Apr

24

08

Mommy and Plastic Surgery: Why Does She Look Different?

Posted by Jennifer at 11:33 am

New Children's Book about Plastic Surgery

In today’s world, children are becoming more and more informed of “grown-up” things at a much earlier age. For example, my 6-year-old niece asked me if I had a cell phone because she wanted to add my number to her contact list. I don’t think I even had a cell phone until I was in college!

So you can imagine my surprise when I saw an article on a new children’s book about plastic surgery. My Beautiful Mommy (Big Tent Books) by Dr. Michael Salzhauer, a Florida plastic surgeon, is an illustrated book aimed at children ages 4 to 7. I remember reading “The Cat in the Hat” and “The Goldstein Bears” when I was six – not books on what my mom was going to change on her body.

It seems that with the growing popularity of plastic surgery, and especially celebrity plastic surgery, has become less of a secret for many people. “Everybody Loves Raymond” star Patricia Heaton proudly announced her “Mommy Makeover” a few years back. Interestingly enough, My Beautiful Mommy is about a mother undergoing this very makeover.

In this book, a young girl accompanies her mother to the surgeon’s office to learn more about what’s going to change with Mommy. As we read on, we find out that Mommy is getting a tummy tuck, a nose job, and breast  augmentation. However, the final results of her breast enlargement surgery isn’t exactly mentioned in the text. This is because Dr. Salzhauer doesn’t think the “Mommy wants bigger boobs because…” is appropriate reasoning to give to a child. (As compared to a mother explaining to her child that she wants to get rid of extra fat on her stomach or the unsightly bump on her nose, the author thinks that discussing the personal reasons for wanting a ”bigger boobs” could be more damaging to a young girl.) There are before and after photos of Mommy’s transformation, however, but I wonder if the child would even pick up on the change if it’s not discussed?

Some may see this book as a way to tell children, “You’re not pretty enough. Change your face and body, then you’ll be beautiful.” However, Dr. Salzhauer insists that it is only a means to explain to children what’s going on with Mommy when she gets certain plastic surgery procedures versus encouraging children to consider plastic surgery themselves.

Many women over 40 seek the assistance of a plastic surgeon to regain the slimmer, firmer body they had before having children. As they undergo these procedures, they will also have to face how their young children will perceive their experience. Dr. Salzhauer wrote this book for mothers to read with their children before their own surgeries. He says that he wrote this book in order for children to not be afraid when Mommy goes to the doctor, as many children think that one only goes to the doctor when they’re sick. If Mommy has a way to explain what will happen before, during and after the surgery, the child can be at ease that she isn’t sick; Mommy will just look different afterwards.

What are your thoughts on the launch of this book?

Posted in: Facial Procedures | Something New | Anti Aging | Tummy Tuck | Rhinoplasty | liposuction | Shopping | Health | Facial Injectables | Lifestyle | Must-Reads | Breast Augmentation | Doctors Dentists and Surgeons | Plastic Surgery

8 Comments »

  1. Brook

    April 24, 2008 at 11:59 am

    I think that the steps the mom took in the book are admirable. But do we really need to have a book for EVERY event children may encounter? Those of us who are now adults managed to grow up okay without anyone reading “Everybody Poops” to us - because no one had dreamed up a book like that yet! But now it’s a must-read for every 2 year old…Parents should be able to talk about these issues without always using a book.

  2. anu

    April 24, 2008 at 12:28 pm

    i saw and and it made me laugh. i’m really not sure how explaining plastic surgery to a young child and emphasizing it like that would really benefit the self-esteem of the child, but i could be wrong. i am curious to see how a parent’s plastic surgery would affect their child…

  3. Shan

    April 24, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    I’m a mommy to be and as my body has begun to change I’ve begun to consider if I’ll need a tummy tuck or breast lift. That I would need to explain this to my child seems irrelevant because I wouldn’t be doing it to change myself dramatically. If my child ever asked me if I had plastic surgery then I would explain it to them; age apropriately; but I do feel that the title of this book could leave the thought of “My Mommy wasn’t Beautiful Enough so she Changed herself.” lingering in some childrens minds and with how image centered this world is that Beauty image becomes more important at a time when a child should be a child. You would think that by this day and age parents would be able to talk to their children openly and honestly but it seems that instead they look for something or someone to tell them what to say instead of just being honest about how they feel and think.

  4. katie

    April 24, 2008 at 9:37 pm

    I don’t believe that it is necessary to explain this to any young child. That sort of information is meant for adults to comprehend and not children. Children are not allowed to be innocent any more and are bombarded with information that they do not know how to deal with. That’s why you see more and more children at therapist offices. It’s bad enough that young girls are dealing with eating disorders; as young as 8 years old.

  5. Julie

    April 24, 2008 at 10:10 pm

    I saw this the other day too. As if Barbie dolls weren’t bad enough. What a sad society we live in that some NEED to introduce negative body image, lack of self confidence and vanity at such inappropriately young ages. That’s all we need, anorexia and bulimia before they know how to read chapter books.

  6. Jennifer

    April 25, 2008 at 8:23 am

    You’ve all made some great points on this. Children are being exposed to a lot of things at a much earlier age and as Julie pointed out, Barbie may have started it all! Also, as Brook and Shan mentioned, it’s interesting to see that parents seem to be turning to books for an easy out. Instead of sitting with a child and explaining the situation, many parents are resorting to books to do the dirty work for them. However, I also think about the resources that children have these days. Many kids are talking to each other about adult topics instead of their parents. This is often why children get the wrong information; maybe by having books like this one they will be more inclined to listen to Mommy and not little Susie on the playground at school.

  7. Girl-Woman

    April 26, 2008 at 9:26 am

    I just heard this on Fox News this morning. Already feeling a little superficial about having a beauty blog, the book made me feel more guilt. Thankfully, I never had to come home wrapped like a mummy and explain that mummy had to be more beautiful.

  8. The Knife Coach Says ‘No’ to “My Beautiful Mommy” – A Children’s Book about Plastic Surgery | Your New Body Blog.com Pingback

    May 22, 2008 at 1:16 pm

    […] What is more mystifying is the media’s obsession with one Florida plastic surgeon’s tasteless vision of what “mommies” look like in My Beautiful Mommy. […]

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