Can't we just love who we are?
I have spoken a lot about bullying on my blog, because it is important to me. I was bullied from ages 8-18 and I hated it. I was picked on for absolutely anything that kids could find to pick on me about, and they continued to bully me all through school because I let it get to me. I would be picked on for my hair being too thick, for being to chubby, for having glasses and braces and even for being adopted. The bottom line is, kids are cruel and unfortunately, the only thing those being bullied can do about it is to stand their ground and not let it visually shake them. Easier said than done, right?
As a parent, I would not want my daughters to be bullied, since I know how it feels to be in the "out crowd", but some parents are taking it way too far. There are parents who are electing to put their kids under the knife to prevent them from being bullied. Of course, the children end up wanting the same, but do you think 6-10 year olds are really able to make their own logical decisions about having plastic surgery? Do you think these kids are 100% aware of the procedure, risks and recovery of the various surgeries?
The parents who elect to have their kids go through plastic surgery defend themselves saying that they only want the best for their kids, they want them to stop being bullied and that there are children with facial deformities going through plastic surgery every day. It's great that they want their children to not be bullied anymore, but do they think the fact that their child went through plastic surgery is going to stop that? First of all, it is letting the bully win by changing who you are. It is just showing the child that plastic surgery is ok, and it's possibly setting them up for disaster in the future. They may think that plastic surgery is the way, if they don't like something about themselves, or if someone doesn't like them. I would never change my physical image for anyone and I would never suggest that my daughters do either. In my opinion, we are who we are and we should be proud of it.
It is a hard lesson and one that many wouldn't believe at the time that they're getting bullied, but I am proof that you can get past that and you can start to feel positive about yourself and love who you are. True, I don't completely love the way I look, but I love who I am and that is what makes me ME! I wish more kids and their parents can realize that bullying is only a temporary way for the bully to feel better about themselves. They're the ones who are insecure and they're making others feel little instead of themselves, it's a shame that we feel we have to conform and risk our lives to make the bullying go away.
....But will it?
After those children get plastic surgery, would the bullying actually stop? Probably not. If a bully has a target, they will make fun of that person no matter what. Trust me, I was made fun of for the way I was dressed, so I went out with my mom and got trendier clothes. Yes, I was like the other kids, but the bullying didn't stop. I got made fun of for "trying to be cool" and when that person could no longer make fun of me for the clothes I wore, they went onto my hair, my braces, my glasses.... It is sad to say, that the kids who go through plastic surgery because of bullying probably will not have their problem solved. All that for possibly nothing...
It angers me that parents are relating elective plastic surgery to the necessity of plastic surgery for a child with a deformity. Really? There is no comparison. If a child has a deformity or was in an accident and needed plastic surgery to rebuild their lives, that is completely different than a perfectly normal child that is being bullied. It angers me even more that some of these parents are getting their children's surgery FREE from foundations that are for the child that has a tragic accident or is born needing surgery. I will just never understand because I would never put my daughter through that.
Source for my inspiration for this article: ABC News
....But will it?
After those children get plastic surgery, would the bullying actually stop? Probably not. If a bully has a target, they will make fun of that person no matter what. Trust me, I was made fun of for the way I was dressed, so I went out with my mom and got trendier clothes. Yes, I was like the other kids, but the bullying didn't stop. I got made fun of for "trying to be cool" and when that person could no longer make fun of me for the clothes I wore, they went onto my hair, my braces, my glasses.... It is sad to say, that the kids who go through plastic surgery because of bullying probably will not have their problem solved. All that for possibly nothing...
It angers me that parents are relating elective plastic surgery to the necessity of plastic surgery for a child with a deformity. Really? There is no comparison. If a child has a deformity or was in an accident and needed plastic surgery to rebuild their lives, that is completely different than a perfectly normal child that is being bullied. It angers me even more that some of these parents are getting their children's surgery FREE from foundations that are for the child that has a tragic accident or is born needing surgery. I will just never understand because I would never put my daughter through that.
Source for my inspiration for this article: ABC News
