The media is one of the most important objects in today’s society. Through radio, television, magazines, and so much more we are able to stay connected and up to date with current events. But this form of mediated communication does not include only positive aspects.

There is a horrific negative side to the medium. Specifically, Photoshop has altered the minds of today’s youth all around the world and increased the amount of plastic surgeries dramatically.

Young girls admire and adore celebrities. They purchase all of their CD’s, see all their movies, and plaster huge posters of them all over their bedrooms. Aspiring to one day follow in their footsteps in terms of success as well as physicality. Most posters in magazines and on billboards are photoshop-ed to make these celebrities look “perfect.” Photoshop creates an unattainable body image that little girls believe is real and can be attained through plastic surgery. The program is defined as an image-editing system that has the capability to alter someone’s original body image completely. Through slimming thighs, removing bruises and acne, increasing the size of breasts or one’s butt, and even developing a smaller waist, an entirely different person can be easily created. This new and advanced form of technology continues to affect today’s youth negatively, mentally.

Teens today, ages 13 to 19, suffer from self-confidence and self-esteem issues more than any other generation in all of history. This constant pressure to conform to society’s definition of what is truly beautiful usually results in surgical procedures to alter their bodies. In 2012 alone, over 160,000 cosmetic procedures were done on teenagers. This is a huge increase from 1997 when approximately 60,000 procedures were completed on teenagers. Teens even come into the surgeon’s office with the mindset of recreating a false appearance inspired by their favorite celebrities.

“Plastic surgeons report that it is common practice for teens to bring a photo of their favorite teen celebrity to their appointments with the hope of getting that same look,” according to The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Some common plastic surgery procedures include: Rhinoplasty (reshaping of the nose), Otoplasty (Ear surgery), Breast Augmentation (breast reconstruction, usually with saline-breast implants), and acne scar treatment. All of these procedures have one thing in common: they can not be changed through exercise or dietary habits. This is why people think the only way to resolve the problem is to go under the knife, which infuriates me. Also many rich celebrities go into plastic surgery as well, which makes society think it’s acceptable. People such as Kylie Jenner, Mary-Kate Olsen, Courtney Cox, Lil’ Kim, and so many more have also influenced the increase through their personal procedures.

I do not support plastic surgery whatsoever. Plastic surgery for health conditions I understand and can accept, but altering one’s body to look unattainable and like these celebrities is horrible. I believe that instead of allowing teenagers to change their bodies, we need to go deeper and solve the issue in their minds. To help them understand that not only are these bodies that we admire are unreal but to help them to comprehend that it is okay to be different and to appreciate their flaws because everyone is beautiful and that is what makes all unique. Looks are only skin-deep, but people fail to remember that. Most people also fail to realize that plastic surgery does not solve the problem with accepting one’s body image; it can lead to plastic surgery addiction, where people dangerously go into surgery to “correct” every little flaw they see on various occasions. Eating disorders can also develop at such a young age.

All of these assumptions about beauty are only in our minds and to be confident and happy with our body-images, we need to fix the minds of our youth instead.