tonight on "nightline," body of work. with the sagging economy, americans are spending thousands extreme measures they say will improve their resume. but can going under the knife really help you land a better and american helds hostage. home. and he may be a popular man,

sliding. tonight on "nightline," body of work. with the sagging economy, americans are spending thousands on plastic surgery. extreme measures they say will improve their resume. but can going under the knife really help you land a better job? and american h good evening, i'm cynthia mcfadden. we begin tonight with the nation's bloated unemployment rate and the extreme some people have been willing to go to to land a job. all the way to the operating room. now, we all know nearly 10% of americans are out of work, that's a 26-year high and president obama says he expects the number to go even higher. no shortage of advice for job seekers, but tonight, sharyn alfonsi probes a radical remedy. >> i work out. really big on the fitness and nutrition aspect of it. i don't see myself in the

mirror, i feel like i'm 20 years old. >> most people could kill to have this body, but he sees problems. >> yes, that drives me crazy. >> lately, smith has started to think that the little bit of fat and the deepening wrinkles might be holding him back. >> i have been out of work since last august, quite frankly. >> smith works in executive protection. acting as a bodyguard to executives and celebrities. >> i put in for a few jobs. quite frankly, a lot of jobs. they're not coming through. i'm competing with guys 15, 20 years younger than i am and i thought if i'm going to compete with these guys i better get up to par. >> are you ready to do this? >> i'm so ready, i can't stand it. >> so ed is getting a face-lift.

>> i can see the aging process here and it's giving you tiredness. >> he plans to laser off the love handles. >> you're in tremendous shape, but i can see this area here. we're going to treat your love handles here and we're going to actually take these in like that and have you more defined here. >> he's just one of a growing number of people who think getting a little work might help them to get work during a recession. >> typically the person is about 40 to 60 years old, has just recently lost their job and wants that tune-up to get that better job. >> you're going to wake up and look so much better, okay. >> plastic surgeon dr. stephen greenburg said it's a growing tend. minimally invasive surgeries like nips and tucks on the rise, 5%, despite or because of the recession. >> maria decarlo what are

looking for a job for more than a year. >> it's easy to fall into a depressive state of mind when you don't want to try anymore. i have kind of reflected an said, okay, nothing is happening right now. this might be the right time to do the surgery. >> make sure your first and last neigh -- >> hi, maria, hi are you? >> dr. greenburg is offering the job fighter package. any combination of surgeries discounted for those looking for work. >> i'm going to have you sit and do the breast markings and then stand and do the stomach tuck. >> like maria, she's decided to get a breast reduction and tummy tuck. >> we'll get you back into the job market. >> but it is going to cost her. $16,000. did you worry about spending

$16,000 -- >> well, best money i ever invested. i'm considering this a tune-up. this is the beginning of my new self. >> are you surprised that people are willing to spend money on this when they don't have a job? >> you know, it was a little surprising at the beginning. then i started to realize that people are really worried about their looks. >> she doesn't feel confident in her body, her own skin. >> you can't get a job. should your first job be getting a face-lift? >> no. in a word, no. your first move should not be getting a face-lift. >> nicole williams is a career adviser. is it better to work on the resume or the wrinkles? >> let's be frank, it is definitely best to work on the resume, but at the same time, we are in a very aesthetically oriented society. that is the truth of it. so to pretend like it doesn't

matter actually does a disservice. of course looks matter. >> in fact, study after study shows what most people suspect. young and good looking people have it easier. and are perceived as more valuable in the workplace. unfair, yes, but ed says he's experiencing it firsthand and he's fighting back. what about those who say the lines give you character? >> good, that's for the young people. >> it breaks them up and lets the fat seep out. >> we're going to target the midsection and love handles. >> dr. yan trokel will target the flab and then perform a nonsurgical procedure called a wide lift. >> road mapping you out. we're going to give you a little numbing medicine. a little bit of stinging. >> grand total -- $12,000. >> i know people who dye their

hair, you know, spend a fortune on wardrobe. the investal is i'm going to win it over ten fold easily. have a couple of jobs i know they're coming up. i asked them if i can hold off submitting the resume with the photos -- >> you'll get new photos done -- >> because his aren't surgical, he doesn't have any down time. a few days later -- the doctor checks on those love handles. >> four days, he's lost three inches. i can't believe it. >> he still has more laser sessions to go. >> look at this. >> these were tight on me. >> but he's already applied for jobs. >> i went ahead and took a digital of myself. he called me about 12 hours later and said, you've got the job, get ready to leave. so already i realized my investment back easily. >> meanwhile, it's been a month

and i'm feeling renewed and invigorated, i believe. >> maria decarlo is still recovering from her breast lift. >> look at my waist. >> and tummy tuck. >> i feel healthier and lighter. i feel better about myself. as the old saying goes, a wait has been lifted off my shoulders and my back, literally. >> but one problem still hasn't been fixed. maria still hasn't found a job. >> i think the economy is going to pick up again, maybe ten months down the road. i'll find something. >> still, she insists she has no regrets about plunking down $16,000 on her surgeries. >> it was the best money i ever meant. i made an investment in myself and i'm very happy. >> so is ed smith, the bodyguard now convinced that in a tough economy one of the best tools in the job market might just be in the hand of a plastic surgeon.

for "nightline" in sharyn alfonsi in new york. >> desperate times, desperate measures. when we come back, we'll turn from the economy to war and the small town of an american soldier being helds to dama-- h hostage by the taliban. ame is c. and my dog bailey and i love to hang out in the kitchen... so she can watch me cook. you just love the aromas of beef tenderloin... and, ooh, rotisserie chicken. yes, you do. [ barks ] yeah. you're so special, you deserve a very special dog food. [ woman ] introducing chef michael's canine creations. the deliciously different way to serve up your love at mealtime. chef-inspired. dog-desired. chef michael's canine creations.

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a roadside bomb killed four american troops today in afghanistan, bringing the number of u.s. casualties in july to 30. the deadliest month since the war began. meanwhile, the search continues for private first class bowe bergdahl, who was taken hostage by the taliban. a video shows the soldier pleading for his freedom and in an idaho town, families and friends have rallied together, anxious for his safe return.

laura marquez is there with our report. >> this was the scene in the small town of haley, idaho, yellow ribbons up and down main street, residents trying to show share support of bowe bergdahl and his family. >> [ inaudible ]. he's a young man and we want to see him come back home. >> it's difficult to hide the emotions when one of their own is in peril. >> scared that i won't be able to go home. it is very unnerving to be a prisoner. >> the defense department says the 23-year-old soldier left his base june 30. how or why is unclear. he ended up in captivity of the taliban. which posted this video of the young american on the internet. >> to my fellow americans, i have loved ones over here who know what it's like to miss them. you have the power to make our government bring them home.

please, please bring us home. >> secretary of state hillary clinton was outraged by what she saw. >> it's a real sign of desperation and inappropriate criminal behavior on the parts of these terrorist groups. so we are going to do everything we can to get him. we obviously studied the video that we saw of him very carefully. >> finding bergdahl has now become the military's mission. >> i deplore the exploitation of him, having been with the forces and in fact to our -- to conducting our operations to recover him or to find him is -- they are extensive, vast, they're on it 24/7. >> hope for a town on edge. what kind of a town is it? >> it's a close knit town. >> mayor rick davis was born in

haley and has lived here all his life. when you first heard about the kidnapping of bowe, what was your response? >> speechless. somber. what can we do? as a community, what can i do? and right now, it's just kind of standing by. although as you can see with the yellow ribbons some of the community's already figured out some way of showing support which i think is way cool. >> the local coffee shop where bergdahl once worked has become the community's place go for any word. did you know bowe? >> absolutely. >> the sign in the window saying what everyone is praying for. >> we had calls from as far away as jamaica, people asking what they can do, what they can send. >> sue barton owns the coffee shop and knows bowe and his

family we family as well. >> did you see the video? >> i saw small parts of it. >> is that the bowe that you know? >> well, his voice was the most recognizable aspect of what i saw. >> the bowe martin knows is an adventurer, an athlete, a ballet dancer. >> he's very athletic and strong, so ballet is a natural fit in that regard. but he did take a lot of pressure for being a young man of ballet. so everybody was joking with him continually about it until this picture came out in the local paper and he's surrounded by beautiful young men and it became very clear why he went to every practice. >> the family is in seclusion, but asked the sheriff to read their words. >> we are overwhelmed with the outpouring of support and concern toward bowe and our family. this situation is extremely difficult for everyone involved. we'd like to remind all of you

that our sole focus seeing our beloved son bowe safely home. >> bergdahl's identity became public just this past weekend when the video surfaced, but many in the small town of 7,000 knew he has been captured for more than a week and never said a word. does it surprise that the town was able to keep this secret? >> no. it's nobody's business. i don't want this out. it doesn't get out. and that's -- that's another thing that makes this community very special. that we respect each other and we want to help each other in any way we can. but until we're told which way we're going to just be there. and wait. >> and that may be the hardest part for this town. as they wait for what they hope will be the safe return of bowe bergdahl. laura marquez for "nightline," haley, idaho. >> thanks to laura marquez. two sources actively involved in

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>> there was a time not too long ago when walking down the sidewalk with your portable music player meant breaking your back. a time when listening to heavy metal meant you actually had to lift heavy metal. >> what do you suppose that thing weighs? >> i think we're in a good 20 pounds here. yeah. this is sdf not something for long distance running. >> boom boxes. those cumbersome radios from the '80's. >> got over 40 in my collection. i keep a small number out. >> a new york city photographer is on the forefront of a boom box, and big ones and even big ones. some with bad graphics. some with bad parts. ♪

>> this is how you plug an ipod player into them now. >> we all loved boom boxes. they were everywhere. in hair band videos on mtv and on "the fresh prince of bel air". and on the big screen from "batman". ♪ to "do the right thing". ll cool j sang about his in krush groove. ♪ ♪ i like it loud, i'm a man with the box that can rock the crowd ♪ >> and john cusack professed his love with one in "say anything". ♪ >> yeah, yeah, you can even make love tapes, you know? i think there's plenty of guys walking the street who remember making a mixed tape for a girl or they hit a song in the middle that really meant something of the relationship.

>> fab five freddy is a movie director and producer, perhaps recognizable in blondie's song "rapture". he knows a thing or two about boom boxes. his was put on display at the smithsonian, next to judy garland's rudy red slippers. >> hey, fab, your box son display at the smithsonian. i was looking for my boom box. >> was there a certain swagger you had to have to look cool? >> it was determined by musculature -- >> so i couldn't carry one off? >> well, you wouldn't want one too big or too heavy, but -- if you wanted one, you can lug it around. >> madonna dusted one off in a

recent video. and come to think of it, lady ga gaga. ♪ in fact, 20 years after boom boxes began disappearing, suddenly they're everywhere again. there's one in this evian commercial complete with break dancing babies. boom boxes are making a comeback. could it be because they bring back some good memories? lyle thinks so. he's writing a book about them. >> i think with the turmoil in the world, people are looking back to a touch stone in their memory, hey, a boom box put a smile on my face back in the mid or late '80's i'll get one to make my summer worthwhile. >> he's building up his collection. boom boxes that cost a hundred dollars a few decades ago run up

to a thousand dollars. it kind of makes me wish i held on to mine. i'm jerry hubbard for "nightline" in new york. >> jeremy hubbard reporting. when we come back, is president obama losing support when he needs it the most? the most recent poll numbers coming up.