22 février, 2005 05:42
Thanks to Gina for sending the following article...Myrl
Plastic surgery statistics are frightening
By Becky Rosner
Published: Monday, February 21, 2005
Instead of asking mom and dad for a new car as a graduation present, young women are asking their parents for breast implants or a nose job. The plastic surgery fad is quickly sweeping our nation. It has taken over reality television and is rapidly disturbing our society.
Type the words plastic surgery into a search engine on the internet and you get everything from The Society of Plastic Surgeons to awfulplasticsurgery.com. This site features celebrities who have had plastic surgery and it went bad. The site contains pictures of many big celebrities who have had cosmetic surgeries including Tara Reid, Jessica Simpson, Lindsay Lohan and Britney Spears.
The young people around the nation are modeling themselves after these celebrities. They think it is no longer attractive to have a flat chest or a little bit of fat on their stomach. A show on MTV entitled, I Want a Famous Face, featured both men and women who wanted to undergo plastic surgery to look more like a celebrity.
There were two twins who wanted to look more like Brad Pitt, so they had nearly their whole faces reconstructed. People need to learn they should be happy as their self. Everyone is born a certain way for a reason. There is no need to ever model yourself after a Hollywood star because you think that will make you more attractive. In my opinion, that is much less attractive.
Some people get plastic surgery for other reasons. Reconstructive plastic surgery is needed for some individuals to correct problems. This kind of surgery is completely different than a breast augmentation or tummy tuck. Although some people do get these [cosmetic] surgeries to boost their self confidence, I feel there are cheaper and safer ways of going about it.
Television shows are only encouraging this behavior. A show called 'The Swan' makes ordinary people into more extravagant looking individuals. During the process they are not allowed to see themselves in a mirror. They must wait until the end when the surgery is done and they are healed to see their new body. I do not enjoy this show because I think people need to learn to accept their body. There are also plastic surgery shows on other stations.
According the American Society of Plastic Surgeons website, the number of breast augmentations increased 657 percent from 1992-2003. It also said that five times as many liposuctions were performed from 1992-2003. The site also stated, "Over 12 years, from 1992-2003, the number of cosmetic plastic surgery procedures by ASPS members has increased 424 percent." These numbers are still continually increasing.
People need to learn to accept their flaws. You need not model yourself after a famous movie star or model. Be happy with what you have, instead of stressing over what you do not have. All of the shows on television right now are doing nothing but encouraging this behavior in the young people out there watching. Instead of worrying about violence on television, maybe people should be monitoring what else their children see.
