It was a broken nose caused by a fall during rehearsal that led the King of Pop, Michael Jackson, to get his first nose job after he reached his 20′s. Today, kids as young as 9 and 14-years old are getting plastic surgery for a different reason: bullying.
The most recent case surrounds 14-year-old Nadia Ilse of Georgia who had been asking her mother since the age of 10 to let her have surgery to get her ears pinned back. In school, Ilse was referred to as “Dumbo” by her peers””bullying that she says caused her to change from her “talkative self” into a “shy and antisocial” girl.
Her wish for a new appearance became a reality when her mother contacted the Little Baby Face Foundation, a charity that provides free corrective surgery to children born with facial deformities.
“We like to say that Baby Face transforms the lives of these children and gives them newfound confidence,” Little Baby Face board member, Don Moriarity said.
Ilse’s surgery began as an otoplasty to get her ears pinned back and ended up being what would have cost an estimated $40,000 to get her chin and nose done as well. In an interview with CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta, Ilse shares her post-surgery views of herself.
“I feel a lot better emotionally and physically because I can now breath better and I feel better about myself.” After being shown before and after pictures, Ilse says, “Before, all I see is my ears and my nose and my chin. On the after, I don’t see so much problem with the ears and I can finally, actually see how beautiful my eyes are.”
Ilse will start counseling soon to help overcome the years of distress caused by bullying to complete her transition.
Read the complete article on the Huffington Post.
What is the underlying issue here? Is it the use of plastic surgery to overcome bullying or the continuous acts of bullying, itself? Would you allow your child to have plastic surgery? If so at what age?
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