Plastic Surgery: How far is too far?

Pushy & Proud is a reality show on Sky Living where we follow the lives of various families who each take on different parenting extremes, from parents ignoring health warnings and plying their kids with junk food, to mothers who encourage and condone their children to have cosmetic surgery. What I want to focus on in particular is the final episode, Botox Mum, in which we follow Sarah Burge (aka the Half a Million Pound Girl or The Human Barbie) and her family, and why she thinks that it is a good idea to give her seven year old child vouchers for a boob job.

Burge's youngest daughter, Poppy, presenting her voucher

Burge appeared on That Sunday Night Show to explain herself as to her reasoning behind giving a voucher for cosmetic surgery as a birthday present for her seven year old daughter. Burge's intent was for her daughter to cash it when she turns eighteen in order to get implants in her breasts. She defended that, "it's an investment. She doesn't have to spend it on breast implants, she can use it towards her education or whatever else she want to do with it." What I have a problem with this statement, though, is that the voucher clearly states that it is a coupon for PLASTIC SURGERY. Burge can defend it all she wants, acknowledge that it can be used for educational purposes instead, but she is setting it in her daughter's mind it's original message: when you are old enough, you should have implants in your breasts. Never mind that her daughter is only seven, that she hasn't gone through puberty or even started developing breasts yet. If a child grows up hearing one message, they are likely to grow up believing in it. What Burge is doing is not allowing her child to grow up with her own views and opinions on whether or not she actually wants plastic surgery, and instead, making it an inevitability like her own mother and sisters.

It didn't surprise me when I heard that Burge once again spent money on more vouchers for her daughter, only this time for liposuction. She claims that her daughter "asks for plastic surgery all the time. She wants to look good and lipo is one of those procedures that will always come in handy." The way I see it, Burge is setting her youngest daughter up for a lifetime of insecurity about her looks, constantly thinking she is not good enough the way she is, which could lead to conditions such as Body Dysmorphic Disorder, or even Anorexia. I understand that those are two extremes, but if as a child she is encouraged to modify herself, how is she ever going to be happy with what she sees in the mirror, with Mummy standing behind her telling her what could be improved?

Burge was "thrilled" when she found that her teenage daughter, Hannah, also wanted Botox

Funnily enough, I am not completely against cosmetic surgery. I understand that sometimes when you look in the mirror, you're not always happy with what you see. A lot of our discomfort towards our appearance has to do with how people have reacted towards us in the past. Whether you were teased at school for having ears that stuck out or a large nose, or a simple phrase from a relative such as, "guys don't make passes at girls who wear glasses", it always comes from somewhere. I myself have always disliked my nose, as once when I was twelve was told by my mother's friend, "Oh, I used to have a little piggy nose like you when I was younger." Now, I understand that she did not mean it with malicious intent (at least I hope not!), and I know that my nose is far from pig-like, but it's always made me feel insecure about it and wonder whether people think the same as she did. Luckily, I managed to get over it, and though I am still not crazy about my nose, I wouldn't change it for the world, because it makes me who I am. For others though, no amount of positive thinking or counselling will help them with how they feel about the way they look. Sometimes, a little bit of cosmetic surgery to correct a lifelong insecurity will help on the road to a better life.

However, this can be dangerous, as we have seen in cases such as Pete Burns, the Dead Or Alive singer who modified his face beyond recognition, and has even had implants swell and lip fillers explode. I guess there is a thin line to tread on what is acceptable and what is borderline obsessive and extreme. At the end of the day, people can do as they wish with their own bodies, whether you want to nip, tuck, lift or plump... it's all up to you. But what I will never condone is parents encouraging their children on getting plastic surgery, constantly enforcing the message "you are not good enough." Let children be children, and let them decide what they want to do with their own future without any outside influence.