I saw this piece on the TODAY show this morning; if you want to see the video, you can look for it on the TODAY show site.
from:
http://moms.today.com/_news/2011/05/...avoid-bullying
Quote:
Would you let your teen get plastic surgery to avoid bullying?
By Rebecca Dube
Feeling self-conscious about your appearance and getting teased for some minor imperfection is pretty much a rite of passage for every teenager. But some teens are seeking plastic surgery to avoid being bullied. Would you consider it for your child?
Aubrey Woodward, who's 13, tells TODAY she's thinking about plastic surgery to get her ears pinned back, because, she says, "it makes me feel really bad" when she gets teased about her protruding ears. "I can hold off a little longer because the teasing hasn't gotten too bad yet," she says.
Ear pin-backs are one of the most common plastic surgeries for teens, along with nose jobs and breast reductions. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says ear surgeries can be recommended for children as young as 5 -- to avoid even the potential of teasing at school.
But as psychiatrist Janet Taylor points out, plastic surgery doesn't cure bullying. Bullies are usually acting out of their own pain and insecurities, not responding in a logical manner to someone's physical appearance. If you don't get picked on for your ears or nose, maybe it'll be your name, your fashion sense -- or the fact that you got plastic surgery.
Of course, all the nice talk about loving your imperfections may feel hollow when it's your teenager coming home in tears after being teased for some minor physical flaw. Would you allow your child to get plastic surgery to avoid bullying?
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Do you think plastic surgery for teens would help them avoid bullying, or fix the problem that causes them to be teased?
I agree with the psychiatrist who said a bully will always find something to criticize, and to go so far as plastic surgery to fix some perceived imperfection is taking it a bit far, I think. Personally, I would think that a parent would prefer to exhaust all other options before shelling out for something as drastic as plastic surgery. Honestly, watching this story, and the interview with Aubrey just made me sad. Her ears are about as bad as mine were (are) in school. You get over it. Is it really worth surgery to fix something that time will ultimately fix? Bullying doesn't last, after all.
Also, I question what these kids are doing to respond to the bullies. In my experience of watching young children and adolescents, kids who are bullied are those who respond to their bully in a particular way. This response is part of what motivates the bully. Plastic surgery won't fix that problem.
What do you think?