YingHan 14 WenZhen 16

THE GUARDIAN

Bullied teenagers increasingly want to have cosmetic surgery, says survey.

From the annual survey carried out by anti-bullying charity, Ditch The Label, it was found out that more than half of the teenagers who responded felt they had been bullied about their appearance. One in two went on to say they wanted to change how they look, some even though cosmetic surgery. As known, the implications of appearance-based bullying are “significant” and can have “devastating, long-term impacts”. The popularity of image-based apps such as Instagram and the fashion for taking “selfies” may also be contributing, experts say, as the vast majority of bullying is now online or via social media.

Even though the survey results in this article is based on that obtained in the UK, bullying is a serious issue in schools, and now even online, all over the world, especially about one's appearance. As stated in the article, posting images of a person's self or "selfies" online is undeniably a trend in this day and age of social media. Thus, teenagers following this trend may become more self-conscious about their outer appearance, in hope of impressing others and becoming popular. Sometimes, mean comments are found on the photos of those whose looks do not come over as visually appealing. These people who are being 'cyber-bullied' may have the desire to change their outer appearance by undergoing cosmetic surgery or going on diets. We feel that mean comments should not exist, whether virtually or in real life. However, it takes all kinds of people to make a world. There ought to be people who enjoy saying mean things about others for their own satisfaction. Hence, we would like to suggest a few ways for bystanders to stop bullying and for victims to stop destroying their own bodies just to keep themselves from being bullied. Bystanders should not just watch absent-mindedly while someone else is being bullied. Step into the victim's shoes and empathize with him. This will give you the determination to speak up for him, not to the bully himself but to a trusted adult. As for the victims, do not think about your appearance too much. Yes, you may feel dejected when someone whose looks you admire makes fun of you and calls you ugly, but always remember that inner beauty is so much more important than outer beauty. Those who bully are thus ultimately the ugly ones.

No one is perfect. Everyone has their own strength and weakness. We should not judge someone by their outer appearance and make fun of them. Instead, we should put emphasis on their inner beauty, as that is what really matters in a relationship or friendship.


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