergoes cosmetic surgery for all the "wrong" reasons. British women portray her as an American whereas Americans see her as a Hollywood resident. By creating surgical others, Dr Gimlin said, women can believe that any criticism of plastic surgery is meant for others, not for them.