Consumer Behaviour: Plastic Surgery in Venezuela

Plastic surgery in Venezuela

Abstract

This paper offers an understanding of why plastic surgery became extremely popular in Venezuela. The number of plastic surgery procedures has been increasing rapidly in a country where 80% of the population is poor. How can such expensive procedure be embedded across all social classes? Every social class has different behaviours according to the needs that they want to satisfy. Even though different social classes have different needs and motivations, in Venezuela almost everyone has undergone plastic surgery.

�

Table of Contents

Introduction……………………………………………………………………………..…3

Table 1. Influence of International Beauty Contests………………………..…3

Plastic surgery is an increasing tendency in Venezuela……………………….....3

Table 2. Countries by Total Number of Procedures…………………………..4

Table 3. Plastic Surgery Trends…………………………………………….......4

Figure 1. Social classes in Venezuela………………………………..5

What motivates a Venezuelan person to undergo plastic surgery?...................5

Figure 2. Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs………………………………………..6

Figure 3. Examples of Plastic Surgery Advertisings……………………….....8

Why plastic surgery became cultural? ………………………………………………8

Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………...9

References……………………………………………………………………………….10

�

Introduction

The Venezuelan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery estimates between 35,000 and 40,000 women in the country have breast enlargement surgery each year (Grainger, 2012).

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

In Venezuelan society, like in the rest of Latin America, there is no stigma with having plastic surgery. It is admired as good personal presentation; while in other societies may be perceived as vanity. Venezuelans usually spend their weekends at the beach showing off their physical attributes, no matter if they are natural or enhanced. The plastic surgery sector has built on the cultural basis to become a big business (Grainger, 2012). There are hundreds of clinics in the country and some of the finest and most experienced plastic surgeons in the world.

Due to the increasing demand of plastic surgery in Venezuela, public and private health services (for example insurance companies) only cover the cost of...