Is 17 too young to have plastic surgery?

Is Kylie Jenner having lip augmentation procedures?

Everyone will be familiar with reality star, Kylie Jenner from the Kardashians, and as you would expect with any teenage girl, her appearance has changed over the years. Check out the picture below;

However, pictures indicate that Kylie Jenner may be surgically enhancing her physical appearance. Surgery is nothing new to celeb culture, but the only difference is, Kylie Jenner is 17 years of age. So, do you think she is too young to start having surgical procedures to enhance her appearance? 

My initial gut reaction is Hell Yeah - she is way too young! But, according to American Society of Plastic Surgeons, surgery amongst teenagers is on the increase. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons 236,356 cosmetic procedures were performed on 13- to 19-year olds in 2012 ,who were not happy with the way they looked.

According to the Reflections of Body Image report produced in 2011 by the The All Party Parliamentary Group, Body image dissatisfaction in the UK has never been higher, particularly among young people. So for young people turning to plastic or cosmetic surgery to improve their physical appearance, these procedures will only act as a plaster and not address the underlying issues.

Body confidence is a massive issue for young people in our increasingly celeb obsessed culture. All you need to do is turn on the TV, or open a magazine and you see images of "perfect" looking celebs. EverydaysSocial media is jam packed with young people trying to emulate their favourite celebs.

So, in a world where everyone is striving for this false image of perfection and having the ability to enhance almost any part of their body , the number of teenagers having plastic and cosmetic procedures is hardly surprising. But what concerns me is, as the demand for plastic surgery amongst young people (in this unregulated industry) grows. The real underlying issues for wanting surgery are not been addressed.  I recently watched Jodie Marsh's documentary on Plastic Surgery and it provided real insight into some the tragic circumstances driving people to feel inadequate, fuelling their desire to appear perfect by undergoing surgery. This show has definitely changed my attitude towards people having plastic surgery.

Speaking personally, I'm no different from most women who has the occasional moan about needing to loose weight and wanting the perfect figure. But ultimately, I've learnt to accept and love myself and not look for acceptance from anyone. I'm not here to judge anyone who chooses to undergo plastic surgery to enhance their physical appearance, but I urge anyone reading this post considering plastic surgery,  to realise "perfection" simply does not exist. 

I understand that as a blogger, I  too, have a role to play in the types of media influencing the way young women feel about themselves. So, if my blog encourages or inspires at least  one person to feel more positive about themself, then my job is complete.

So, going back to Kylie, its hard for any teenager growing up in today's society, let alone growing up under the scrutiny of the press. Kylie is a beautiful young lady and if there are  underlying issues, then i hope she is getting the love and support from her family and cosmetic procedures do not become an obsession.

urban beauty said... being perfect is boring, focus on how you can improve yourself on the inside first.

xxx