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I used to think being a guy would be so much easier then being a girl. Never worrying about the constant need to meet perfection or attaining a social expectation. That was until my 14 year old brother started complaining about how his feet were too ugly because he has hairs on his toes, deciding whether or not he should shave them. Having a lot of really close male friends, it has made me realize, that they too, are sweating off pounds, spending hours getting ready and watching whats hot so that they too can look good and meet society's materialistic, superficial image of perfection. Recent studies performed by the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders show that out of ten million Americans with eating disorders, the percentage of males has raised from 10 % to 16 % in the past decade. This stat, of course, does not include the hundreds not seeking help because they feel embarrassed, as if its not normal for males to have an eating disorder.
There are also the hundreds who do not even realize they have a disorder. Most men dont suffer of Anorexia Nervosa, like women, but of a disorder called body dys morphia, or reverse anorexia. In this case, men are hoping to lose fat and gain muscle. Males with this disorder are usually found working out for hours at a time, up to four times a day.
They rarely eat or they binge, and often thrive on protein shakes. The constant pressure for males to be tall, lean and muscular has finally started to affect the average male, and our world, of unhealthy destructive habits, gets even worse. While scoping a website published by the National Health Museum, I was disgusted to have read, quote, June 14, 2004 - Forget the convertible. A boob job is the latest must-have on your daughters graduation list. Also found on the website, were the hottest cosmetic surgeries for teenage males- ranging from liposuction, to eye lifts, to breast reductions. In 1997, men spent 130 million dollars on liposuction, anti-wrinkle injections, pectoral implants and penile enhancements.
Stats published by the American Society of Plastic Surgery showed that in 2001, the percentage of male patients having plastic surgery done raised from 12 to 17 percent. Dr Miller, a plastic surgeon, noticed that his male patients had an estimated increase of 10 - 15 % to 35 - 40 % in the 1990 s. Many websites concerning cosmetic and/ or plastic surgery were happy to share pictures and stories of teenage males as young as 14 years old, who would undergo Gynecomastia- a breast reduction surgery. So yet again, to meet society's expectations, many males of the 21 st century are giving up and turning themselves into plastic to become the ideal model of our generation.
The need to look perfect and be accepted is everywhere. Its on TV, at school and even in our homes. Parents are the most influential people in a childs life, and even they struggle for their children to fit in and be accepted; fearing their child will suffer from low self-esteem. I dont understand what kind of example our generation is setting for the next. With increasing numbers of cosmetic surgery and anorexia in males, young boys get the feeling that they too need to dress and look a certain way to fit in. Television has also become a great influence on the way we live.
Everyday you can watch whats hot on shows such as Entertainment Television or Star TV. Other television shows such as The Ultimate Makeover or The Swan tend to brainwash the public, convincing them theyd be liked more after being transformed into an unrealistic version of perfection. These materialistic and superficial TV shows are open to anyone to watch, its not violence, drug-related or sexual in any way, and so why not let your kids watch these shows? Influences on young children now are crucial. To change their view on what perfection is would be amazing. Perfection really only is what a person makes it out to be.
Thousands are just brainwashed by what society tells us perfection is, or is not. Its difficult for children to realize this, we cant teach them to give in to society's pressures, like many of us have done. Boys as young as 9 years old, look up to celebrities, they want to be just like them. What these children need to be taught is how to be different, and who to look up to, to avoid them from becoming another clone of the nation.
In the end, I think I convinced my brother to keep his toe hairs, which just make him completely natural. And there is nothing wrong with being natural-looking, at all. Being fake and materialistic is not beautiful; it is not hot, or sexy. Im sure many people have different definitions of beauty, but it definitely is not hours of pain, thousands of dollars worth of cosmetics and multiple days of stress to look and act like someone you know you arent. I think Ill let you be the judge of what is beautiful and what is hot, to each their own. We as a people, have grown blind to what is truly important, the beauty that lies within.
Bibliography National Health Museum. NHM Question of the Week: Cosmetic Surgery. June 24 th 2004. October 23, 2005. web Esthetics. Some teenagers benefit from plastic surgery.
web Michael Bermant. Male Plastic Surgery - Cosmetic Surgery for Men. October 16 th 2005. October 23, 2005. < web plastic surgery/> Michael Bermant.
Big Breasts in Adolescent Men with Gynecomastia - Photographs before and after Breast Reduction Sculpture. October 16 th 2005. October 23, 2005. < web folder / male breast / adolescent big breasts. html> The Center for Counseling & Health Resources, Inc. -A Place of Hope. Males and Eating Disorders. October 23, 2005. < web > Eating Disorders in Men and Boys.
October 23, 2005. < web Disorders / men boys. asp>
Free research essays on topics related to: cosmetic surgery, plastic surgery, anorexia nervosa, national health, eating disorders
Research essay sample on Anorexia Nervosa Plastic Surgery
