Stretched Earlobe Piercings Negatively Impact Casual Observer Perceptions

Facial plast Surg DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-1688798Patients with stretched earlobes seek reconstruction to mitigate social stigma. To date, there have been no studies measuring the impact of stretched earlobe piercings on casual observer perceptions. One-hundred seventy-three casual observers were enrolled via public-access web sites. Participants were randomly shown frontal and profile views of six subjects with stretched earlobe piercings and four controls. Participants evaluated photos for first impressions using a survey containing choices regarding personal attributes. Latent class analysis was performed to categorize observer ratings. Analysis of variance (ANOVA), bootstrap analysis, and permutations testing were used to evaluate the relationship between perceived attractiveness, success, and approachability scoring and stretched earlobe status. Latent class analysis categorized responses into three classes: positive, negative, and neutral. Patients with stretched earlobe piercings were significantly less likely to be classified as positive by observers without body modifications (i.e., tattoos and piercings) in comparison to control photos (30.9 and 40.1%, p = 0.007) and more likely to be classified as negative (38.5 and 28.1%, p = 0.002). These changes were abolished when photos were evaluated by observers with body modifications (p > 0.05). ANOVA revealed that stretched earlobe piercings and observer body modification status have a significant effect on rate...
Source: Facial Plastic Surgery - Category: Cosmetic Surgery Authors: Tags: Original Research Source Type: research