Sunday, February 15, 2015

When Plastic Surgery Meets the Younger Generation

Last week, I talked a bit about my opinions on the issue of plastic surgery in today's society. At this point I was really only thinking about these operations being performed on those who were of legal age. Never had the thought crossed my mind that children could undergo plastic surgery. To be honest, I feel that this is the point when plastic surgery has gone too far.
First and foremost, I am not saying that children who have scars, deformities, or a defect that causes them physical discomfort should not be allowed to undergo plastic surgery. When the surgery is genuinely benefitting the individual from a health standpoint, I am really not bothered by it. The second the surgery becomes strictly cosmetic, that is when I start to feel uncomfortable. I really struggle with being complacent with "children" being able to get breast implants or rhinoplasties when they are so young they still need their parents' approval.
For example, in class, we watched a video of a young lady who was unhappy with the size of her chest. Because of this, she desperately wanted to get breast implants, regardless of how young she was. Strangely enough, he parents were highly supportive. I tried to keep in mind that she was a high school student and probably would not be developing anymore. Also noted, her mother had breast implants and fully supported the idea that they truly changed her life. This situation did not bother me that much, but it still left an unsettling feeling in my stomach. 
The situation that really bothered me was the young women who wanted breast reductions simply because they wanted to remove the unwanted attention they faced from having largely developed chests at young ages. First of all, there are no guarantees that these young women will be happy with this decision years down the road. They won’t always face the judgment and unwanted attention that they are receiving in middle and high school. Regardless of this, these young girls should not have to change their appearances to feel comfortable. The individuals presenting this judgment and criticism are the ones who should have to stop. By allowing these young girls to undergo plastic surgery at such a young age, their parents are almost condoning the behavior of the others that is making the girls so uncomfortable in the first place (I am going to avoid discussing this so as not to get off on a tangent or anything).

The last situation I want to talk about is the scenario where the parents had the growth of their daughter stunted so that she would remain a child forever, strictly because she had the mental capacity of a 3 month old infant. I understand the parents’ intention, but personally, I would be torn. There was no confirmation that the child would never fully mentally develop. This could potentially mean that they stunted the growth of a child who could one day reach a higher mentally capacity than their visual appearance. This type of plastic surgery and body alteration is one that will always be up in the air as to whether or not it is acceptable.

1 comment:

  1. I too wonder and question the parents of teen girls who seek out plastic surgery. I also question the surgeons as well.

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