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
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
This Hot Dad Cooks AND Does the Dishes
Kanye West is Gay?! 
Comments 82
For those who are bullied based on their appearance it is really really hard to establish any self esteem. Those who weren't bullied don't understand. This girl looks great and not a lot different than before. Why make an issue out of this?
This is NOT okay. We need to teach our children to be comfortable with themselves. Telling them, "Oh, you can just get plastic surgery" is not the way to deal with this! So ridiculous. I can't believe this is legal! I dealt with tons of bullying for being fat when I was a kid, but my grandma taught me right and even though I suffered, I knew that those kids were just mean and would ALWAYS find something to make fun of. Even "perfect", beautiful, thin girls get made fun of. You just can't win with bullies. That's why teaching them to have high self esteem and not worry about what others think is so important.
I don't see anything wrong with her before picture...Her ears weren't bad at all. I would have gone to the school and the parents of these kids who were bullying her...She is most likely not their only victim, and as the author stated, they WILL find something else to pick on her (and other kids) over. Bullies are bullies.
No, unless my children had some outrageous deformity (cleft palate or the like), they will not get plastic surgery on my dime. I've dealt with absurdly crooked teeth since my adult teeth came in, and it is an uphill struggle every day not to feel worthless and devestatingly self-concious...But I do it. And someday, I will be able to pay to correct my teeth. But, again, as the author put it so well...Self-confidence is really the only 'cure' to anyone's image issues.
I have the worst teeth and STILL haven't had braces and I'm 25! I just couldn't and probably won't be able to afford them. I've been called many things, Vampire mostly....I bet you could guess what my teeth look like.
I disagree with this. In high school, I was called "troll" by all the mean boys because my nose is a little big. I hated being teased, I hated my big nose and wanted a nose job. But now, 10 years later, I've found that my nose is NORMAL, fits my face just fine, and my baby girl has the same one! If I had gotten the nose job, how would that affect me now? Would I be as comfortable with my natural self? Just something to think about.
Why? So the bullies can find something else to pick on the others for? A person has to learn how to stick up for themselves otherwise life is going to be one hell of a ride.
hmmm I don't think she lookes so bad before