MY EXPERIENCE WITH PLASTIC SURGERY
Me: Hi, my name is Chris!
Bob: Nice to meet you Chris! Dude, you have a big nose.
From elementary school until high school my peers have never failed to remind me of the size of my nose. Believe it or not, many people would point it out in the first 5 minutes we would meet. Are you kidding me? I just met you and you’re already insulting me. Yes, there were days where I would go home and cry about it to mom and dad. My parents told me to stay strong and also mentioned that when I became of age I had the option of receiving plastic surgery. Eventually I learned a technique that would help me cope, I laughed with the people who teased me. My nose became the center of attention. Certainly this technique did help but little did people know that it still hurt on the inside. Those of you who have been bullied in the past can relate when I say that bullying creates an internal scar that will always be there your whole life.
When I finally arrived to high school, I looked at it as a fresh start. Slowly I began to increase my self-esteem by means of participating in as many extracurriculars as I possibly could. Whatever it was you name it; academic decathlon, honor society, key club, the tennis team, and even the school musical. I looked past my insecurities and pushed my boundaries as best I could. At one point prom came along and I could not believe it but I won Prom King. Me? I wasn’t captain of the football team nor was I student body president. I cried when I got home that night because I realized how loved and accepted I was even with my imperfections. Next was graduation. My dad asked me what I wanted as a graduation gift. Even with my boost in confidence I still wanted a nose job. I remembered that my parents told me I could get one when I became of age. Just like that I found myself in the middle of beverly hills preparing for plastic surgery. Finally, I was going to get rid of this thing on my face that caused me so much pain. Little did I know that I was going to have to go through this surgery awake…It was one of the most physically painful things I’ve ever experienced.
After months of recovery, I was finally ready to go off to college and show off my new nose. The best thing about it was the fact that almost nobody knew me and wouldn’t be able to tell I even got a nose job in the first place. UC Riverside truly is one of the most diverse campuses I have ever experienced. I met people of all shapes and sizes and I loved it. Eventually I came across these two girls who commented on how big my nose was. That’s it. I’m done. Seriously? I went through all that pain and all that money just to sit here and go back to square one? I don’t think so. It was that moment that I finally realized that it doesn’t matter what I do to my body. My happiness and my confidence is purely up to me and I should not let anyone bring me down. Surprisingly, I began to miss my nose. Sure, there’s no longer a beak on my face but that nose is what made me ME! I won Prom King with that nose. I sang at the school musical in front of hundreds of people with that nose.
I know this is a bit of a personal story but the reason why I’m sharing this is to advise anyone out there who is thinking about getting plastic surgery or even just changing anything about their body in general. I’m not saying that plastic surgery is bad. Hey, if you want it, go right ahead. Before you do it though, I want you to think about why you want to do it. It is your reasoning that matters most. If you want to do it for the right reasons then go ahead; do what YOU want to do and whatever makes you happy. However, if you decide to get plastic surgery done in order to fit in or to be accepted by other people, then stop right there and take one more look in the mirror. Ask yourself one more time, why?