More Teen Girls Getting Breast Implants

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reports that Increasing number of teenage girls are getting breast implants: Nearly 4,000 girls 18 or younger had the procedure in 2003, compared to about 2,500 In 2001. There has never been a safety study of breast Implants for girls under 18, says Dr. Diana Zuckerman, president of the non-profit National Research Center for Women and Families.

Unlike rhinoplasty (“nose jobs”), this procedure is not one that Jewish girls are more likely to have, says Cornell’s Joan Jacobs Brumberg, author of two books on teenage girls and body image (see page 25). Still, says Brumberg, “certainly, in affluent communities In the US, wherever the pressure to have a perfect body Is very Intense, there will be Jewish girls who seek big breasts through medical enhancement.” Brumberg says that she Is not in favor “It’s a quick fix that has medical risks, and the motivation that drives It Is often shallow, immature, and unrealistic. Having bigger breasts does not really make life better or increase self-esteem for girls.