Women taught to seek power via looks

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 22 (UPI) -- TV shows such as "The Swan" and "Nip/Tuck" are driving women to go under the knife in the name of beauty, a California researcher suggests.

Julie Albright of the University of Southern California surveyed 662 college students in Los Angeles and Buffalo about their viewing habits and body image.

The study, scheduled to be published in Configurations Journal, shows that women watch these shows more than men and the more they watch the more they are likely to feel anxiety about their bodies.

Women in the study equated beauty to wealth and an affluent lifestyle, Albright says.

"Women are being taught to access power and status through their looks," Albright says in a statement. "Before women might buy a Louis Vuitton purse to show off their 'status.' Now they might buy new breasts as a sign of their success."

At the very least, these shows act as an advertisement for the plastic surgery industry, Albright suggests.

"At the most these shows impose unrealistic beauty standards that make people question their own bodies while giving them an instruction manual on how to change their appearance."