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Jirovsky, Sara Paloni and I addressed the issue of comparability of body modification practices such as FC/FGM and cosmetic surgery. I was accompanied during the research by Joana Leal, a student of sociology at the PUC-Rio, who helped greatly with local jargon, language and cultural issues that emerged, and with conceptualising the three different interview manuals in Portuguese. I would like to thank the Austrian Academy of Science, who granted the scholarship and made the research and field work possible; my supervisors Johannes Reichmayr, Sigmund Freud University, Vienna, and Junia de Vilhena/Joana Novaes (PUC-Rio); as well as Maria do Socorro, Kerstin Tiefenbacher, Eder D, Renée Douek, Mirian Goldenberg, Gabriella Bond, the Department of Plastic Surgery at Santa Casa de Misericordia; and all of the interviewees. Correlates of Young Women’s Interest in Obtaining Cosmetic Surgery Charlotte N. Markey & Patrick M. Markey Published online: 23 April 2009 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2009 Abstract This study examined predictors of young women’s interest in obtaining cosmetic surgery. The sample investigated was comprised of 101 college undergraduates residing in the northeastern U.S. (M age=19.99, SD=4.79). Participants’ weight status (M BMI=24.52, SD=5.69), body dissatisfaction, internalization of media messages, reports of physical appearance teasing, and interest in obtaining cosmetic surgery were assessed. Results indicated that all of the predictors examined were correlated with women’s interest in cosmetic surgery. Further, body dissatisfaction mediated the relations between weight status, internalization of media messages, reports of teasing, and women’s interest in cosmetic surgery. Findings are discussed in terms of the importance of understanding cosmetic surgery trends and young women’s susceptibility to body dissatisfaction. Keywords Cosmetic surgery. Body image