by Mark Mukasa

Created on: December 31, 2010   Last Updated: January 02, 2011

The issue of body image is perhaps one of the most recurring and topical issues of the past few decades. We are constantly discussing the effects of the unrealistic expectations that the media and/or society places on people (particularly teenagers) to have the perfect body, perfect hair and conform to the latest fashion. With this in mind, it is no wonder that many assume that the unrealistic expectations have often driven people to undergo plastic surgery. The statistics worldwide seem to suggest that many people are unsatisfied with their bodies. According to a study conducted in late 2007 by the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) around 48% of American women and 23% of men say that they want cosmetic surgery. A further 23% of women and 17% of men say that they would be possibly interested. This has important ramifications for not only adults, but teenagers. A study carried out in 2004 found that 6 out of 10 British teenage girls were unsatisfied with their bodies. Many have claimed that a growing amount of teens have been undertaking plastic surgery at an alarming rate, with reports of girls as young as thirteen requesting breast augmentation (she was refused ultimately).

Obviously I am not supporting the view that girls as young as thirteen can opt into a surgery and modify their bodies: it does not make any sense as they are still growing and they likely do not have the capacity to decide on such a decision. But let us examine what exactly constitutes a teenager.  A teenager is considered to be a person within the ages of thirteen to nineteen. During those years, the teenager goes through a massive development both physically and perhaps more importantly; psychologically (of course it may not feel like it!).  Yes, the aforementioned thirteen year old should probably not be allowed to undergo augmentation, but in the case of a sixteen year old or seventeen year old, then why not? At later stages of adolescence, many start to develop a greater awareness and intelligence and can evaluate decisions more so than when they were younger. Many of us agree that a teenager should be able to pick the subjects to study at High school, which could have drastic effects later on in life. We agree that young people can pick hobbies, activities and join groups that can all impact their life later on. Plastic surgery carries a similar magnitude in some cases. But are there any real reasons for allowing the rest of the options but dismissing plastic surgery

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