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What's the worst thing you could possibly give a 7-year-old girl for Christmas? A lump of coal? Try plastic surgery. Sarah Burge, known as the "Human Barbie" for her plastic surgery-fueled quest to look like the children's toy, deposited with her pinkly-manicured claws a voucher for £7,000 worth of liposuction into her daughter Poppy's stocking this year. And with that, any last shreds of hope that Poppy might escape her childhood with the slightest glimmer of self-esteem no doubt disintegrated.
With this gift of plastic surgery, I can't help but picture Sarah as a rhino charging through her daughter's delicate young psyche. I imagine her trampling the girl's self regard underfoot, spearing through any last vestiges of positive body image that may have been left standing. Surely any hope that the girl will grow up not hating her body, not loathing herself for her every imperfection have been dashed to smithereens.
Oh, but the voucher is for future liposuction, not for now, Sarah protests. It's just like the voucher Poppy got for breast augmentation surgery for her 7th birthday. "I see these vouchers as investing in her future -- like saving money for her education." She claims Poppy asks for plastic surgery "all the time." And where would Poppy get that idea in the first place? How many 7-year-olds even know what plastic surgery is?
This story is so sad, I don't even know where to start. Do I even need to tell you, though? You already know, right? We're all looking at this picture thinking, "Whoa, Barbie Mom is seriously messing with her kid's head. Call social services." We all know that saving for your child's future plastic surgery IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY LIKE saving for her college education. At this point, what Barbie Mom needs to save up for is her daughter's therapy.
I don't know about these parents who go public with their insanity. I mean, should we even be giving Sarah attention right now? Should I even be writing about this? How can I possibly make up for giving Sarah exactly what she's exploiting her child to get? Maybe I can just ask everyone reading this today to think of at least one spectacular mom of a daughter that they know. A mom who is teaching her daughter to love herself, to value her health and her mind. If you know such a mom, please thank her today. And to my mom, if you're reading this, thank you for raising me right.
What do you think Poppy will be like when she grows up?
Image via Tracheotomy Bob/Flickr
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