Bianca London
Daily Mail
July 8th, 2013
Many black or racially mixed women in Venezuela are undergoing nose jobs in an effort to look whiter.
A Dartmouth College study found that cosmetic surgery is on the rise in the South American country because women value whiteness and are obsessed with physical appearance.
The rhinoplasty procedure, which women believe will give them ‘the perfectly-formed nose’, does however only temporarily improve their self-esteem and body image.
This fixation with how they look prompts many women to undergo cosmetic surgery such as face lifts, nose jobs and liposuction.
The study, by assistant professor of anthropology Lauren Gulbas, looked at how British ideals of beauty affected ideas about race in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela.
Focusing on rhinoplasty, the article, titled Embodying Racism: Race, Rhinoplasty, and Self-Esteem in Venezuela, included 63 white, black or racially mixed women.