: Cosmetic surgery on teeangers
1. Both texts do in fact seem to agree in general on the view on cosmetic surgery and query the idea of increased self-esteem. Even though text 1, “Plastic surgery for teens” by Valerie Ulene, focuses more on the surgery and text 2 more on image and self-esteem, they do to some degree share the same angle, problematizing the image issues of teens and the consequences of surgery. The president of the National Research Center for Women and Families, Diane Zuckerman, does for example appear in both articles, due to her relation to the issues. In the first article by Valerie Ulene, she emphasizes the problems of the modern world’s view on beauty and the culture of unrealistic ideals. This is in her opinion one of the primary issues in this topic, and she does as well refer to a study that shows no evidence of improving self-esteem after surgery. Valerie Ulene is querying the surgeons herself, but does refer to the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Dr. John Canedy, who seems to have a critical view as well on cosmetic surgery among teens, but doesn’t exclude the possibility of improved self-esteem. By this it is crucial in Canedy’s view that the surgeons select the patients carefully.
Text 2, “Seeking Self-Esteem through Sugery” by Camille Sweeney does, as mentioned before, also focus on the beauty issues of the modern society and “a culture of celebrity obsession and makeover TV shows”. This is among others expressed through co-author of “So Sexy, So Soon”, Jean Kilbourne, who emphasizes the impossibilities of meeting the values of beauty. Another one, Ann Kearney-Cooke, does even characterise the tendencies as “an epidemic of low self-esteem among girls”. A last angle appearing in the two articles are the consequences that can happen due to cosmetic surgery, which teens often forget or ignore, and at the same time