Last week’s story of 7-year-old Samantha Shaw, who got her ears pinned back to avoid schoolyard bullying, touched a nerve with readers.
Many commented insightfully about the story, some agreeing with the mother’s decision to pursue the otoplasty operation, while others opposed it. A sampling of the comments appears below.
Samantha Shaw before otoplasty surgery, on left, and afterward / ABC (Click photo for slide show)
BAD CHOICE
Some readers said Samantha’s mother made a bad decision. For example:
- “What kind of mother would do something like that? People are always going to tease and have something to say. Now that little girl might grow up thinking if you get teased go cut something or get something added. That mother lowered her child’s self-confidence. I don’t have any kids, but I have nieces and nephews and I would tell my brothers and sister the same thing. That mother is very wrong for what she did.”
- “I don’t agree w/the motivation of the surgery at all. … It seemed clear the mother was embarrassed – NOT that the daughter had been bullied.”
- “What a disaster! Let’s do something about bullying, not change ourselves to fit in with others. A girl’s breasts are too small and gets picked on — get bigger ones! The next girl’s breast are too big and gets picked on — let’s have them reduced. My nose is too big, my nose is turned up, my ears stick out, my ears curl up, my eyelids droop, my chin is pointy, my chin is weak. Blah blah blah. When are people going to stop chasing vanity and start embracing life as its given to them?”
MOTHER KNOWS BEST
Several other people applauded the mother’s decision, and said they appreciated their own parents for acting as Samantha’s mother did. For example:
- “I had the exact same surgery performed when I was 7 years old and it was THE best possible decision my parents could have made for me. Children are incredibly cruel! People who now see photos of me as a baby still make hurtful comments about my ears. If the child had a cleft lip and received corrective surgery, would this still be an issue? I think not. It’s all the same.”
- “I was tormented in elementary school by classmates that called me Dumbo constantly. They said mean things at school and would call my house and say Dumbo and then hang up the phone. It was very hurtful and had a huge impact on how I felt about myself. This is a corrective procedure, not a cosmetic one, just like braces and acne medication are.”
WORRIED
One parent used this article as an occasion for trying to figure out how to cope with a similar situation at home:
- “I’ve wondered about this issue for my daughter, a kindergarten student with a ‘micro’ cleft lip. She didn’t require surgery as an infant to fix the breathing/eating/hearing problems that can occur, because her cleft is small. However, her nose is noticeably lopsided and she has a small scar-like line running from her nose to mouth. She’s still a beautiful girl just like the one in the story, but if she were teased because of it, it would break my heart.”
KEEP IT QUIET
Some thought the mother was only irresponsible in allowing her daughter’s condition to be the focus of national television coverage on Good Morning America”:
- “Bottom line, she looks better so I see it as a protective act on the part of the mother. The issue of bringing it up and then publishing before and after pictures seems to negate the point a bit though if the ‘kids prone to bullying’ see the before and afters and use them to make fun of her.”
- “My only issue is why on Earth would this mother make this so public?? That I do not agree with.”
CHANGE OF HEART
One reader started out in opposition, but ended up supportive of Samantha’s mom:
- “I was appalled and sad when I read this story yesterday and commented on another news site. Someone replied to my comment, someone who had been bullied and tormented in elementary school due having cup ears. The bullying had greatly affected her self-esteem and she even considered suicide at one point because the teasing was so very bad. … I began to see the issue in a new light. … I view this more as corrective surgery instead of plastic surgery — much like braces correct teeth.”
Related links:
- 7-year-old’s plastic surgery was extreme
- “Hot topics” slide show, including Samantha Shaw
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7-year-old’s plastic surgery touches many is a post from: In Your Face
