Cosmetic Procedures - Parodies

Table of Contents:

Before turning to an exploration of how lifestyle magazines present cosmetic procedures and (other) beauty products as similar, this last section briefly discusses two adverts parodying the concept of (marketing) cosmetic procedures. Drawing on the popularity of - and the controversy surrounding - the cosmetic surgery market, several adverts in the corpus played with the concept of different procedures. An advert for Nimble, which promotes low-calorie bread, for example, showed a table knife hovering over a woman’s bronzed, flat stomach, stating “if you’re looking to improve your figure, only one thing should go under the knife” (Cosmo October 2001: 116). The advert cleverly plays with the phrase ‘going under the knife’, usually associated with cosmetic procedures; instead of cutting flesh with sharp scalpels, the only thing that will be going ‘under the table knife’ is the bread that will allegedly help the woman achieve a better (i.e. slimmer) figure.

As with the advert for Nimble, an advert for MPS Int. in the Gay Times (June 2001: 6) draws on the field of cosmetic surgery as it offers “penis extensions: now cheaper than ever”. However, unlike the cosmetic procedure, this figurative penis extension is achieved by buying and driving a German car. The non-medical nature of what is marketed is reiterated in the final sentence of the body copy of the advert, which states “and please note surgery is not necessary for the above transaction”.

Summary

This chapter has demonstrated how medical aspects, medical professionals, and medical terminology are introduced in advertising for both cosmetic procedures and (other) beauty products/services. Perhaps unsurprisingly, alongside an emphasis on the medical, advertising for cosmetic procedures has been shown to include features of marketing discourse, such as an emphasis on the quick, easy nature of aspects of procedures and a consideration of the financial aspects associated with cosmetic procedures.

The next chapter will draw on observations of the similarities between advertising for cosmetic procedures and (other) beauty products/services as it explores how cosmetic procedures may be presented - or experienced - as similar to, or on a continuum with, (other) beauty products/services.

Notes

  • 1 As with the technology and science theme, the percentages within the aspects of care theme do not add up to 100%, as many of the adverts include references to several subcategories within the overarching aspects of care category.
  • 2 22% (N=34) of all advertising for cosmetic procedures in Cosmo and 16% (N=23) of those in Marie Claire include references to ‘hospital’. Only 5% (N=2) of the adverts for cosmetic procedures in FHM refer to ‘hospital’; moreover, there are no references to ‘hospital’ in the advertising for cosmetic procedures in the Gay Times.
  • 3 94% (N=45) of the ‘recovery and/or aftercare’ references occur before 2010; only three adverts for cosmetic procedures in the 2010 editions of Cosmo include a reference to “(comprehensive) aftercare” (Euromedica in Cosmo February 2010: 185; Transform in Cosmo February 2010: 186; and The Hospital Group in Cosmo October 2010: 295).
  • 4 46% (N=27) of the references to aspects of care in Cosmo and 42% (N=18) of those in Marie Claire refer to ‘recovery/and or aftercare’. In contrast, only 18% (N=2) of the references to aspects of care in the Gay Times refer to ‘recovery and/or aftercare’. Furthermore, there are no references to ‘recovery and/or aftercare’ in FHM.
  • 5 5% (N=15) of the adverts for cosmetic procedures in Cosmo and Marie Claire refer to ‘patients’, in comparison to 7% (N=6) of the adverts for cosmetic procedures in the Gay Times and FHM.
  • 6 Whereas 17% (N=27) of the adverts in Cosmo, 15% (N=22) of those in Marie Claire, and 16% (N=6) of those in FHM comprise visual representations of patients, 27% (N=13) of the adverts in the Gay Times illustrate their message by means of visual representation of patients.
  • 7 Overall, 13% (N=23)ofthe adverts for cosmetic procedures in 2001 contained a visual representation of patients; this number rose to 15% (N=24) in 2006, 37% (N=14) in 2010, and continued its growth as it reached 56% (N=9) in 2015. All adverts containing visual representations of patients in 2015 were found in either the Gay Times (adverts for hair procedures) or in Marie Claire (in adverts for Juvederm).
  • 8 I coded the following occurrences descriptors/names of procedures as highlighting the medical nature of the procedure: otoplasty, mentoplasty, rhinoplasty, arthroscopy, mesotherapy, microdermabrasion, and abdominoplasty. Moreover, all instances of types of surgery (e.g. ‘breast’- ‘eyelid’-, or ‘facial’ surgery) were coded as medical terms.
  • 9 It is much cheaper to advertise in the Gay Times than in the two women’s magazines. A full-page spread anywhere in the Gay Times cost £3,960 (Gay Times Media Pack 2017), compared to at least £16,940 in Cosmo (Cosmopolitan Media Pack 2017) and £16,500 in Marie Claire (Marie Claire Media Kit 2017) (these magazines offer various prices for different locations in the magazine). Unfortunately, the advertising rates for FHM were unavailable and the several emails and phone calls to Bauer Media remain unanswered.
  • 10 Of all adverts for cosmetic procedures, 8% (N=13) of those in Cosmo and 8% (N=11) of those in Marie Claire-, 14% (N=5) of those in FHM; and 4% (N=2) of those in the Gay Times include a visual depiction of a medical professional. 48% (N=15) of all these references occur in the 2001 data, 23% (N=7) occur in the 2006 data, 26% (N=8) in the 2010 data, and 3% (N=1) in the 2015 data.
  • 11 Of all the adverts for cosmetic procedures in the Gay Times, 27% (N=13) refer to ‘quick’ or ‘instant’, compared to just 11% (N=4) in FHM, 8% (N=12) in Marie Claire, and 7% (N=11) in Cosmo.

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