Online Beauty Content as Predictor of Cosmetic Surgery Acceptance and Self-Esteem among College Students in a University in Quezon City, Philippines

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between online beauty content and cosmetic surgery acceptance, as well as the impact on self-esteem, among 220 college students at a university in Quezon City, Philippines. Employing a descriptive-correlational design and validated instruments, including the Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale and Rosenberg’s SelfEsteem Scale, the findings revealed that online beauty content significantly and positively predicted cosmetic surgery acceptance across multiple dimension—information quality, credibility, needs of information, attitude toward information, usefulness, adoption, social influence, and product adoption intention. These results suggest that transparent, credible, and socially endorsed online beauty content increases the likelihood of students considering cosmetic procedures. In contrast, online beauty content did not
significantly predict self-esteem, indicating that exposure to digital beauty culture may not directly shape students’ self-perceptions. Overall, the study highlights the significant behavioral influence of online beauty content on cosmetic surgery acceptance, while also underscoring the limited role of self-esteem. This finding offers valuable implications for digital media practices and future research on youth well-being.