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Assignment: Social influencers and the perfect body

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Social influencers and the perfect body

14/01/2021 GMT

BBC World Service - Assignment, Social influencers and the perfect body

How online influencers get paid to promote cosmetic surgery

The story of a company that sells cosmetic surgery, an online influencer who took payment to promote it, and what happened to some of the women who were influenced.

In the age of social media and the selfie, the perfect look is everything. That's what online influencers tell their followers. Some are also happy to provide a 'how-to’ guide to obtaining the perfect body through cosmetic surgery. Often though, they are cashing in – taking payment and perks to promote certain clinics – and not always declaring the fact.  Those who read their reviews and watch their videos can easily be misled into thinking that their recommendations are impartial. What’s more, the surgical procedures that influencers push can be risky or even downright dangerous. 
For Assignment, Joice Etutu hears from women whose lives have been changed after booking surgery in Turkey through one clinic where procedures have gone wrong – and where influencers themselves regret ever getting involved.
 
Producer: Kate West
Reporter: Joice Etutu
Editor: Gail Champion

(Image: Plastic surgeon marking a woman’s body for plastic surgery. Credit: Getty Images)

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