There was a recent story on the news about Nadia Ilse, a teenager who underwent otoplasty, rhinoplasty and a chin augmentation after being bullied at school for her looks. The story received a lot of attention from the media. RealSelf.com, a plastic surgery website, created a survey to get an inside look at how the public was responding to the news. They questioned 650 people, asking them if they would allow their children to go under the knife in order to avoid bullying.
Bullying in Mainstream America
The majority of people, 68 percent, agreed that they would allow their child to undergo plastic surgery if it were the cause of the bullying. The second part of the survey, asked what procedures the parents would be ok for their children to have. About 25 percent said they would allow their children to undergo rhinoplasty and otoplasty (ear pinning). Although I am not a parent yet, I think that I would agree for my child to undergo surgery if he or she was the subject of bullying and if my child desired the change.
Alicia Nakamoto, vice president of community and marketing for RealSelf, said…"It was interesting to see the results of how many people would allow cosmetic surgery as a possible option…Every person deserves to feel happy and confident about the way they look despite the reasons why."
Ilse was recently interviewed by ABC news and provided the news source with before and after pictures of her plastic surgery. Although Ilse has forgiven those that bullied her, she will not forget what they did and the suffering she went through.
Plastic Surgery and Bullying
In 2012, approximately 2 percent of all cosmetic procedures were performed on patients 18 years or younger. Among the most popular non-invasive treatments for those younger than 18 are acne treatments and laser hair removal. The most common surgical treatment for those 18 and younger is rhinoplasty. I personally think that parents who are thinking of having their children undergo a cosmetic procedure should have a serious and frank discussion with their children. If bullying is an issue, it may be a good idea to meet with a counselor or psychologist with experience in bullying.