That is not to say that individuals who are attractive do not enjoy many social advantages over those who are very unattractive. However, the individuals with the healthiest self-esteem are typically those who are neither extremely attractive nor extremely unattractive but closer to being average looking (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008). That is because both highly attractive and unattractive people are often judged prematurely by the way that they look: good looking people, in particular, may come to believe that their primary value is their looks (Gerrig & Zimbardo, 2008).

The connection between self-esteem and desire for physical enhancement through cosmetic surgery pertains to all ages but is especially significant for teenagers by virtue of the extreme importance of self-esteem issues that normally are part of adolescent development (Pitts-Taylor, 2007). Therefore, if distinguishing between psychologically healthy and psychologically unhealthy reasons for desiring cosmetic surgical procedures is important in the general prospective...
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