Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Online Bullying

Online bullying has been an issue that has been in the news now more than ever.  With the accessibility of so many online sites that people are able to hide behind, it is easier to bully someone over the internet than in person.

Kids in today’s society have to deal with an entirely new type of bullying.  Online bullying can be just as detrimental as physical bullying.  Making crude comments on Facebook about someone’s appearance can make a child have extreme insecurity issues. 

A 13-year-old young girl by the name of Nicolette Taylor, from Long Island, N.Y., recently did an interview with ABC News explaining that because of being taunted tremendously on Facebook about her nose, she underwent rhinoplasty surgery to “fix” the problem and change her appearance. Fellow Facebook friends of Taylor’s would make comments on her Facebook wall and photos calling her names such as “hey big nose” and “big nose Taylor” which lead her to having the surgery. 

What these Facebook friends of Taylor’s probably didn’t know is that Taylor had broken her nose twice as a child.  Once when she was two and again when she was again, and has been made fun of ever since.  Originally Taylor’s parents were going to wait till she was 18 to have the surgery, knowing that teasing is a part of being an adolescent, but the teasing simply became too much for Taylor to endure. 

Taylor’s parents have admitted that allowing their 13-year-old daughter to have the surgery is a very drastic way to “solve” the bullying issue but he stated “If it’s something you can do for your child that’s within your control, that’s really a reality factor, than why would you not do it.”

                                     (Actual picture of Nicolette Taylor before and after her plastic surgery.)


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