Not without reservations
Mikoch has wanted breast augmentation for three years to increase her 34B breasts to a large B or small C cup.
Although breast implants are not an appropriate graduation gift, helping children purchase them to help them feel better about themselves is a parent’s choice, says Columbia Station resident Barbara Mikoch. Her daughter, speech pathology major Jolene Mikoch, has expressed a desire to get a breast augmentation.
Mikoch says she and her daughter have had a “pretty serious” discussion about the surgery. “I didn’t contact a doctor or get a bank loan, but I understood her feelings,” she says. “She feels her breasts can be bigger. She feels none of her clothes fit. All of her friends have larger breasts. She tries to gain weight, and she doesn’t.”
Mikoch says she would probably help her daughter pay for a breast augmentation in the future. To those who disapprove of her willingness to help Jolene pay for the surgery, Mikoch would say, “It’s my personal decision. I’d say do whatever you want to do. That’s why we live in America. We have the choice to help our children or not to help our children. You want the best for your children. You want your children to be happy.”
“If you were supposed to have it, God would have given it to you.”
But Naia Otoo, a criminal justice studies and psychology major, says buying an operation for a child is stupid. “That’s basically saying, ‘Well, your nose is crooked. Go get it fixed,’” she says. “I just think it’s sending the wrong message.” Otoo would not get plastic surgery because she feels people are created the way they are supposed to be. “If you were supposed to have it, God would have given it to you,” she says.
Mikoch does have reservations and would want a physician’s recommendation before her daughter proceeded with any surgery. “That’s my daughter, and I love her and I don’t want anything to happen to her,” she says.
Mikoch’s daughter has wanted breast implants for about three years because she’d like her “small 34 B” to become a large B cup or a small C cup. “I think (implants) would make me feel more comfortable with myself,” Jolene says. “I don’t fill out my clothes.”
Money and the gossip that may ensue post-surgery are two things that deter Jolene from getting surgery now. Waiting until after she graduates may be easier because fewer people would notice the changes during the transition between college and a career.
“I think it’s OK for people to try to improve themselves as long as it’s not extreme. If I got double F boobs, that’d be creepy.”
Although her mother and past boyfriends have been open-minded about the breast augmentation Jolene wants, she realizes others are not as open-minded and would not get plastic surgery themselves. Jolene says she’s happy for others who feel comfortable with their bodies, but she feels that plastic surgery is acceptable for those who aren’t as secure. “I think it’s OK for people to try to improve themselves as long as it’s not extreme,” she said. “If I got double F boobs, that’d be creepy.”
She could live without the surgery, though. “It wouldn’t be the end of my life,” she says. “There are worse things in life — like not getting a job. But, I think I’d be happier looking in a mirror.”
Despite the complications that can arise, Lehman said most people are “delighted” with the results of plastic surgery. “If you have somebody who has a concern because their nose is big, and you do their nose and they feel better about themselves, I think it’s positive,” he says.
Looking into her own mirrors, Beckwith thinks she looks better after her breast reduction surgery. “I still like myself on the inside, but I appreciate myself on the outside more.”
The Burr is produced by students at Kent State University twice per academic year.No part of The Burr may be reprinted without permission.