(kawz.MET.ik UN.dur.klass)
n.
The class of people who can't afford, or who are afraid of, cosmetic surgery.
Example Citation:
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
Earliest Citation:
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
Notes:
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.
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New words. 2013.