COSMETIC UNDERCLASS

cosmetic underclass: translation

(kawz.MET.ik UN.dur.klass)

n.

The class of people who can't afford, or who are afraid of, cosmetic surgery.

Gus McGrouther, Britain's first professor of plastic surgery, warns that we are in danger of creating a "cosmetic underclass'', a lumpen mass of self-loathing, ordinary-looking people who avoid surgical enhancement for fear of the knife, or silicone poisoning, and lose out as a result.

— Lesley White, "What happened to your face?," The Times, February 11, 1996

In a world which has created a "new cosmetic underclass", plastic surgery should have the same moral value as treating heart disease, Britain's first professor of plastic surgery said yesterday.

—Glenda Cooper, "Professor aims to give cosmetic surgery a new complexion," The Independent, February 6, 1996

After creating a bit of a stir in 1996, this phrase led a quiet life until recently, when it appeared in Faith Popcorn's excellent book Dictionary of the Future.Unfortunately, Ms. Popcorn claims to have coined the phrase, but as the above citation shows, it preceded her book by nearly six years.

Botox party

cougar lift

guyliner

imagined ugliness

liposculpture

makeunder

mommy makeover

perma-youth

pumping party

scar management

silver ceiling

surgiholic

umbilicoplasty

Appearance and Grooming

Medicine

Demographics

Lifestyles

соц. косметически отсталые люди* (круг людей, которые не могут позволить себе косметическую хирургию по материальным соображениям или по причине каких-л. опасений)