PARENTS: A MOMENT OF PAUSE, PLEASE, BEFORE BUYING YOUR CHILD A NEW RACK FOR GRADUATION

By Laura Dargus

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Ah ... graduation. Your family's proud and you're scared shitless. Some will spend this summer looking for a grown-up job, others will take full advantage of the last few months to postpone reality, while others will go through another transformation—to their chest ... or some other part of their body.

While I'm aware that Boston is a far cry from my hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz.—home of TheDirty.com—I bet there are some young people looking forward to the transitional period, as an opportunity to end their self-loathing when they look in the mirror. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), 2007 saw a 15-percent increase in breast augmentation procedures alone among patients aged 18-19 from 2006 (and that's up from the 12-percent increase between 2005 and 2006). While one could argue that people who would allow their children to undergo cosmetic surgery have their priorities awry in the first place, there are plenty of well-meaning parents just trying to make life easier for their kid.

I myself had a breast reduction at 21. My parents, in my esteem anyway, were looking out for my overall health and well-being when they offered to pay for the procedure. Was it a decision based purely out of medical need? No. Has it improved my quality of life? Yes. Are there aspects I'd consider more carefully post-op? ... They call it hindsight for a reason, don't they?

The ASPS does not recommend breast augmentation for any individual under the age of 18. They cite that teens and their parents might not be fully aware of the risks involved with cosmetic surgery, that an adolescent's body may not yet be fully developed, and that teens need to be psychologically ready to handle the outcome of surgery. Not only do patients have to be emotionally prepared for the possibility of a less-than-stellar outcome, how about just acknowledging the impracticality of performing needless surgery on a young, healthy person? Reconstructive surgery included, general anesthesia is still a risk. Just this year, an 18-year-old Florida teen died from an adverse reaction to general anesthesia during a breast augmentation.

But why not address the bigger problem here. Rather than emphasize the importance of having the perfect physique at a young age (or further rationalize the insecurities of a teenager ("You're not ugly, honey, but we're willing to pay to fix the problem"), why not bolster their sense of self instead? Physical beauty is most fleeting. And lest we forget the lessons of reality television, it's easily the least important aspect of one's overall character. Two words, ladies: Heidi Montag.

One final thought: Not a time goes by that I see my mother, a wonderful, caring woman (also a nurse), that she doesn't ask me how my boobs are doing. Is it out of concern that she influenced a permanent, voluntary change in my body, hoping everything is still A-OK? I believe so. And, Mom, for the record, the girls are doing just fine.