Plastic Surgery for Teens by Valerie Ulene

The text Plastic Surgery for Teens by Valerie Ulene is by a mother who when she was young wanted to alter the way she looked. More specifically, she wanted a nose job. Now that she has grown older she is happy with her choice of not getting cosmetic surgery to correct her nose. There has been an increase in the numbers of teenagers undergoing cosmetic surgery. In 2007 that number was 330.000 adolescent, most of them were female. There are numerous reasons that motivate these young women a few being: Peer pressure, self-esteem issues and in some cases deformities. In the authors opinion these girls are not old enough to make the that drastic decision. The first argument being that their appearance will change as they grow older, or they might grow into loving their imperfections later in life and realise they do not have to conform to societal expectation. However, on the other hand, there are some teenagers who are in dire need of plastic surgery to live a normal life. Most women who undergo cosmetic surgery do it to fix a disfigurement. People with physical disfigurements are more likely to become bullied which can have serious consequences on the victims. Dr. John Canedy, a plastic surgeon says that there are in fact some teenagers who needs and deserve cosmetic surgery while others should be denied because the motivation behind getting surgery. The desire for cosmetic surgery should be an individual decision and not the parents' or the friends' idea. However, it is not all plastic surgeons that have the patients best interest in mind and who are very reasonable. Some care more about the money than the patient. Parents play a vital role when it comes to plastic surgery. Teenager cannot undergo surgery without their parents' consent. It is therefore their responsibility to help their child make that decision. Ulene ends her statement by stating that even though she never grew fond of her nose it is now the least of her worries. She cares more about her aging skin than her nose. Which tells us that when we are younger, we might think a rhinoplasty will fix all of our problems, but we will always find new faults in our appearance. This is also the conclusion she chooses to end with. She thinks plastic surgery is okay, but only for those who really need it.

The second text by Camille Sweeney, is about Kristen who at the age of 15 began to develop curves, but she was not happy with her breast therefore she received breast implants as a graduation gift from her parents. This shows how normalised plastic surgery has become. The media sets the standard as for how we are supposed to look and embeds this idea that makeovers and plastic surgery is something everyone needs. The number of plastic surgeries performed on people below the age of 18 has tripled over the last 10 years. Many parents give in to the desires of their kids instead of teaching their children self-love and stressing the seriousness of these procedures. Plastic surgery can go wrong, and sometimes so wrong it is irreversible. Both text has a negative view on plastic surgery for teenagers which is very reasonable given that the teenage body needs time to fully develop, and the outcome of a bad procedure could have lasting effect on them.

Valerie Ulene text uses uses logos to engage her readers. She speaks to our logic using statistics and facts from reliable sources. She also uses ethos When she uses statements from professionals in the plastic surgery industry and institutes.  “The American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimate...” (p. 1 l. 1). “Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Research Center for Women and Families...” (p 1. l. 14) This makes Ulene seem very reliable and she is able to persuade the reader to side with her. By bringing in her own experiences she makes the the text more personal and she speak to the reader’s pathos. By doing that Ulene makes herself easier to identity with and she gains the sympathy of the reader. She goes from being all facts to having more emotional depth.  “To say I disliked my nose as a teenager would be an understatement." (p.1 l.1). “With a 14- year-old daughter of my own, I recognize...”4 (p. 2 l. 58)

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