It APPEARS to be Changing

It APPEARS to be Changing

Sadly children and teenagers have recently been modifying their appearance more due to recognition to physical flaws and access to surgeries and products. This topic is very moving. People have been judged based on their appearance since the start of man kind, but now it seems to be becoming more of an issue than ever.

                Appearances begin to be shaped at a young age. A survey done by Chase and Drummer in the late 1990’s states, boys and girls ranging from ages 8 to 13 ranked “being good looking” as the second most important attribute to having a “cool” appearance in school. In 1976 Buchanan et al. surveyed fourth through sixth graders, and they said that “being good looking” is the third most important attribute to looking cool. This shows that kids want to look good more than be smart or make money. Through these two decades, thoughts on appearance changed.

                During the 1980’s 70 % of boys were self conscious about their acne. Only 40 %, however, modified their appearance using pills and products. Now, however, 65 % of boys with acne use medications and pills such as Accutane(kidshealth.org). Some kids are even getting surgery to change something like their nose or small chest. In 2010 219,000 plastic surgeries were preformed on people from ages 13 to 16. Parents are also behind this, which in my opinion is not good because parents are supposed to support their kids in every way. Being supportive of a kid getting a surgery to change their appearance touches on the fact that the parent doesn’t think the kid is good looking. This shows less support of a parent. I do not agree with children going into these extremes to fix their appearance.

Is it Good Looking?

Is it Good Looking?

            Some people believe that altering the appearance of a young teenager through surgery or other cosmetics is a promising idea. Adeena Babbit says, “[Nose Reshaping] is recommended for 14 to 15 year old children because it is best to do it when the nose in 90 percent grown. It also helps the patient feel more comfortable and accepted in their life.” Many agree with Adeena Babbit because they think that if a teenager is mature enough and is doing it for the right reasons, it is the perfect thing to do. The problem, however, is teenagers are usually doing it for the wrong reasons, which ends up hurting them in some way.

            In Lifestyle, a magazine about lifestyles, Holly C. Corbett wrote an article on Erica, an 18-year-old girl in high school who was being bullied for her nose. People would call her “big nose” or “Pinocchio” so she talked with her family and friends she decided to get a nose job thinking that it would stop the bullying, but it didn’t. When she returned to school she was bullied more than before and it ended up really traumatizing her. Erica was changing her appearance for all of the wrong reasons and not for herself, which lead to more suffering. This proves that teenagers should not go through surgery to change their appearance if they are not ready. Children and teenagers should not go through a change of appearance because it will most likely not be for themselves and it will lead to problems that a young adolescent can’t endure.

Seeing What's Outside From Within

Seeing What’s Outside From Within

When a teenager is depressed about their appearance, it is a very serious topic. Obviously bullying can lead to someone feeling like this, but I wanted to find out if there was anything else influencing these feelings.

            When asked what influences people’s appearance, my brother Will thought that being an athlete affects appearance, even at a young age. This made me think back to when I was around 8 years old, I remember thinking if you were good at sports, then you were a popular kid, which meant you were good looking too. After doing some research, I found an article by The Research Quarterly by Exercise and Sport about the role of sports as a social status determinant.  According to Buchannan et al, a group doing research about the role of sport as a social status determinant, “Social status among adolescent peers was gained by being good at something that was highly valued and could bring credit to the school, such as athletic success.” They found this evidence through surveying teenagers and it proves that sports influence the social status of someone, which can lead to thoughts about one’s appearance, too. It is fascinating that the activities somebody participates in can lead to how someone else thinks of you and how you look, which may affect what you think of yourself, possibly leading to the ultimate decision of changing your appearance, and changing your life. If it is needed for physical appearance to be altered, it should not be done through a surgery, but rather through actions, or not at all.

https://www.google.com/search?q=appearance&hl=en&tbo=d&rls=com.microsoft:en-us&rlz=1I7GPEA_en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=ZFX0UJyBG8eH0QGn44HYBQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1024&bih=558&sei=Z1X0UJz1FqLs0QGWkIFo