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More handpicked essays just for you.
Pressure on girls to have perfect bodies
Health risks of teenagers having cosmetic surgery
Should teens be allowed cosmetic surgery
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Recommended: Pressure on girls to have perfect bodies
Were you ever one of the few children that were constantly teased about your body-image? Were you the girl that would stuff your bra with tissues or something that made your breast were fuller? Or maybe had thoughts of having a similar body as a model you would get far in life? Many of us have experienced being teased of our bodies in some form and many teens are experiencing the similar embarrassments. Quite a few teens are able to overcome these rude remarks and continue on with a successful life. Unfortunately, for other teens it’s the other way around. Some teens are unable to ignore the remarks and began making risky decisions to change their image. Most teens believe their body should match a models body-image, and if it does then you should be accepted into the social society. Therefore, teens are having cosmetic surgery thinking their lives will change and all the risk they are taking. Cosmetic surgery isn’t the answer to fix teens self-esteem or make them popular because it will only last a short minute. In their future the surgery they had will most likely cause serious health problems. Teens are getting hypnotized into images of celebrities and are basically told that’s the way they should appear. Watching some reality shows gives some teens the idea that they should “coke bottle shape”. For example, in the show Flavor of Love or Rock of Love these men gave most of the women nicknames basic off their body parts. Of course, the women with the perfect body would get most of their attention. Whereas, other teens may watch America’s Next Top Model get the idea that they should be thin, highly in shape, and have a perfect facial appearance. The Swan was a reality series that took unattractive women and offer them cosmetic ... ... middle of paper ... ... doesn’t change who they are or make them popular for the right reasons. There are alternative ways to improving them self-esteem other than cosmetic surgery. The types of cosmetic surgery teens are looking into come with many risks and they should be greatly informed with the facts about the operations. These teens need physical and positive support from the people around them. The parents that are volunteering pay for the cosmetic surgeries as a gift also need to do background research on what their child is interested in getting. So, before making a final decision teens should think clearly and carefully about the options. This decision should not take time to make and not be a rush. Teens also need to understand what they see on television, movies, or posters of models aren’t always real and most images are edited before every being posted for the world to see.
If a teenager or pre-teen is focused on particular celebrities and their goal is too look like them, it is not difficult to slip into acting like them as well, or at least being influenced by their behavior and perceived attitudes. The media abounds with bad examples of celebrity behavior, from Justin Bibber driving recklessly to Miley Cyrus parading around scantily clothed, and although every celebrity is not a terrible role model, a disproportionate amount of them can be found to have shaky morals and seem to have let the attention that they receive affect their behavior. In addition, the perfect bodies that most of them display are not realistic and in some cases not even naturally attainable, thanks to the modern tools of plastic surgery, augmentations, liposuction, and other cosmetic surgeries. The media too contributes to the unreal portrayal of models and famous people by using airbrushing on pictures and other editing that lead regular people to compare their bodies to images that are not even humanly possible. The Barbie-like models that girls compare themselves to and the ripped and muscled men that boys compare their bodies to are often completely unnatural and the people who have somehow attained them are,
Societal constructs of bodily perfection have a massive influence on both genders and on all ages. If you look at any magazine, you will see women constantly being compared to each other, whether it is in the “who wore it better” section or in the “do’s and don’ts” part of the magazine, comparing body images and overall appearances. All parts of the media that encompasses our daily lives are especially dangerous for young and impressionable teens because they see people being torn down for trying to express themselves, and are thus taught to not only don’t look like “don’ts”, but also look like the “do’s”. This is dangerous in that women in the magazine set very high standards that teens want to emulate, no matter the cost to themselves or their health. Celebrities have the benefit of media to make them appear perfect: Photoshop and makeup artists conceal the imperfections that are often too apparent to the naked eye. Viewing celebrities as exhibiting the ideal look or as idols will, in most cases, only damage the confidence of both young teens, and adults, and warp the reality of what true “beauty” really is. It makes teens never feel truly content with themselves because they will be aiming for an ideal that is physically impossible to attain and one that doesn’t exist in the real
Teenagers take extreme measures in order to “fix” themselves (by having Plastic surgery). Plastic Surgery is a surgical process used to repair deformities and glitches in a persons body. Nowadays, teenagers tend to have plastic surgeries to improve physical characteristics they feel are flawed and/or to fit in with peers, to look similar to others. In fact, it is only the pressure that has been put upon these minors that makes them want to look flawless or perfect in order to feel comfortable in their own skin and avoid any unwanted judgments. Most teenagers are not mature enough to clearly understand the problems and consequences that are accompanied with cosmetic surgery. Therefore, cosmetic surgery should not be allowed for minors.
The media has had an increasingly destructive effect on young people who are becoming worryingly obsessed with their body image. The media is saturated in sexual imagery in which young people have to face every day. The sheer volume of sexual imagery in the media today has resulted in the vast majority of young people to become hooked on looking as near to perfection everyday by using the latest products and buying the latest fashions. This used to be enough but lately the next step to achieving perfection is cosmetic surgery. Everyone wants to look attractive, especially teenagers who are not only put under massive strain to succeed but to look beautiful and climb the ranks of the social ladder, and it seems that the only way to achieve the much desired beauty is to turn to drastic measures.
Our media continues to flood the marketplace with advertisements portraying our young teens much older than their age. Woman’s body images have been the focus of advertising for generations. However, now the focus is more directed to the younger teenage girls instead of woman. Young girls are often displayed provocatively while eating messy triple decker hamburgers, or sipping a diet sodas on an oversized motorcycles. As a result, young teens are dressing older than their age, trying to compete with this ideal media image. By allowing younger girls and teens to be portrayed as grown woman in advertisements, our teens are losing their young innocence. With society’s increasing tolerance, this epidemic will continue to exploit our young daughters, sisters and friends. Young teens feel an enormous amount of pressure to obtain the ‘ideal’ perfect body. Trying to emulate the advertisements seen in the media and magazines. As a result, more girls and woman are developing eating disorders. Media can no longer dictate how our young teenage girls should look.
To many, the notion of a teenager undergoing plastic surgery is appalling and unbelievable. For others, such as eleven-year-old Julia, a nose job was able to help her lead a happier and more normal life. To eighteen-year-old Kristen a breast augmentation is a traditional rite of passage of the family. She claims that she “just wanted to look normal,” and that after surgery, she does. (Sweeny, 2009) In these types of cases, cosmetic surgery can be beneficial to the confidence of teenagers in what Ann Kearney-Cooke calls “an epidemic of low self-esteem among girls.” (Sweeney, 2009) Whether it is a physical deformity, such as protruding ears, or simply a lack of something that other peers have, such as large breasts, cosmetic surgery can help teenagers cope with self-worth in a world where beauty is ridiculously selective. However, aside from the confidence-boosting possibilities resulting from teen cosmetic surgery, there are many reasons why it should not be taken lightly for an adolescent. Although cosmetic surgery can potentially be beneficial, there are also many extreme risks for teenagers, including medical complications and in some rare cases death, and thus should be solely a last resort after meticulous analysis for serious cases. Furthermore, neither the adolescent brain nor body is even fully developed.
In recent times, plastic surgery has steadily increased over the years and more young adults are beginning to get cosmetic surgery. Many people use plastic surgery as a way to reinvent their physical appearance. However, the main question is why do people want to change their physical characteristics. The reason is that media has made it a norm because young adults are exposed to it at an earlier stage. For example, television personalities like Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian have gone through breast implants, lip injections, and BOTOX. Although, the Kardashian’ s get plastic surgery on their own bodies, when young viewers watch them they could begin to have the misconception that they need to get the same surgery in order to look “beautiful”
Flipping through the pages of Vogue's latest edition, 23 year-old Susan seems quite upset. She struggles with the thought of lacking the perfect body and delicate features in order to be considered attractive. Surprisingly, Susan is not alone in this kind of an internal struggle. In contemporary society, every other woman aspires to have the lips of Angelina Jolie and the perfect jaw line of Keira Knightley. Society today looks down upon individuals that do not fit in, whether in terms of body shape or facial attractiveness. This forces them to consider the option of 'ordering beauty.' Since cosmetic surgery is no longer a social taboo in America given its widespread popularity, more people are promoting it which ultimately affects the rest of the world due to the unwavering influence of American culture. Cosmetic surgery should be deterred in the US because it promotes the idea of valuing appearance over ability, gives rise to unrealistic expectations, and brings with it high cost to society.
Clearly, there is a necessity to curtail the cases of teenagers suffering from body image pressures immediately (Kennedy, 2010). If there are no pressures, there will be surely no obsession with their appearance and there will be certainly no more risks of young women’s health and rise in serious eating disorders.
Plastic surgery has been around since 800 BC. Many adults have considered such procedures as a benefit for themselves; however, would you allow your teenager to consider it to mask their flaws? According to the American Society of Plastic Surgery, nearly 210,000 cosmetic surgery procedures were performed on teenagers 13-19 in 2009 (Thompson). Low self-esteem has led some teens to choose plastic surgery as a boost for confidence. This should not be considered an option for teens without knowing the consequences it can lead to.
Today’s news is always gossiping about “Who got the latest nose job,” and everyone at home is thinking plastic surgery is unnecessary. Although celebrities have taken plastic surgery to a whole new level, it does not mean it is unnecessary. Plastic surgery has spiked in the past few years for teenage girls. There are many examples of young teens going though plastic surgery for birth defects, breast reductions, and many more helpful procedures (The Nemours Foundation). Therefor plastic surgery is vital to teens by improving their self-esteem along with short and long term health.
They may not like the way they look in the mirror, so they want to look like someone else. Watching media and the environment all influence body image problems. When some teenagers see their friends around them and all the supermodels and stars on TV with their perfect bodies and skin, teenagers want to look like them. Often adolescents are associated with extreme behaviors and are engaging in practices that could be called dangerous.
In 2012, over 236,000 teenagers from the ages of 13-19 years old, went "under the syringe" to have a cosmetic procedure done (Gilbert, Web). Teenagers should never be able to have cosmetic surgeries because of the harmful effects the procedures have. Teenage minds and bodies are not fully developed until they are in their early twenties. Therefore, doctors are unable to fully comprehend the risks these procedures will have on the teenagers, since their bodies are still changing. Cosmetic surgeries are nearly impossible to predict the health risks of and the affects they will have on the still developing bodies of teenagers. Teenagers who get a cosmetic procedure done are not having it done to look normal, but to look better than what they think the average teenager should look like. Teenagers are oblivious to the documented health risks that follow these cosmetic procedures. While teenagers believe they should be able to have these harmful procedures done, they do not know the full extent of the risks they are taking and the negative effects it can have on their bodies.
Teenagers constantly worry about their body image. Magazines, newspapers, and television don’t exactly help to boost their confidence. The portrayal of stick thin woman and body building men forces teens to believe they need to achieve that “perfect” body and look. The biggest issue of these images being broadcasted to teens is the effects that the images have on them. Teenagers who obsess over their body image can experience stress due to trying to impress others, develop an eating disorder, and neglect, and even jeopardize, important aspects of their lives when they focus too much on their body image.
As cosmetic surgery can improve the overall mental and physical well being of a person, and increasing self confidence and self esteem. The world of cosmetic surgery is portrayed through media and our favourite celebrities, showing men and women that it is okay to change the body or face they came into the world with. Cosmetic surgery will continue to increase in the number of individuals that receive surgery to fix their