Maia has a fifteen year old daughter who has come to her asking for plastic surgery. She wants a breast reduction because she has back problems and is being bullied by other girls in school. Maia is concerned about her health and being bullied, and also doesn’t want her daughter to be sexualized at a young age. But she’s also not comfortable with her fifteen year old daughter having plastic surgery. Would you let a fifteen year old get breast reduction surgery?
Jonathan: Today for Panic button. We have Maia. Hey, Maia.
Maia: Oh, hi. Good morning.
Jonathan: Good morning. So your problem is actually your daughter’s problem. And I have maybe no way of putting this delicately, so I’m not gonna.
Ayla: Tread lightly.
Jonathan: Go ahead. Tell us your problem there, Maia.
Maia: I have a 15 year old daughter who is very well developed for her age. And she’s getting bullied by some of the girls at school.
Ayla: When you say well developed, you mean she’s super smart? Or do you mean physically?
Maia: I mean physically. She is 15, but does not look 15 anymore. Because of her body. And she’s been getting bullied by girls at school. She’s very athletic, so she has some actual physical problems with these physical attributes.
Ayla: We’re talking about from the waist up. I’m trying to be as sensitive as possible.
Maia: Yeah. Yes. Okay.
Ayla: So what’s the issue.
Maia: She has come to me and is very genuine and sincere that she wants to get a breast reduction. And a big part of me doesn’t want her to be bullied. I don’t want her to have back problems. I don’t want her to be sexualized by adults. But I also think to have surgery at 15, plastic surgery at 15, seems wrong to me.
Ayla: Yeah. Because she’s so young still.
Maia: And maybe not even finished developing.
Ayla: Maybe. We don’t know, you know. She makes a good point.
Maia: Exactly.
Ayla: She could develop at 18 to 20.
Jonathan: She could have the surgery and then have to get it again.
Ayla: Which would be painful and emotional. I also feel like if she gets a reduction, people will notice that too at school.
Jonathan: You think she’ll be bullied for that?
Ayla: I don’t know, I don’t know what bullying is like today.
Jonathan: This is not something I would ever conceive of being a point of bullying.
Ayla: You guys are with guys.
Jonathan: There’s one part of our body that if it was too big, no guy would ever bully another guy over. He would be intimidated and like, can I be your best friend and your wingman at parties?
Maia: It is crazy, though, because I feel like I can’t relate either. Because it seems like every ten years, kids go through high school and middle school, it completely changes. I had a sister that was 12 years apart and my mom was like, you two girls had completely different experiences.
Ayla: Right
Maia: And now even what she’s going through, I’m like, I can’t relate to this. This was not my experience when I was in school. I’m really torn on what the right thing to do is. My heart says, don’t do it.
Ayla: Well. I know in California when girls turn 16, they get nose jobs as gifts, you know what I mean? It’s just a crazy world out there, which I don’t condone.
