Abstract

“It [the perfect body] is everywhere. I get Cosmo, Vogue, and all the girls are beautiful. And it’s the same thing when I go home. Everyone in Miami is gorgeous. Living in Miami is like living in the magazine. All the girls are parading around with perfect bodies, and you don’t ever get a break,” said Brianna, a 21-year-old American student who was undergoing breast augmentation surgery. “I think [cosmetic surgery] makes you feel better about yourself, and I’ve seen that in a lot of girls. And I think it’s [breast augmentation] a lot safer process now because they use saline, so in case it does pop, it’s just salt water. It’s not going to really kill you or anything. I’m going to be in pain, but what’s a week compared to my whole life being happy.”