Activist Group Fights Against Plastic Surgery App for Children

Just when parents thought they only had to monitor their children’s internet activity, turns out  it’s not the only thing that needs supervision. Recently, a new application went public recently, and surprisingly it was an iTunes application that allows children to perform “nip tuck” operations.  Starting with kids ages 9 and up, they were able to perform liposuction on a virtual woman who is bandaged up and then revealed in a before-and-after picture.

Fortunately, after a Twitter campaign started by the women’s rights group Everyday Sexism, iTunes removed the product from its App Store this week. But that does not solve the problem, there could be other games in the making or that are already out.

The now deleted application read, “This unfortunate girl has so much extra weight that no diet can help her. In our clinic she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful. We’ll need to make small cuts on problem areas and suck out the extra fat. Will you operate her [sic], doctor?”

How could an application like this even be created to send such a damaging message? The problem is that we as a society are not teaching young ladies of all shapes, sizes, and physical features to love themselves. With the pressure of having to feel like you have to be a certain weight, size, or even color, it is inevitable for females to experience some type of self-hate or feel the need to change something on their bodies at least once in their life. 

As a plus size female who has struggled with self-image and my own personal weight throughout my life, I can relate. It is immensely challenging to live in a world that mostly sees beautiful as being thin. There is also this elegance that the media places on plastic surgery results, but they do not show the harsh realities of the plastic surgeries that have gone bad or the grueling pain of the healing process afterwards.

According to the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery,

•  Any cut made on the skin is likely to leave a scar.
• Although steps are taken to reduce the risk of infection, there is always a chance that infection at the site of the incision can occur.
• Excessive bleeding can occur while a wound is open, and occasionally a blood transfusion may be required.
• Blood clots may spring up following extended periods of surgery, although walking and movement following surgery usually help to remove the risk.
• The healing process can take months.

Plastic surgery can be scary, but a society that does not promote self-love and self-esteem can be even more damaging to our children who are most important and the future leaders of the world.