When I grow up, I want to be plastic!

A new book has been published recently, and has reached a national level of attention. My Beautiful Mommy is a book written by Michael Salzhauer, MD, which introduces children to the idea of their parent (most likely mother) having plastic surgery. The mother in the book is a normal-looking woman seeking a tummy tuck and a nose job, with her young child learning that her mommy is going to be different…”but prettier!”

When I first read about the book in my local newspaper, I thought it might be a fluke that it was published – perhaps even a joke? A book portraying to children that cosmetic surgery is needed to become prettier sounds just as bad as children’s book that are called “Controlling the Playground: Respect through Fear" or “Daddy Drinks Because You Cry”.

Why? According to Discovery Health, over 326,00 teens (18 and under) had cosmetic surgery to correct something that made them self conscious in 2004. That same year, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons claimed that about 4,000 of those surgeries were breast augmentations. The rise of receiving this surgery as a sweet 16 or graduation gift is disturbing and not only because of the possible medical complications, according to the FDA. Women’s breasts do not stop growing until they are 22 or 23, which can lead to extreme pain for many years and the large possibility of more surgeries – which is not covered by insurance most of the time.

The reason that almost every recipient of plastic surgery seeks improvement is because they are unsatisfied with their body. I wonder how someone could be unsatisfied body in this day and age – with America’s Next Top Model as one of the top television shows, with fashion magazines barraging the “Women’s Interest” section of a magazine rack and even men are beginning to come under scrutiny for their physical appearance. According to one study by Robinson, TN et al. (2001, Stanford Journal of Pediatrics), of a study of 969 3rd graders in 13 Californian schools, 35% of girls wanted to lose weight and 26% of boys wanted to lose weight due to dissatisfaction of their body. Instead of teaching positive self-esteem, obesity prevention programs have been instigated, even so far as notifying parents that their child is considered obese – without proper measurements of weight (fat percentage, body mass, etc.).

Perhaps it is no wonder that a children’s book about plastic surgery is being published and distributed. Different body types are no longer valued by schools because of their association with obesity. The media still propagates that having a body like Victoria Beckham is ideal, but at the same time chastises it for being too thin. Celebrity blogging sites like Perez Hilton or Livejournal’s “ohnotheydidnt” community often posts pictures of celebrities with some complaint of their looks.

I’m not against all forms of cosmetic surgery, of course. Reconstruction and other types of surgeries to cover up scars or burns can be helpful for someone who never asked to endure a traumatic event. However, there is something to be said about loving the skin you’re in regardless.

In conclusion, we can say that celebrities are fair game, and that we should strive to look our best. On the other hand, our children are seeing what we do to our bodies and our faces. They may hear “You’re beautiful no matter how you look”, but they are seeing “You will never be perfect enough.”

Related Links

The Magic of Photoshop

Cosmetic Surgery Statistics

The Good Body by Eve Ensler