Plastic Surgery: Your Own Personal Stimulus Package

Studies link better pay to better looks, so a face-lift helps you—and your surgeon
By Ambreen Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 11, 2008 3:36 PM CDT
Plastic Surgery: Your Own Personal Stimulus Package
No longer just for celebs, plastic surgery is embraced by people of all classes: 30% of those seeking it make less than $30,000.   (AP Photo)

Rising gas prices, fewer jobs and the slumping economic has many craving a face-lift, literally. Most would-be patients make less than $60,000, so why not have "tax breaks on cosmetic surgery for low-income Americans," Rosa Brooks suggests in the Los Angeles Times. It’s a completely rational investment, she writes, since "we live in a society that rewards beauty (and penalizes ugliness)."

Attractive employees earn 5% more than average-looking ones, and the unattractive ones earn 9% less, studies show. "If you can go from unattractive to 'average,' you've potentially got a lifetime 9% income boost." That's a lot cheaper, and easier, than a master's degree. Not sold? Two-thirds of patients say they are getting work done "to remain competitive in the workplace." (More cosmetic surgery stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X