In my opinion, 14-year-old Nadia Ilse has always been a beautiful girl. But she didn't feel beautiful until recently, when the Little Baby Face Foundation paid for plastic surgery to pin back her protruding ears. I guess it would be hard to feel beautiful after years of being called "Dumbo" by kids at school. Apparently Nadia started begging for an operation way back in the first grade, when the "relentless bullying" began.
I don't blame her for wanting surgery, and, sadly, I think her fears that the bullying would "never stop" unless she had the surgery were valid. As a mom, I also understand why her mother contacted the non-profit Little Baby Face -- watching your kid suffer for years must be horrible. So on the one hand, I'm glad LBF stepped up and paid for the otoplasy. On the other hand, I'm not sure how I feel about the additional rhinoplasty (nose job) and mentoplasty (chin job).
The thing is, there was nothing "wrong" with Nadia's nose or chin. There was nothing "wrong" with her ears, either, except that they made her an easy target for cruel kids. In an ideal situation, Nadia would have learned how to love herself exactly the way she was, ears and all -- in your face, bullies. This was not an ideal situation, however (if ideal situations even exist). So the ear surgery ... okay, fine. (The majority of kids who receive free corrective surgery from Little Baby Face have severe facial deformities such as cleft palates, by the way.) But why "fix" features that weren't even causing problems? What kind of message does that send ... to Nadia?
I guess the most important thing is that Nadia is finally confident in her appearance: "I look beautiful, this is exactly what I wanted, I love it," she said. And hopefully the bullying will end now.
Being bullies, however, they might just find something else about Nadia to pick on, like the color of her nail polish or her clothes or the way she chews her food. Perfection doesn't protect anyone from bullying. Only self-esteem can do that.
Would you get your teen plastic surgery for an issue like this one?
Image via CNN
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Comments 82
I got made fun of daily for my weight when I was in high school. The summer before my senior year, I lost the excess weight and went back to start my senior year more confident than ever. I still got bullied. Bullies will always find something to make fun of what they see as an easy target, and unfortunately, losing weight made me even more of a target because the bullies thought I did it for them and that made them feel powerful. I would hate to see teenagers making permanent changes based on what someone else thinks, because the bullying really isn't about the imperfections in others; it's about the power a bully has over their target.
Her ears looked fine, and I am disgusted that the surgen also modified her chin and nose! She was beautiful before the surgery! Baby face should be ashamed. The money they use on plastic surgey should go to children who actually need real surgery! There are ways to handle bullying, but chaning who you are shouldn't be one of them.
Also, why not just lie and say your child is getting bullied so you can get them some free plastic surgery?
Even kids with minor physical 'flaws' can still count on tens of thousands of dollars from donors to get a little pick me up. I'm sure a child born with a cleft palette, or clubbed limb, or strawberry mark that covers their face didn't need those dollars anyways-
Burn scars from a horrific childhood tragedy? Get in line kid...there are nose jobs and chin work that must be done ahead of you. No worries though. The world economy is thriving. There's sure to be a steady stream of dollars, always pouring in and available! So, your ACTUAL issue is BOUND to be covered, eventually!!!
Really?
These people didn't have the backbone to teach their kid a little strength? To have a little dignity in the face of adversity? To learn to overcome the shittiness that IS adolescence? To have some pride in herself, to learn to be stronger than 'those meanies'? Really?
All they had to offer as a lesson was that the way to solve a problem is to throw money at it? Preferably someone elses money!?!
Because after all...if you can't be pretty enough to make other people like you, then life just isn't good enough.
Awesome.
And we wonder how we've managed to raise such a whiny and entitled generation of kids.
Thanks again, helicopter parents-
I am not a fan of anyone getting plstic surgery UNLESS they have abnormalities from birth. She was a beautiful young lady before the sugery! There is always going to be some type of bully in the world! I was picked on alot growing up becuse I have a large nose, I am 43 yrs old and still get teased about it! THe way I deal with it now is simple...........I am happy the way the lord made me. My mom and 2 sisters (1 olderand 1 younger) were blessed with bigger breasts than me, when I was a teenager I hated it. Now as an adult I am gretful for what I have. I have learned to love myself and ignore all the negative people. Those that choose to tease / bully others have issues fo their own that they don't want to deal with, so t mke themselve feel better about themselves.
Yes I would! I would prefer for them to wait until they were 18 but if it were bad enough I would do it sooner.
Plastic surgery to correct deformities, sure. Those ears did need pinning. But using charitable donations to tweak perfectly acceptable (and functional) noses and chins to transform girls into "The Swan"? Thanks for giving me the name of this charity, so that I can make sure I never donate to them.