Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Essays (1842 words) - RTT, Fertility

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: A Preventable Birth Defect ?If women didn't drink anymore during pregnancy, there would never be another baby born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or Fetal Alcohol Effect? (McCuen 33). This is a very powerful statement. It is also a very simple cure for an alarmingly high birth defect that all women have the power to stop. ?Every year more than 40,000 American children are born with defects because their mother drank alcohol while pregnant ? (McCuen 34). That is 1 to 3 per 1,000 live births (McCuen 31). Many of these cases go undiagnosed ?It is also the number one cause of mental retardation in the United States, and one of the three leading causes of birth defects.? (McCuen 33-34). ?Alcohol produces more significant neurobehavioral effects in the fetus than other drug including cocaine, heroin and marijuana? (Fetal). With such horrible repercussions associated with drinking alcohol why would any woman think of drinking alcohol during pregnancy, but thousands of women do everyday. First let's begin by defining what Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Effect are. FAS and FAE for short. FAS ?is a cluster of congenital defects including nervous system dysfunction? (McCuen 31). ?FAE shares some of the same characteristics as FAS, but it is not as evident. However babies with FAE have equal amount of brain damage as babies with FAS? (Fetal). FAS and FFAE are caused by the ingestion of teratogens. ?Tetragon's are any substance capable of producing fetal abnormalities, such as alcohol or tobacco? (Dworetzky 81). In the case of FAS and FAE, alcohol is the tertagion. ?FAS and FAE are a group of birth defects that have no cure. People with FAS or FAE have a range of problems as severe as being mentally retarded too less visible problems like difficulty paying attention? (McCuen 33). Some other problems associated with the syndrome may be learning problems, with low IQ's, developmental delays both physical and mental, difference in facial features, being hyperactive , small for their age or a variety of health problems, with We have known the effects of alcohol on the fetus since 1968. A French scientist by the name of Lemoine ?recognized the multiple effects that alcohol can have on a developing fetus (Broadwell and Saunders 555). ?The findings of Lemoine were dismissed, but not until 1973 when Jones published a report on the effects of alcohol on children of alcoholic mothers. In Jones' report he categorized traits of FAS in five categories. Growth, performance, cranio-facial, skeletal and cardiac? (Broadwell and Saunders 555). The first category is growth, which includes pre and postnatal onset growth deficiencies. The second category is performance, which includes low IQ's; the average IQ is 63 in a child with FAS of FAE. Another factor affected in performance is fine motor dysfunction, which is manifested by weak grasp, poor hand-eye coordination, and/or tremulousness, irritability in infancy, and hyperactivity in child hood. The third category is cranio-facial abnormalities, which include mild to m oderate microcephaly (Small head size), short palpebral fissures (eye slits), maxillary hypoplasia, and short nose, smooth philtrum (zone between the nose and the mouth) with thin and smooth upper lip. The fourth category is skeletal abnormalities which include joint abnormalities including abnormal position and/or function, altered palmer crease patterns, small distal phalanges, small fifth fingernail. The final category is Cardiac abnormalities that include heart murmurs, frequently disappearing by 1 year of age. Ventricular septal defect most common followed by auricular septal defect (Browdwell and Saunders 555). In some cases of FAS renal problems have been also diagnosed. ?A spectrum of anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract has been observed among children with moderate or extensive signs of FAS? (Rossett and Weiner 69). ?Hepatic (liver) disease has been observer as well in several FAS cases? (Rossett and Weiner 70). ?Children with FAS may also be more susceptible to life threatening bacterial infections as well a minor infectious diseases...Small bones in the base of the skull may cause morphologic problems of the nasal sinuses which predispose them to obstruction and infection? (Rosett and Weiner 71-71). ?Alcohol, like other teratogenic agents, is associated with a spectrum of malformations related to dose and timing. The multiplicity of effects suggests that

Descartes theories essays

Descartes theories essays The topic of human philosophy is one filled with arduous arguments about existence and the questioning of why we are here. Rene Descartes Meditations on First Philosophy is no different. The first two meditations deal specifically with these issues, as Descartes examines several examples where these questions can be pondered. The most memorable of these example can be found in Meditation Two, where Descartes describes the piece of wax. The wax changes forms when it melts, and its primary characteristics (color, fragrance, shape, hardness etc...) disappear, but it still remains a piece of wax, just found in a different form. More than anything else, what Descartes strives to do is provoke interesting thoughts in the mind of the reader, maybe not completely changing their opinion on the subject at hand, but at least allowing them to see the issue from a different perspective. In my own prior experience, I have found that the understanding of another mans perspective only enhances ones own thoughts and opinions on an array of philosophical questions. In Meditation Three, Descartes mentions two terms, nature and light of nature. Soon after introducing these two terms, it becomes clear that they mean very different ideas about how one is taught to act by the environment in which they live. The difference between these two terms will be discussed later in this essay. The main point concerning these terms is concerning how decisions are made, and how problems are solved by the mind. In most of the writing, it appears that nature represents the instincts found in people from when they are young. In contrast, it appears that light of nature represents something one must observe to realize its true meaning. These points can be seen most clearly on page 72 of Meditation Three, when Descartes writes, When I say here I have been taught by nature, all I have in mind is that I am driven by a spo...

Supply Chain Management Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Supply Chain Management - Case Study Example Sonnie’s Gourmet Sandwich Cafà © is the newest cafà © in the local and the most frequented by working clients with limited time to wait especially now that the cafà © is experiencing an out of door line for customers during the two hours lunch break. In light of this, Sonnie should increase the number of workers in the cafà ©. Apparently, the order fulfillment process seems to take more time as compared to the order placement process. As such, there should be a professional worker who comes around in the line and collects the orders. In a general sense, the prerequisite towards improvement and maintenance of a good supply chain is that Sonnie must be time conscious on her potential clients (Shah 8). The mentioned phone is perceived to be among the busiest in the region with a high number of customers calling in for assistance. However, the staff present have experienced 11- hours working period with two-hours staggering lunch period. Essentially, this company requires an increase in the number of workers who should work in shifts for 24 hours in order to cover for the distinct places such as Nevada, Oregon and California and Washington which have different time zones. Once this is achieved, then the supply chain will automatically increase leading to a wider market for the company (Shah

Bullying Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 3

Bullying - Essay Example The individuals may fail to expose the emotional hurt, but this may affect their academic and social aspects. Physical bullying is the most common among schools. This usually occurs when the perceived stronger pupils inflict physical pain to their vulnerable and inferior friends, who are unable to defend themselves. Physical bullying may include punching, thrusting and hitting among others. This may also include destroying an individual’s property (Mishna, 73). Covert is an indirect form of bullying, where the perpetrator spreads unwarranted rumors, reveals an individual’s secrets attempts to spoil another’s reputation. Currently, owing to kids’ adoption of the internet cyber bullying has also emerged. The perpetrators may send threatening messages to the kids, send insulting messages, change an individual’s profile, and post obscene photos to individuals among other forms. Involved parties ought to look for ways of eliminating various forms of bullying. To begin with, they ought to identify the challenge of bullying. The affected children need to report such cases to the teachers and parents for action. Later the perpetrators need to receive immediate punishment, in order to deter recurrence of the

Concealed Carry Laws Debate

Concealed Carry Laws Debate Mark Derham The study of crime in all its forms by scholars is a mainstay of academia. Research on this topic spans across a wide breadth of related issues, but the main concern of this essay is crime and the effect concealed handgun laws have on it. These laws provide citizens a legal means by which to carry a concealed handgun by having them undergo a background check through their local law enforcement agency to ensure they have no criminal history and are not suffering from a mental health illness (Lott and Mustard 1997).This particular issue was brought to the forefront of the academic debate by Lott and Mustard (1997) in an attempt to apply empirical, quantitative analysis to the issue to assist in the formulation of public policies regarding handguns and the right-to-carry. Following the publishing of Lott and Mustard (1997), numerous other scholars joined in the debate on concealed handgun laws and the effect such laws have on the crime rate (see Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1 998; Ludwig 2000; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Ayres and Donohue III 2003; Plassman and Whitley 2003; Moody and Marvell 2008; etc.). What has resulted is a collection of work showing a divide amongst scholars and a debate on whether or not concealed handgun laws have a negative, neutral or positive effect on crime rate and the proper method for analyzing the available data. School shootings, gunmen attacking innocent civilians in public areas, and other forms of gun violence continue to put people on high alert when it comes to the issue of guns, their availability, and the ease in which one can lawfully carry said guns. These forms of crime in relation to gun laws also continue to play a big role in local, state and national elections, with party lines having already been drawn at all levels. As a result of the national attention crime receives and the impact it has on political debates, it is critical to understanding the issue of crime, and how local, state and national laws impact crime levels. With this information in mind, this essay is specifically concerned with the following question: why does the crime rate vary? With such a question, it is expected that there are numerous reasons that variance is to be found, and several variables will be set up and reviewed to determine their effect on the crime rate. The literature surrounding concealed carry laws is extensive due in large part to Lott and Mustard (1997) providing a spark for other scholars to join the debate. The results in the literature also reveal that scholars are deeply divided on the effects concealed carry laws have on the crime rate, and the methods by which researchers believe this issue should be addressed also widely vary. While there are not necessarily key findings due to the divide amongst scholars, there are several generalizations that can be gathered from the literature. First, crime data can be difficult to interpret due to inconsistency in reporting and classification of crimes over time (Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Ayres and Donohue III 2003). Second, the independent variables used to control for other factors that affect the crime rate can have a significant impact on the end results, which comes as no surprise (Ludwig 2000; Ayres and Donohue III). Third, the unit of analysis used to study the issue has been shown to have a significant impact on the results due mainly to crime reports and different independent variables affecting different regions (Ayres and Donohue III; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000). Fourth, the majority of the literature maintains even when lower violent crime rates cannot be attributed to concealed carry laws, there is also little evidence of higher violent crime rates as a result of these laws (Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Moody and Marvell 2008; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Plassman and Whitley 2003). With such variance over all aspects of concealed handgun laws effects on crime rate, there is also a large variance in the results that scholars have achieved. Lott and Mustard (1997) originally determined that concealed handgun laws reduce murders, rapes, and aggravated assaults; property crimes increase when the laws go into effect; and the laws deter all types of crime with murder, rape, and aggravated assault being the most affected. Bartley and Cohen (1998) found a reduction in violent crime rates and no substitution effect for property crimes. Plassman and Tideman (2001) saw a deterrent for murder, rape and robbery in ten of the states they analyzed, but also recognize the potential for an increase in crime for the other half of states they reviewed. Plassman and Whitley (2003) conclude the laws do reduce murder rates, and Moody and Marvell (2009) also conclude there is generally a reduction in overall crime. Thus, even amongst the scholars that see a positive effect on conceal ed carry laws, the results are varied on what the precise effect is. The other side of the debate generally recognizes that the laws maintain a neutral effect on overall crime, although, Ayres and Donohue III (2003,2009) argue that their model shows an increase in crime once concealed handgun laws are put in place.They also reject the majority of the literature supporting a reduction in crime based on issues with the original data sets utilized by Lott (2000). Once the data sets are extended to include the years up to 2000 and corrections are made to original coding issues, the results of previous studies (Lott 2000; Plassman and Whitely 2003) are reversed (Ayres and Donohue III 2009). Once the data sets extend up to 2006, the issue becomes more complicated and only shows an increase in aggravated assaults with no significant results for murder and robbery (Ayres and Donohuee III 2009b).Black and Nagin (2008) argue in their analysis that there is too much sensitivity for the model and sample size and qualify this by showing that Lott and Mustardâ€⠄¢s (1997) results are dependent on Florida being included in the analysis. Once Florida is removed from the sample, there is no deterrence effect for murder and rape and assaults are unaffected. They conclude that Lott and Mustard’s results should not affect public policies due to the sensitivity of the analysis (Black and Nagin 2008). Finally, when analyzing only homicide rates and attempting to control for unobserved variables by using juveniles as a control group, there is a positive effect for concealed carry laws, but it is not significant (Ludwig 2000). Once again, the varied results complicate the overall analysis and provide questions on the overall reliability and accuracy of the results. The data used to study this issue were derived by pulling statistics and information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Uniform Crime Report (UCR) and then supplementing that data with state reported statistics obtained through various state agencies for conviction rates, sentencing length, and concealed handgun permits issues (Lott and Mustard 1997). This data pool is criticized to an extent due to the known issues with the UCR data being a victim of non-reporting, incomplete reporting, and under reporting (Ludwig 2000). However, there appears to be an agreement that this is the best available data since the majority of the available literature utilized Lott and Mustard’s data to conduct their own analysis (Ayres and Donohue III; Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Moody and Marvell 2008; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Plassman and Whitley 2003). There has also been work completed to supplement Lott and Mustardâ⠂¬â„¢s data by including additional years of statistics up to 2006 (Ayres and Donohue III 2009b; Moody and Marvell 2008). There is also the issue of obtaining data regarding a state’s concealed handgun permits. Since there only six states that had any reportable data available regarding the number of concealed handgun permits issued, there was also agreement that a dichotomous value was required to assess the status of a states concealed handgun laws (Ayres and Donohue III 2003; Bartley and Cohen 1998; Black and Nagin 1998; Lott and Mustard 1997; Ludwig 2000; Moody and Marvell 2008; Plassman and Tideman 2001; Plassman and Whitley 2000). This continues to be a contentious point amongst scholars since there is no measure for the number of issued concealed weapon permits by state. The unit at which the studies were analyzed varied, and there is some level of debate as to which unit of analysis is best able to interpret the available data. Lott and Mustard (1997) argue that the county is the best unit of analysis based on the heterogeneity of states and the effects this carries over to state level analysis. Additionally, they argue that the city level isn’t appropriate due to the lack of time-series data once the laws are put in place (Lott and Mustard 1997). However, the county as the unit of analysis is rejected by several other scholars. Black and Nagin (1998) use the county as their unit of analysis but reject Lott and Mustard’s results based on their acceptance of all counties, which results in the dropping of a large amount of data due to some crimes not being present in all counties each year. Thus, Black and Nagin (1998) set a population limit on the counties being accepted into the analysis. On the other hand, Plassman and Tideman (2001) find that limiting counties by size results in a loss of significant value to the models and instead use the state to discover a significant variation in results across multiple states. Finally, Ayres and Donohue III (2003, 2009b) run models utilizing both state and county levels to test for reliability and accuracy of the available data. Additionally, the state level data was able to be extended using the UCR through 2006. Utilizing county level data is dangerous due to the sheer inaccuracy of it, amongst other issues (Ayres and Donohue III 2003).What is clear from each of these studies is that the unit of analysis can certainly vary, and it is necessary to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each before moving forward. The methods used by scholars are the true dividing force in the debate over concealed handgun laws. There seems to be little agreement on which methods produce the most accurate results and each subsequent scholar that joins the debate finds a new method to interpret the available data. The only consensus that is to be found in the literature supports a cross-sectional, time series study. Following that, the models used to analyze the data vary widely. Lott and Mustard (1997) utilized a least squares regression model along with Black and Nagin (1998) and Bartley and Cohen (1998). Plassman and Tideman (2001) found this causes unreliable results since the least squares method is not suitable for the low levels of occurrence for some of the crimes. They argue that a Poisson-lognormal model is much more accurate based on the available data (Plassman and Tideman 2001). Ludwig (2000) utilizes only the homicide data, due to the unreliability of other nonviolent crime data, to run a differen ce-in-difference-in-difference (DDD) model at the state level. Ayres and Donohue III (2003) also reject the least squares regression model based on the re-running of the analysis with their additional data sets and instead favor a hybrid model that incorporates state trends, state post-law dummies, and state post-law trends. This latter model has also been rejected due to the restriction of Ayres and Donohue III’s post passage analysis to only five years. When the model was extended by one more year, the results shifted completely (Moody and Marvell 2009).This is also dangerous since there was only one to three years worth of data available for the 25 states originally reviewed, so extending the analysis an additional year could have caused errors in the results (Ayres and Donohue III, 2009). The available research on right to carry laws and their effects on the crime rate show that there is much disagreement surrounding the available data, at what level the data should be analyzed, measures utilized, and models used for the regression analysis. As a result, there is still room to provide input into this issue and no true key findings amongst scholars exist, though, general findings can be surmised. With regard to the data, there will always be inconsistencies with how crime is reported and provided to the public in the UCR. Regardless, this is the best available source for crime data and the real debate should be on what level that data is analyzed and how to control for the inaccuracy of the available data. All of the research has used either state or county level data due to the lack of city level data prior to 1985. The measures utilized also show a discrepancy amongst research as to the most appropriate variables necessary to account for other factors that affect cri me. This is certainly a problem all of its own due to the demonstrated effects on results of removing certain variables and accounting for others. Thus, more work is necessary to discover the most appropriate variables to control for during the analysis. Finally, a host of models have been used to run regression analysis with each finding differing results. This calls into question the reliability of the results and the need for additional research. With this information in mind, this study will approach the issue of the crime rate in a quantitative method. The dependent variable will be the crime rate since the issue at hand is what causes variance in the crime rate. The units of analysis will be states and time represented over a calendar year. Treatment and control states will be utilized to account for other factors that can be expected to impact crime rates. The primary variable this article will analyze is the presence of concealed handgun laws. The second variable this study expects to affect crime rate variance is the metropolitan population percentage of a state. With the dependant and independent variables having been established, there are two hypotheses this study puts forward. First, if concealed handgun laws are in place, then the crime rate should be reduced over time. Second, if a state’s metropolitan population percentage decreases over time, then the crime rate should decrease over time. Thus, for the independent variable of concealed handgun laws, this study expects to see a positive impact to the crime rate. For the metropolitan population percentage variable, it is expected that a lower percentage over time will have a positive impact to the crime rate, and a higher percentage over time will have a negative impact. Works Cited Aikens, Steven and Slider, Gary. 2014. â€Å"US State Pages.† Accessed on March 3, 2014.http://www.handgunlaw.us/. Ayres, Ian and Donohue III, John J. 2003.â€Å"Shooting down the More Guns, Less Crime Hypothesis.†Stanford Law Review 55 (April): 1193-1312.  ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­. 2009. â€Å"Yet Another Refutation of the More Guns, Less Crime Hypothesis – With Some Help From Moody and Marvell.† Econ Journal Watch 6 (January): 35-59. – ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­Ã‚ ­Ã¢â‚¬â€œÃ‚ ­. 2009b. â€Å"More Guns, Less Crime FailsAgain: The Latest Evidence from1977 – 2006.† Econ Journal Watch 6 (May): 218-238. Bartley, William A. and Cohen, Mark A. 1998. â€Å"the Effect of Concealed weapons Laws: An Extreme Bound Analysis.† Economic Inquiry 36 (April): 258-265. Black, Dan A. and Nagin, Daniel S. 1998. â€Å"Do Rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Carry Laws Deter Violent Crime?† The Journal of Legal Studies 27 (January): 209-219. Lott, John R. and Mustard, David B. 1997. â€Å"Crime, Deterrence, and Rightà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Carry Concealed Handguns.† The Journal of Legal Studies 26 (January): 1-68. Lott, John R. 2000. More Guns, Less Crime. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Ludwig, Jens. 2000. â€Å"Gun Self-Defense and Deterrence.† Crime and Justice 27: 363-417. Moody, Carlisle E. and Marvell, Thomas B. 2008).â€Å"The Debate on Shall-Issue Laws.†Econ Journal Watch 5 (September): 269-293. Plassman, Florenz and Tideman, Nicolaus. 2001. â€Å"Does the Right to Carry Concealed Handguns Deter Countable Crimes? Only a Count Analysis Can Say.† Journal of Law and Economics 44 (October): 771-798. Plassman, Florenz and Whitley, John. 2003. â€Å"Confirming More Guns, Less Crime.† Stanford Law Review 55 (April): 1313-1369.

Hair Manifesto :: Personal Narrative Creative Writing Essays

Hair Manifesto Whenever I travel to another part of the US or another country in the world I find myself taking on the vocal and speech patterns of a native speaker. I lose my own way of speaking, and adopt that area's accent. I am an Accent Chameleon. I find it a fun little linguistic/sociological game. And so, this summer while working in a restaurant deep in the heart of Dupont Circle in Washington DC, an area known far and wide for its dense Guppie (gay male + yuppie) population, where 80% of the staff was gay, it seemed only natural that I should adopt this Guppie mode of communication, behavior, self-representation. I was a Sexual Identity Gender Expression Chameleon. SIGEC, for short. I became a gay boy. It was a sociological extrapolation. Further beyond the reach of any autonomy I possessed. And afterall, who doesn't simply adore another acronym in their life? So much of my demeanor changed. I incorporated that flipping of the wrist thing into my every interaction. My body developed a certain poise, as I flowed gracefully, melodramatically from room to room. I oozed sass. And to uphold just a few more stereotypes about gay male culture of the 21st century, it was during this SIGECian period of my life when I first discovered my Inner Hair Dresser. It started with a minor compulsion to do hair. I found myself spending more time than ever before staring into the mirror, strategically situating each strand. But it quickly escalated, infecting the realm of my desire: I wanted to cut hair. Mine, my housemate's, that guy who walked by me in the park and so desperately needed to trim off his mullet. Anyone. I found myself nightly snipping off different pieces of hair, my wastebasket mounding with black, brown, bleached little trimmings, the cast-offs of my art. I became irked easily when people paid $9.99 for a shoddy Super Cuts do. The judgment of a hair snob. I became restless, itching to conquer hairdos of all genres. Strolling on busy streets, I was a flaneur, constantly taking in the hairstyles moving past me. In the supermarket, I insatiably devoured the hair concepts sprouting atop all the shoppers. I was a machine, always, everywhere calculating length and luster, shade and sheen and type of sheers used. I had undergone a pop-cultural metamorphosis, emerging from my cocoon a hair person.

Beauty: Analysis of the Idea of Beauty

Beauty: Analysis of the Idea of Beauty Is beauty only skin deep? What role, if any, does society play in the views of beauty? Does body modification enhance or detract from a person’s beauty? What role does the idea of beauty play in a person’s life? The idea of beauty is something that has changed over generations, and is something that is constantly evolving to this day. The idea of beauty is shaped by media interaction, societal views, and also engaged in by body modification whether that modification be piercing, tattooing, extreme dieting, plastic surgery, or otherwise. Do we, as a society, overvalue the idea of beauty? People use various practices to shape their bodies into culturally defined ideal physiques, and media both construct and reinforce beauty ideals. † (Jackson & Lyons, 2012) Beauty is defined by the culture a person lives in, grew up in, and is shaped by throughout life. The idea of beauty is never the same for any person, but can have similar c haracteristics. The media, which is a conduit of the social norm, defines beauty everyday and many feel the need to change themselves in order to fit this idea. â€Å"Within contemporary Westernized cultures there is a pervasive interest in practices aimed at altering the human physique.Such practices, which include cosmetic surgery, bodybuilding, dietary modification, exercise regimes, and eating disorders, signify a cultural fascination with (a pursuit of) the ‘perfect’ body. † (Jackson & Lyons, 2012) Some people dedicate their entire lives for the quest to find their ideal of beauty, to become that ideal and to fall into what is deemed as beautiful by societal standards set in place. But is this correct? Is the ideal of beauty presented by the media, and interpreted by the viewer, correct? Are people motivated to modify their bodies because they are dissatisfied with the image of their body? Body image dissatisfaction is pervasive in America. We believe this d issatisfaction may motivate many persons to undergo cosmetic surgery,† indicates David Sarwer, assistant professor of psychology in psychiatry and surgery at the Center for Human Appearance. â€Å"Many persons hope that cosmetic surgery will help them feel better about their appearance, which, in turn, may promote other psychological benefits, such as improved self-esteem. † (USA, 1999) Many people turn to plastic surgery to modify their bodies because they want to be thought of as beautiful, whether it be by themselves, another person, or society as a whole.Some people can even take drastic measures and develop unhealthy mental conditions which would make them undergo plastic surgery in a desperate attempt to â€Å"fix† themselves. â€Å"Extreme body image dissatisfaction can be a symptom of body dysmorphic disorder, a psychiatric condition defined as a preoccupation with a slight defect in appearance that leads to excessive concern and interruption in daily fu nctioning. † (USA, 1999) But by going through such extremes, is a person really gaining beauty or are they really demolishing what was already beautiful in the first place?Is being dissatisfied with their body, because of the ideals of beauty pressured onto individuals by society, really a reason to change their image through such a drastic measure as plastic surgery? If body modification through plastic surgery is used to capture that â€Å"ideal beauty†, then what about other forms such as piercing, tattooing, carving, or otherwise? Are those deemed acceptable ways to encompass that idea of beauty presented by society? â€Å"Rumbling through the biker culture and punk, piercing gradually shed its outlaw image and was mass marketed to the impressionable by music videos, rock stars and models. (Leo, 1995) Such extreme forms of body modification are presented by the media and societal pressures to be acceptable, fashionable, and â€Å"in style†. As such, many peo ple leap at the idea to become beautiful through such extreme measures. â€Å"Fashions and fetishes. [†¦]Some ask for dramatic piercings to enhance sexual pleasure, to seem daring or fashionable, to express rage, or to forge a group identity. [†¦]Piercing is part of the broader â€Å"body modification† movement, which includes tattooing, corsetry, branding and scarring by knife. It's a sign of the times that the more bizarre expressions of this movement keep pushing into the mainstream. (Leo, 1995) But is that all there is to it? Media has deemed such body modification to be acceptable, and society has agreed that it is an idea of beauty. The arguments for, and against, the idea of beauty presented by the media, accepted and enforced by society, and the extremes at which people can go to gain that ideal beauty can be found everywhere. Is beauty only skin deep? Do we, as a society, overvalue the idea of beauty? Media can incite people to what ideal beauty is. Societ y enforces these views and pressure people into fitting it.Body modification is used by many to gain that idea beauty. But in the end, is that ideal beauty of the skin and body correct or even worth it? References: JACKSON, J. , ; LYONS, T. C. (2012). The perfect body: Men and women negotiate spaces of resistance against beauty and gender ideologies. Women's Studies Journal, 26(1), 25-33. USA, T. (1999, February). Focusing on body image dissatisfaction. USA Today, 127(2645), Leo, J. (1995, 7 23). The ‘modern primatives'. U. S. News. Retrieved from http://www. usnews. com/usnews/opinion/articles/950731/archive_032505. htm