“We should educate the public that cosmetic procedures are as safe as normal medicine”: Understanding corporate social responsibility from the perspective of the cosmetic procedures industry

Craddock, Nadia; Spotswood, Fiona; Rumsey, Nichola; Diedrichs, Phillippa Claire

Abstract

The cosmetic procedures industry is profitable and expanding. Through its premise and promotion, the industry contributes to unrealistic societal appearance pressures considered harmful to body image. In the context of limited regulation, there is an uneasy reliance on businesses in the sector to act in a socially responsible way. Corporate social responsibility (CSR) refers to voluntary business practices designed to benefit society, and engagement in CSR is shaped by extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. This study aimed to explore how senior UK industry professionals view CSR as it applies to their sector and to body image. Findings from 14 semi-structured interviews show that participants’ understanding of CSR was limited to a myopic focus on patients. Little reflexivity was demonstrated in relation to the industry's responsibilities concerning negative body image in society. More broadly, the drivers of socially responsible practice were overwhelmingly extrinsic – oftentimes explicitly linked to bolstering or protecting company and/ or industry reputation. Participants, acknowledging a lack of intrinsic motivation for CSR across the sector, were largely in support of greater regulation. This research contributes to understandings of how the adoption of a CSR agenda might combine with regulatory efforts to curb the industry's impact on negative body image.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 17, 2022
• Online Publication Date: Sep 2, 2022
• Publication Date: Dec 1, 2022
• Deposit Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 27, 2022
• Journal: Body Image
• Print ISSN: 1740-1445
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 43
• Pages: 75-86
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.08.011
• Keywords: General Psychology; Applied Psychology; Social Psychology, Cosmetic procedures, Cosmetic surgery, Cosmetic procedures industry, Elite interviews, Corporate social responsibility, CSR, Body image
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/9969867
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1740144522001541?via%3Dihub
• Additional Information: This article is maintained by: Elsevier; Article Title: “We should educate the public that cosmetic procedures are as safe as normal medicine”: Understanding corporate social responsibility from the perspective of the cosmetic procedures industry; Journal Title: Body Image; CrossRef DOI link to publisher maintained version: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2022.08.011; Content Type: article; Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.