To our know ledge,only one published study has explicitly tested the Tripartite Influence Model of attitudes towards cosmetic surgery. Menzel et al.(2011) examined the effect of perceived pressure to have cosmetic surgery from media,peers,partners and parents on attitudes towards cosmetic surgery in a sample of male and female college students.In support of the proposed Tripartite InfluenceModel, Menzel etal.(2011) found that perceived pressures to undergo cosmetic surgery were both directly and
indirectly related to positive attitudes towards cosmetic surgery.Perceived pressures worked indirectly by increasing internalisation and decreasing body satisfaction.However,variables like perceived pressure assess an individual’s perception of the extent of the influence of the media,family and peers.Thus,perceived pressure may reflect more the characteristics of the individual,ratherthanserving as ameasure of exposure to these influences(Tiggemann, 2006).
The present study aimed to extend Menzel et al.’s(2011) findings by examining reported exposure to media and peer influences.In addition, we included the second proposed sociocultural mediator,
namely appearance comparison.The model postulates that when women compare their appearance to idealised images in the media,they almost always find themselves lacking and they become dissatisfied.