You would think that if I was writing about a 7 year old getting plastic surgery, that it is because they had some kind of physical deformity or that it was medically necessary. How about just because the mom wants to prevent possible future bullying. Yesterday Samantha Shaw was on GMA because the first grader had plastic surgery to pin back her cup ears and fix a fold on her right ear. When Samantha's mom was asked about it, she said she did it so Samantha would not be bullied. Not saying that she has been bullied, but preventing possible bullying. Plastic surgery is not to be taken lightly. I am not sure this is a good idea at all. What if your child had died during the surgery? There has to be some kind of line. If not the parents, then the doctors have to learn to say no. Will Smith has made hundreds of millions with ears like that.
Speaking from personal experience, I would have Killed to have this done.
ReplyDeleteI was born with ears just like that girls and not to mention a horrible case of Acne (thanks Genetics).
So Of course I got the bully treatment all the way through elementary school and then again in middle school. I did everything I could to tape my ears back while I slept - all to no avail.
Fortunately, two things happened:
1. Accutane came out and despite what you hear it cleared me right up, except for some scarring on my back.
2. I got bigger, taller and stronger than anyone - no more bullying. Ears are still a little out there, but I keep my hair long.
my .02
This just hurts on so many levels. Kids will pick on whoever they feel like. I was horribly bullied in school, including by my own sister, and I dont think I ever looked or acted different, just the closest in proximity.
ReplyDeleteThere was nothing really wrong or different with her ears as they were. Almost every kid has larger ears at first, she may end up looking odd when she grows up because of the surgery. Unfortunately, all the mom is doing is giving the "bullies" ammo now. If she was going to do it, keep it quiet. Now the kids, not just at her school but where ever she goes, will pick on her for making such a case out of it.
[Although, kind of off topic, and not to make fun of the girl but rather what it reminds me of... a Golden Girls episode where Sophia teases Dorothy about having to pin her ears back in middle school.]
But whatever, I still feel mom shouldn't have done it!
I am not a parent, but I was a kid once. I know how viscous they can be. I say good for the mom. Better to have your child happy then hang themselves in a closet.
ReplyDeleteEverything has risk, walking across the street is risky.
I think most Drs know where to draw the line. Well, except Dr. Murray.
I have a 45 year old friend who had this done when he was 10! Had no problems and he's a damn handsome man!
ReplyDeleteI thought the pinning back of prominent ears was done all the time on kids? I don't see it as the same thing as say a nose job at 7. I say good for her.
ReplyDeleteMy friend had this done when we were little, and this was the 1980s. It is really nothing new. I don't see anything wrong with it. No worse than braces in my opninion.
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ReplyDeleteYeah, I can't say I feel right about this, either. I mean, you're instilling in your kid from a very young age that looks are incredibly important.
ReplyDeleteI just watched the video of this and it wasn't the little girl pictured. Don't know who this girl is.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I liken it to a cleft lip tho not as extreme. The girl's ear really was misshapen. And she did wear her hair down.
I think this a pretty common procedure. I remember a girl in my class having it sone in elementary school. A nose job would have been upsetting, this, not so much.
ReplyDeletei had the same ears and i was operated at 11
ReplyDeleteEar pinning is pretty common in younger children, I actually don't have a problem with this. It's not like it was lipo or a nose job. Plastic surgeons do this pretty routinely.
ReplyDeleteI had this done when I was 10 in the mid-70s. Still happy I had it done (although it is extremely painful). My parents wouldn't let me have the nose job.
ReplyDeleteThat CHILD is not nearly old enough to have formed a relationship with her body yet. She could have grown to like her ears, or at least not CARE about them anymore. I sure as hell know that the "flaws" which troubled me at twelve are either gone for good, or I just conjured them and they never existed at all.
ReplyDeleteHell, I grimace whenever I see an infant with pierced ears. It seems invasive, somehow. Kids only have so much time, you know? Why not just let them be free of image issues for as long as possible?
Not sure how I feel about this... I am a mom, if my kids ears stuck out, I think I would find it endearing. I know that doesn't mean others would find it endearing, but I would try to instill in my child a sense of being okay with it rather than embarrassment about it. However, I just watched a portion of the clip and it does seem like her mom thought it was negatively impacting her life (making her shy, etc). I am conflicted.
ReplyDeleteBut, if it's common practice, why did GMA cover the story?
And I definitely agree with jbdean_79 - if you're gonna do it because you want to avoid her being bullied, it's probably not advisable to go on a national morning show!!
Oh please... they did this when I was a child. And I don't live in a surgery happy country. And I'm 36... The '80 was when plastic surgery was on the rise here.
ReplyDeleteEar pinning has been done forever. It was said a million years ago that Prince Charles should have had his done as a child.
ReplyDeleteI don't know why this is newsworthy. Kids with large birthmarks frequently get them removed, kids start with braces young now, too.
This is fine by me. I really don't see a problem with it.
ReplyDeleteAgreed, JJ. This is not a picture of the child in question. The girl in question actually had not just ears that 'stick out' but a 'cupped' ear that was unusual, too.
ReplyDeleteI watched the video and was comfortable that the parents, child and doctor were doing this for the right reasons. Think of all the teasing the child will avoid from this point forward. The doctor stated a 7-year-old's ears are 90% of full size, so it is perfectly OK to do at that age.
BTW, the mom said that adults comments ('what's wrong with your ears?) were worse than the kids. Stupid people.
No problem with it at all. Now a 7-year-old getting rhinoplasty--that's another story.
I always hated my nose. I wanted a nose job since I was that age. But I grew into it, and after 2 sinus surgeries, I was told I needed a nosejob to fix my problem (which insurance would have paid for). it upset me because as much as I don't like my nose, it is MY nose.
ReplyDeleteI hope as this girl grows, the surgery will look appropriate on her face.
My friend had this done in middle school...I don't have a problem with it.
ReplyDeleteMy husband (who is 67) had this done when he was 12. After seeing his boyhood pictures, his parents did the right thing. He said he was unmercifully teased before having the surgery, had it during the summer, and in the fall, no more teasing. I don't have a problem with it.
ReplyDeleteEar pinning and correction is a standard practice and old news. GMA must be desperate for human interest new stories. Adding a sensational twist to the story is also a standard practice for news reports.
ReplyDeleteI have a son whose ears are similar to the girl in this photo, only a bit bigger. He has been teased but is used to it. When he was younger, I told him he could have his ears pinned back. He doesn't want the surgery. The girl on GMA did.
ReplyDeleteI agree with others that this is a very simple procedure and not a big deal. (just like braces).
I would have done it if it was my daughter. We do braces and everything else we can, why not this?
ReplyDeleteYeah, but when is she gonna have her nose done? She needs it trimmed down a bit.
ReplyDeleteMeow.
I'm kind of torn on this b/c 7 is SO young. But if they wait until she gets older, she would have had to endure the bullying. Going on GMA is DUMB. I'd have to see the segment before I could judge the mother.
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ReplyDeleteUgh, I totally disagree with Enty and the whole "What if your child died during surgery?" Yes, there is a risk to every surgery in a way, but do people realize how many tests are done before to make sure you are NOT at risk? People with pre-existing conditions or who are obese or have heart conditions or issues with anesthesia, yes. But most surgeries are perfectly safe for people who are in good health, so that comment is such bullshit. People throw that term around way too much like they know what they're talking about, when they don't. I just came up on my 1 year anniversary of brain surgery, and as if I wasn't scared enough, I was TERRIFIED every day leading up to it because so many people shout "There's so much risk to every surgery!" blah blah blah. Yes, there are risks to an extent, but jesus, it's not just surgery=always risky. There's so much gray.
ReplyDeleteAnd, yes, pinning back the ears is considered plastic surgery, but come on. Not exactly the same as a rhinoplasty or a tummy tuck. That term is used so loosely it's kind of unfair.
I'm with ConqueringKing. I would have killed to have this done, and finally at almost 37, going to FINALLY get in done this year. I too suffered a great deal in school; it helps when you're a girl and can grow your hair long. Of course, I became obsessed with having good hair as a result. I could have focused that energy on so many other things...
ReplyDeleteIn this case, Mom knows best. When I read the headline I thought this girl had more work done. Good for her!
I see no problem with this whatsoever. I have a slight lazy eyelid (that was HORRIBLE as a kid) and I would have LOVED to have had it fixed.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with this. If it were my kid I would totally have this done.
ReplyDeleteYes. I remember a family friend having this done some 30 years ago. I'm surprised it's considered news. Isn't this just a kindness? Maybe California folks are like that.
ReplyDeletePinning back the ears is not "plastic surgery" of a sort that anyone needs to whine about. I was born in the 1960s and kids had this outpatient procedure all the time.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with the procedure. Like others have said, it is a pretty common thing. I do wish the mother hadn't gone so public with it, though. Why does everyone have to share everything with everyone????
ReplyDeleteThey've been pinning back kids' ears for decades. Why is this newsworthy?
ReplyDeleteWow...I had no idea how common this was/is....I do not have a problem with it, but like others mentioned here I would not have gone on national tv to talk about it.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's a big deal. All my kids had normal size and shape ears, but some don't, and other kids will pick on them and bully them unmercifully. I don't see this as any more extreme than a tonsillectomy or hernia repair...your child could die during those procedures too, but most do not. Now, if they were doing nose jobs just for the hell of it, or face lifts or injecting botox, it would be another story. But this is something that is pretty common.
ReplyDeleteIda, I had my ears pierced at 2. I asked for it. It is my earliest memory and I love that I have had the holes in my ears for almost 4 decades. When mine got done it was spray the anaesthetic on the ears and pierce with a needle, I didn't even flinch. So next time you see a young child with ear piercings, they may have been like me and nagged their parents to do it. Yes I would have nagged, the stubborness has not abated with time.
ReplyDeleteWell...if the kids hadn't been bullier her yet, they will now. It's all over the news, and I'm sure kids and parents from her home town and school can read and also watch the news.
ReplyDeleteI really don't think pinning the ears back is that big of a deal. It's a fairly simple procedure. It's not like a nose or boob job, which is far more invasive.
Maybe if most kids weren't raised to be such bullying ratbastards, this girl and her mother wouldn't have considered something like this. I'm torn, really. Yeah, I don't think that looks are important .... but kids can be cruel. As someone who was severely bullied in school, I can't say it's totally a bad idea.
ReplyDeleteI had a friend in school have this done about the same age. It changed his life because the bullying stopped and he always said it gave him his confidence.
ReplyDeleteI don't see anything wrong with her ears.
ReplyDeleteI have no problem with this. As a teenager, I had bad acne, and although I was never bullied about it, it has had a lifelong effect on my self esteem and self confidence. My parents took me to a dermatologist, but this was before Retin-A and Accutane, and the treatments they had then only helped a little.
ReplyDeleteIf this makes this girl feel better about herself and raises her self esteem -- great for her! These days, it's hard enough to be a teenager.
i don't think this is such a big deal. it's not like she had a nose job or something. this is a pretty minor procedure and i pronounce that it's OK---so it IS!
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seriously, back in the bronze age, when i was a kid, if you were a girl with ears like this, you just wore your hair so it covered them.
but even if i'd known someone back then who got their ears fixed, i would have thought it was ok.
Hey everyone looong time lurker. Ya'll are so fun and supportive of each other! Never had anything to add until now. My husband is an anesthetist and has been putting kids to sleep for this surgery for years. It really hasn't been considered a big deal until the media for some reason got ahold of this story. I guess because of all the anti-bullying messages that are so timely right now?
ReplyDeleteIda - I COMPLETELY agree with you. Braces (at least in most cases I have encountered) are necessary in order to have a correct bite, which if not corrected would or could lead to problems later in life. This? No medical reason for it. If you are an adult and want to have it done it is one thing, but she is a kid.
ReplyDeleteI had this surgery done when I was 10 years old. I was bullied mercilessly prioir to having my ears pinned. I am so grateful my parents and I decided TOGETHER that this was a good idea.
ReplyDeleteLook at the crap Prince Charles has had to take about HIS ears all this time. I don't see a big deal about this especially if the kid wanted it. This wouldn't be the first time a parent has had their kid have some sort of operation on their appearance just to spare them some future abuse.
ReplyDeleteDidn't a couple of Victoria Secret "Angels" have this same procedure done?
ReplyDeleteI had my ears set back when I was 10, (I'm now 39), was done regularly back then (I'm in Australia). Best thing my parents ever did for me.
ReplyDeleteWhat the hell kind of doctor does this on a 7yr old? Don't they usually wait till you've stopped growing to do plastic surgery?
ReplyDeleteHad this done age 9. No longer had to listen to kids call me Dumbo. So that was nice. And I was young enough that I've pretty much forgotten I ever had the ear issue to begin with.
ReplyDeleteAnd from what I remember, there's nothing dangerous about this surgery at all--they take extra material (cartilege?) from the earlobe and sew it behind the ear to hold it back.
I knew a lot of kids who had this done. It's such a simple procedure and I don't have a problem with it. In fact, I'm considering it now since my right ear is now kind of bent and sticking out from my hair. I'm self conscious of it and changed my hair part because of it.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the photos Enty put up with this story are not the photos of the girl in the GMA video. I watched the video, that poor child has already been teased and subject to rude questions/comments from complete strangers. I have no problem with this family's decision to have this surgery. I would also liken it to having a cleft pallet fixed or removing a large birthmark.
ReplyDeleteI chose to follow the argument "I will let my daughter make those decisions" when the family Dr mentioned ear pinning at age 5.
ReplyDeleteNow, as a teenager, she has exactly 1 yr to have the procedure paid for by healthcare & it isn't nearly as effective apparently.
Get it done, and early!
Jeez, it isn't as if she got breast implants or lip fillers. I wouldn't go so far as to call it a deformity but her ears did stick out greatly and if it makes her feel better about herself and keeps other kids from teasing and bullying her, I see nothing wrong with it. I'd hate to read about some kid hanging him/herself because of relentless and malicious Face Book comments. Lighten up, Enty!
ReplyDeleteLoretta Young had a secret baby with Clark Gable in the 30's. The little girls ears stuck out exactly like Gables, so they had the kid's ears pinned. She still looked exactly like him. Been done for years.
ReplyDeleteOne of my brothers had this exact same surgery at six. The reason, he was tortured in school and made fun to the point he sobbed and begged not to go to school. My parents made the decision because his childhood was being ruined over a piece of missing cartilage in each ear. The surgery was under an hour and after surgery he became a really popular happy kid. Was my mom reluctant to do it, sure she was, but wanted to have a child who would remember a happy childhood not one filled with pain. Children can be horrifically cruel to each other and those are the scars that last a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteMichelle - you must be talking about Judy. I know her and she is a dead ringer for her father. No denying that lineage.
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ReplyDeleteWas going to say this isnt plastic surgery but a common fix but I see I was beat to it.
ReplyDeleteMy father in law went for surgery on a deviated septum when he was 13. The doctor suggested while he was under pinning back his ears. I see nothing wrong with that, it is the boob jobs parents give to their graduating seniors that are atrocious.
ReplyDeleteThis picture looks like one of those age enhanced photos for kidnapping/abduction victims, but anyway.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everyone else who said this is not a big deal and pretty standard. Whoopdie doodle.
I totally agree with this. It is a minor procedure and well worthwhile for the long-term. If necessary, I would do it for my child in a heartbeat.
ReplyDeleteThat noted, my ears are already (genetically) pinned to my head, but I've seen the damage and would do it for my child in a second.
Also - met a 14-mo old today, ears looked like teacup handles. ADORABLE little child but this surgery would be ideal for her.
ReplyDeleteDidn't mention it to her mom of course, Im not an a-hole.
This thread is pretty interesting, honestly. I still have a knee-jerk dislike of parents who openly discuss their children's supposed physical flaws. I guess I've had too many girlfriends with moms who say things like "now, do you REALLY think you should eat that cookie?" Ugh. I hate that. And I still think that the mother in this case is kind of a d-bag for discussing this on a news program, particularly if the kid is as shy as she claims.
ReplyDeleteBut if this procedure is as routine as a tonsillectomy and makes the kid feel better about herself afterwards, then more power. And, to paraphrase some of you, it's not as if it's botox or a tit job.
*I* sure as hell profited from years of orthodontic work. Ten years old, and I begged to just let my teeth buck on out, but now I'm SO glad that the decision was made to put some metal in my mouth.
There is no 'growing' into those ears. Look at Prince Charles. They should have been pinned back in the 1960's for him.
ReplyDeleteI would do it for my child too.
My hubby had this surgery when he was 6 yrs old & that was back in the 60's. He was teased so bad it left his self-esteam at a low. He had the worst ears ever. Now they are adorable. When we went for the ultrasound for our baby, our main concern was the babies ears, and when our baby was born, that was the first thing we looked at ... they were normal.
ReplyDeleteWe had this done on our daughter when she was 8 years old. I was VERY nervous about it, and we agonized back & forth about doing it.After a lot of research, & a few consults with plastic surgeons, we felt confident it was the right decision.Kids now days have so many issues with self-esteem & body image, we thought it would save her some heartache later on. By the way, my daughter is now a very confident & poised 25 yr old young women, who is very thankful we did the procedure!!
ReplyDeleteMy ears were fixed when I was 14. The surgeon at that time made my parents wait until I had hit puberty and the accompanying growth spurt. Mine were considered to be a birth defect and the surgery was covered by insurance. They stuck out straight off my head, and one was slightly misformed. I was bullied all through elementary school because of them, I couldn't hide them because they stuck out through my long hair. I was so relieved to be "normal" finally after the surgery, and I went and got my ears pierced!
ReplyDeleteI would have given literally anything for this when I was a kid. My ears completely stuck out and I was teased up until I got the procedure done at 23 (I was still getting teased in my 20's...people suck).
ReplyDeleteMy parents are anti-plastic surgery, so I had to save up and pay for it myself. Kids can be so cruel, I would agonize over trying to style my hair to cover them. I have never been happier in my entire life now that they're fixed! :)
A kid in my class had his ears pinned back in elementary school. I didn't think he necessarily needed it, but I didn't really see a big deal about it either. Somehow I just don't see pinning back ears as the same thing as say, a nose job. But that's just my perspective.
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