‘White Noses’ and Self-Esteem (New York Daily News)

New York Daily News reports on a study by Dartmouth’s Lauren Gulbas that found the increase of cosmetic surgery in Venezuela had a lot to do with women’s desire to look “white.”

“The presumed ‘gold standard in rhinoplasty’ is a nose that is associated with being ‘Caucasian,’ meaning white: a tall, slender nose with a narrow nasal base,” Gulbas writes in her study, according to the Daily News.

Gulbas, a research assistant professor in the Department of Anthropology, surveyed 63 women—white, black or racially mixed—in the capital city of Caracas. All were 39, and all wanted a nose job. But Gulbas questions how well the procedure really works to improve women’s self-esteem, the Daily News reports.

Read the full story, published 7/10/13 by New York Daily News.