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Like most mothers who have nursed, I have, occasionally, wondered what reconstructive surgery would do for my cleavage. However, I can honestly say that I never had those thoughts when I was a teenager. Back then, teens didn't get plastic surgery as birthday or graduation gifts. Besides, my parents would have never given me the permission I presume a 17 year-old would need to have breast augmentation surgery. And for that, I am grateful. Reading this article is just so sad. This young girl had everything to live for. She was both an accomplished gymnast and a straight 'A' student who was looking forward to entering a pre-med program after graduation this summer. On top of that, she was beautiful and loved by many. What a senseless death!
Unfortunately, all of our daughters are at risk of being seduced by this rampant cult of beauty, body and perfection. And it's not just teens and tweens that are being targeted. Just check out the latest website craze for 9 to 16 year olds, called "Miss Bimbo",, a virtual fashion game in which girls play (and pay) to help their "bimbo" lose weight, get plastic surgery, or meet a wealthy man. I know it sounds unbelievable, but it's true AND popular. According to this article, the site has already attracted more than 1.4 million members in France and 200,000 in England.
Thankfully, outrage is spreading and parents are beginning to speak out against this website. However, the website creators (all men, go figure) stand by their "product".
In a world where Bratz dolls dressed like sexy street-walkers are considered appropriate toys for little girls and plastic surgery passes for television entertainment, should we really be all that surprised that girls are getting mixed and dangerous messages about their self-worth?
Channel surfing yesterday, I caught a couple minutes of "spring break" on MTV. Apparently, pole dancing has become a spring-break activity since my own co-ed party days at Arizona State University. It's only a small step from the MTV dance stage to a debut on a "girls gone wild" video that will forever haunt these college grads.
My heart goes out to the family of the young teen who died in this operation. And while I do not condone her parent's decision to let her go under the knife, I have to admit that in the toxic environment our girls swim in everyday, it is becoming increasingly difficult for even good parents to convince their daughters that there is more to them than their bodies and that the quest to be "hot" is not worth dying for.
Note: I have changed the title of this post to reflect a more accurate description of the surgery. Hopefully, the following statement will help clarity the intent of the post and my position on the subject.
Hi Everyone! It's me, Rachel. You are all right that the title of
the post is misleading, and for that I apologize.
While the comments regarding women being responsible for their
decisions are true, we are not talking about a "woman", we're talking
about a teen. The point of my post is that our culture/media are
sending a disturbing message to young, vulnerable girls that physical
perfection is a means for achieving "self-esteem" and "acceptance" and
our girls are hearing this message loud and clear. Unfortunately,
this message is sometimes reenforced by good and well-intentioned
parents.
Yes, this was a rare reaction to anesthesia; and yes, she could have
died some time in the future in the dental office, as some have
mentioned. Nonetheless, she died this past week, at the tender age
of 17, in an elective surgery to improve the appearance of her
breast.
Re-reading my post, I can see how my message was lost. And if many of
you say that it was too harsh, I will certainly take that into
consideration in future posts. However, I stand by the intent of
the post which is to say that our daughters deserve to be told by the
adults in their lives that self-esteem and self-worth are not found
in the exterior. They are discovered through achievement, something
this young lady sadly had in spades.
Thanks for all your posts. Me and the column are better for it!
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 2)
3-26-2008 @ 3:55PM
MissKat said...Uh...did we read the same article? It said she died of a rare complication...and her surgery was to correct a couple problems, not to give her huge boobs.
Reply
4-01-2008 @ 12:41AM
brian said...what parents need to know is that until your kid reaches about 23 their brain is not fully developed and cannot realize the full concequenses of all actions, so the parents should have had their minor checked for every thing before taking a chance. If they had the money for this kind of surgery, why not get the girl counselling to ensure she was well adjusted and happy with herself, what teen is happy with their body at that age?
3-26-2008 @ 3:57PM
Kristine S. said...I think you need to rethink your position after getting all the facts. This young lady was not getting implants for vanity. She was undergoing surgery to correct an inverted areola and to reduce one breast to make the unevenness of size less apparent.
Furthermore, she dies because of a VERY rare reaction to anesthesia. She would have died in ANY type of surgery requirnig anesthesia.
Less sensationalism and more reality please!
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 4:07PM
Jennifer said...Here is my problem with your headline:
1. Yes, she was getting a boob job but it was NOT an enhancement. She had asymmetrical breasts (meaning one could be an A cup and the other a C cup) and inverted nipples. She was having surgery to correct this. She was not looking for bigger boobs. Can you even imagine what having breasts that were 2 different sizes could do to a girl's self esteem? (And as a gymnast she would not have been able to hide the difference in sizes.)
2. The boob job did not kill her. She had a rare medical condition which is hard to diagnose and treat. This condition made her sensitive to anesthesia which caused her death. Had she been undergoing an appendectomy she still would have died from the reaction.
Do I think that the present culture puts too much emphasis on beauty and being a bimbo? YES!!!!!!!! I can only hope that I will raise my daughter to see that being beautiful comes from the inside and that brains and intelligence are true gifts.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 4:07PM
isisaquaria said...Could we have a better title? She was a teen getting a reconstuctive surgery of the breast--had this been a truly valid posting-you wouldn't have used "Boob job" to get attention.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 4:30PM
JenniferW said...I agree with all the previous posters on your sensationalist, harsh tone in this post. I doubt she was doing it just 'to be hot' as you put it. I'm sure you remember how mean teen girls can be when you're different. How can you judge a mother for wanting her daughter to look 'normal'?
Also, when I was a teen in the 80's, the other girls were getting nose jobs as bday gifts. Last time I checked that was plastic surgery. So by saying they didn't get it done isn't really true either. The difference was that no one talked about it.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 5:00PM
veggiewarrior said...Wow. I hope you aren't calling yourself a journalist.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 5:33PM
Diane said...20 years ago, when I was 18 years old, I looked into plastic surgery to correct my asymmetrical breasts (depending on my weight, up to 2 cup sizes different!). As a teenager, I was devistated by this difference. We could not afford the surgery and that was the only reason I did not have it done. It's stories like this one that make me think twice about having surgery, but I would still ultimately like to have it done. I agree with the other commenters that your headline and story missrepresented the facts and I think you owe your readers an apology.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 6:26PM
Jen Henry said...I agree with the previous comments regarding the sensationalism of this headline and harsh tone.
I do believe that it's sad when young girls feel the need to resort to cosmetic surgeries to make their bodies beautiful. But I also realize that there are many legitimate reasons for cosmetic surgery as well.
I had a friend in college that sought breast reduction surgery after consultation with her family and doctor after being in severe pain all the time from sheer weight and size of breasts. Her surgery relieved her of daily pain, and helped her feel better psychologically.
Jen
http://furoreandfrenzy.com
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 6:48PM
Mel said...You know, when I saw this headline on another news site, I immediately jumped over here to see the the idiotic treatment this story would surely receive from a PD writer. Get over yourself Rachel. Women are not victims, and treating them as such is about as anti-feminist as you can get. Some women choose to have boobs jobs - this is a legitimate choice, not one brought forth by the ridiculous anti-male sentiment you spew. Sorry you think women are too suggestible and weak to make their own choices. It's always interesting to me when the plastic surgery converstio devolves into a "men make us do it" whine. We're just improving ourselves, right? Expressing our individuality? Isn't this what the sexual revolution was all about? The bleeding-hearts are deluded on this issue: on one hand they cry about women being able to express their sexuality; when women choose to express it through physicality, all of a sudden it becomes all "the male/media juggernaut made me do it."
The bitter tone of this article makes me wonder what in the world people have against boob jobs - perhaps someone had a botched job??
By the way, Rachel, you fit in perfectly here; I'm sure you will keep this job for a long time to come.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 7:23PM
Sam said...As to the article cited: another year or two and the very same thing would likely have happened when she got her wisdom teeth removed. And, as others have pointed out, she was not having a breast augmentation. You do nothing but hurt your own cause when you blatantly run with false facts - for all the valid points you might have made, you just come off looking foolish.
Reply
3-26-2008 @ 8:21PM
jay... said...The other commentors said exactly what I was thinking and feeling. It is OBVIOUS that she was not getting a "boob job" out of vanity. Imagine how her parents may feel upon hearing that people may be portraying her as a materialistic bimbo. NOT the case here! Your title is very misleading and shows how insensitive you are.
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 10:02AM
k10 said...Rachel- I am usually on the same page as you regarding most things however this post was so off and focused on the total wrong thing. This has nothing to do with what type of surgery she had as the article states "the condition is triggered by anesthesia" so ANY type of surgery could have killed her. As a regular reader of your blog I didn't appreciate the misleading title or post.
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 10:42AM
Jessica said...Did you even read the article you linked to?
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 10:44AM
Jessica said...No, women are not victims. They are adults and responsible 100% for their decisions.
BUT, it is possible for GIRLS to be victims in this sense, which is what I believe Rachel was referring to.
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 10:45AM
Jessica said...No, women are not victims. They are adults and responsible 100% for their decisions.
BUT, it is possible for GIRLS to be victims in this sense, which is what I believe Rachel was referring to.
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 10:46AM
Jessica said...DAMMIT! This is supposed to be a reply to the comments of Mel but it won't reply--grrrr.
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 11:32AM
SKL said...I wonder also why you refer to the girl as a "cheerleader" instead of "honor student."
How exactly does ParentDish compute the compensation of the bloggers here? I know it's none of my business (and I really don't expect an answer), but I can't help wondering what motivates some of the headlines and content. Honestly, it is sad to see intelligent, thoughtful people lowering themselves to this level. It is ten times sadder to see it done at the expense of grieving parents who obviously did a lot of things right and are nevertheless devastated now.
Reply
3-27-2008 @ 1:34PM
isisaquaria said...Apparently, SKL they have started to shift the content from intelligent to nauseating. While I did have the choice not to read this, I was curious when I saw who was handling it--and I was horrified by the title and the whole post--just like everyone else. Luckliy, others maintain dignity in the posts here.
RCD-you missed it with this one
3-27-2008 @ 2:51PM
Cindy said...Ditto to all the comments that ripped into you Rachel. God forbid someone actually listen to your drivel. What a joke.
Reply