Nip and tuck: Schoolgirls under pressure

Fifteen-year-old Jenna Franklin wants breast enlargements for her next birthday. But do other girls her age feel the same?

It used to be the exclusive resort of wealthy women who wanted to look younger.

But, as the case of 15-year-old Jenna Franklin seems to show, plastic surgery is now an option of for any teenager with an adolescent hang-up.

Jenna's parents, Kay and Martin Franklin, have provoked an outcry in the press after they promised their daughter a breast enlargement operation for her 16th birthday. They have since agreed to postpone the offer for two years.

Teenage girls have always been image conscious

But Jenna is all in favour of having implants which would increase her breast measurement from 34A to 34C or D.

"You've got to have breasts to be successful. Every other person you see on television has had implants," she has said.

So is there growing pressure for teenage girls to go under the surgeon's knife in the pursuit of a "better body"?

"I'm not that surprised by Jenna's story judging by the feedback we get from our readers," says Sophie Wilson, editor of teen magazine J 17.

Half would

Last year, when the magazine ran a body image survey among readers 50% of respondents said they would consider cosmetic surgery.

"They are at an age when their bodies are changing and they are very vulnerable to criticism and susceptible to influence."

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Judging by the magazine's postbag though, Ms Wilson says girls are more worried about other body issues, such as being too fat or too thin, than breast size.

In America, the trend for plastic surgery among high school children has certainly taken hold.

Between 1996 and 1998 teenage cosmetic surgeries nearly doubled from 13,699 to 24,623 according to the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons.

It is still a small fraction of the total number of operations, accounting for just 3.1% of nearly 2.8 million procedures performed in 1998.

Raising the funds

But that is set to increase as the barriers come down. For example, if the parents refuse to pay up, there are now special loan companies that do deals just for cosmetic procedures.

As the reaction to Jenna Franklin's story illustrates, British society is still largely sceptical about the idea of nip and tuck on the surgeon's table.

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Experts say it is especially ill-advised among teenagers, since their bodies have not always fully matured.

Many blame the influence of celebrities and "lad mag" models such as Melinda Messenger, Pamela Anderson and Emma Noble.

Based on regular surveys of school children, David Regis, of the Schools Health Education Unit, says there is nothing new about teenage girls being worried about their appearance.

Nothing new

"It's the thing they are most worried about - more than school, career, family, friends, health. But that's been the case for 20 years," says Mr Regis.

"What has changed in the past 10 years is their obsession with the body in particular. They are much more weight and shape conscious."

Jenna's mother, Kay Franklin, says she is merely responding to the demands of a changing society.

"Other parents are going to have to wake up and accept the fact that this is the way forward," she said.

"We live in a society where looks mean everything and girls talk about their bodies all the time."