THE ETHICS OF AESTHETICS: THE MARKETING OF BEAUTY IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY
(A2026-134255)

AUTHORS

Bernd Schmitt, Columbia Business School; Shuyi Hao, ICN Business School, Paris & CEREFIGE, University of Lorraine, France

ABSTRACT

Commercial aesthetic transformations, ranging from plastic surgery procedures to minimally invasive treatments like Botox to non-invasive enhancements like ultrasound and cool sculpting treatments, are widely available in global beauty markets and driven by large‑scale marketing and digital platforms. While these services may enhance self‑expression, they also raise ethical concerns for consumer protection. This paper conceptualizes the body as an embodied subject, signaling medium, and positional asset to consider ethical concerns and consumer protection through deontological, utilitarian, virtue‑based, and justice‑oriented ethics. We argue for managerial and policy guidelines for an ethical and moral—yet creatively open—view of aesthetic transformation in the digital age.