Plastic Surgery Article

Abstract: We all see the actresses and scary women with plastic surgery. The ones we mock and always tease. Although many of us see plastic surgery as a joke, nearly 210,000 teens between the ages of 13 and 19, used cosmetic surgery to reshape themselves in 2009. This article explains the most common procedures for teens are breast augmentations and nose jobs. Teens who have had a breast augmentation explain the pain will be worth it. This article is shocking and really makes us look at American society.

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think many teens will regret getting their cosmetic procedures in the future?

2. What role do parents play in teenage plastic surgery?

3. What makes plastic surgery so controversial?

4. Aside from low self-esteem, what else triggers teens to turn to plastic surgery?

5. Why do you think a nose job is a popular procedure?

6. By adjusting ones body to meet women stereotypes, do you think teens self esteem problems are being fixed?

Annika's Response: This article was really interesting to me because it is just so crazy. I think that many of the teens that get plastic surgery will regret it in the future. I think teenagers need to remember that these are "awkward years" in which they are still growing into their bodies. Parents who permit plastic surgery need to give positive reinforcement to their children, and not let them use their low self-esteem to get what they want. Thinking that teenagers are allowed to get plastic surgery also suggests a change in society. It is also shocking that in order to achieve the image of beauty in the media, teens need to turn to an expensive plastic surgery procedure.

Megan's Response: This article was actually shocking to me because I never really knew that so many teens were getting plastic surgery these days. For a long time plastic surgery wasn't seen as something to be proud of. "fake boobs" were something most people looked down upon. However, now it seems like these adjustments are seen as attractive and necessary for women. What was also surprising to me was seeing how parents are permitting these surgeries. While i do understand their concerns for their daughters low self esteem issues, it is sending a message that a adjusting ones body to meet the standards of others will make it better.