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Cited by 63Body Image and Dysmorphia StudiesImpact of Technology on AdolescentsConsumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior

Follow, filter, filler? Social media usage and cosmetic procedure intention, acceptance, and normalization among young adults

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Hermans, Anne-Mette, Boerman, Sophie C., Veldhuis, Jolanda·2022·Body Image
DOI 10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.10.004
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Abstract

Today, young people spend much of their lives online where they encounter abundant appearance-focused content. In light of the important role that social media platforms like Instagram play in young people’s attitudes towards the cosmetic surgery industry, this study investigates passive and active social media usage in relation to young adults’ perceptions of cosmetic procedures. In a cross-sectional survey study among 470 Instagram users aged 18–25 years (Mage = 21.00, SDage = 2.26), young adults indicated a low cosmetic procedure intention themselves, but overestimated the prevalence of cosmetic procedures undertaken by others. Considering passive social media use, young adults who follow influencers who had undergone cosmetic procedures reported higher intentions to have cosmetic procedures themselves, and following influencers who had not undergone procedures was related to lower intentions. In terms of active social media usage, frequency of Instagram posting was generally insignificant in relation to acceptance of and intention to undergo cosmetic procedures. Yet, those who used filters to edit pictures more frequently reported increased cosmetic procedure acceptance and intention. Overall, this paper offers a nuanced perspective on the relation between young adults’ perceptions of cosmetic procedures and their social media behaviors, highlighting the importance of specific appearance-oriented social media usage.

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  • Individuals more engaged with filtering and editing their pictures were more concerned with cosmetic enhancements to achieve the filtered appearance in real life, especially among young adult populations.

    “In addition, Hermans et al. showed that individuals more engaged with filtering and editing their pictures were more concerned with cosmetic enhancements to achieve the filtered appearance in real life, especially among young adult populations [74].”

    From The Impact of Social Media & Technology on Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2025) · cites this paper as [74]

    The Discussion reports that, among young adults, more frequent use of filters to edit pictures was positively related to cosmetic procedure acceptance and hypothetical intention. It does not establish that participants wanted procedures specifically to achieve their filtered appearance in real life; that motivation goes beyond the reported finding. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Hermans, A.-M., Boerman, S. C., & Veldhuis, J.
Affiliations
  • Erasmus University Rotterdam (NL)
  • University of Amsterdam (NL)
  • Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (NL)
Corresponding author
Hermans, Anne-Mette
ORCID
Venue
Body Image
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-12
Volume
43
Pages
440-449
ISSN
1740-1445 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.10.004
OpenAlex
W4308223427
Cited by
63
References
8
Citations by year
2026: 24 · 2025: 16 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 8
FWCI
8.92
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Body Image (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • Socio-Environmental Systems Modeling (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
  • EUR Research Repository (Erasmus University Rotterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • VU Research Portal (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Body Image and Dysmorphia Studies
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Impact of Technology on Adolescents
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Consumer Perception and Purchasing Behavior
Keywords
social media use, cosmetic procedures, Instagram, young adults, photo filters
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Body Image, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Surgery, Plastic, Intention, Young Adult, Social Media

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