Yahoo! Shine writer Sarah B. Weir called upon my expertise as a Family Therapist to provide my reaction to the fact that cosmetic plastic surgery for children has gone up (e.g., otoplasty, moles, . . . ). Have we become an airbrushed culture to where children cannot live among us in their natural appearance? Have we become so afraid as parents of bullying that we will put our child under the knife to experience cosmetic surgery so as to stop bullying?
Are children lacking in the verbal skills to respond to another who teases them about a physical attribute they were born with? Does anyone remember the Twilight Zone TV show from years ago with the pig faces? This was back when TV was actually black and white (Ok, I have just aged myself). I am concerned that too many parents are teaching their children that they should change for others and not take pride in who they are. I invite you to read the full article that I was interviewed for, as this growing trend is concerning! Do note: I am not opposed to surgery for all children, as there are exceptions. My concern is that it is becoming way too much of a “quick fix” to something that does not need to be fixed in many children. As we are all unique in our attributes and I prefer not to see a society where we all look the same like robots. Seems like something out of a frightening Sci Fi movie to me.
I invite you to read my interview in Yahoo! Shine: Kids Under the Knife: Can Cosmetic Surgery Stop Bullying and Should it?