ITunes remove offensive mobile app ‘game’ for girls encouraging plastic surgery for weight loss & beauty

Posted on January 15, 2014 Updated on January 15, 2014

I could hardly believe my eyes yesterday morning. Whilst browsing my Twitter feed I came across a fairly shocking post by the Twitter account Everyday Sexism. It was asking fellow Twitter users to email and tweet iTunes in disgust at a recently launched mobile app/game aimed at young girls aged 9 years and older.

The app titled ‘Plastic Surgery… Plastic Doctor… Plastic Hospital Office for Barbie’ encouraged young girls to perform several procedures on a girl to make her more beautiful. In the app description it stated… ‘This unfortunate girl has so much extra weight that no diet can help her. In our clinic she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful.’

The Everyday Sexism account just announced this morning via it’s Twitter feed that thanks to an overwhelming amount of retweets and emails to iTunes and GooglePlay they have now removed the apps but there are still similar ones still available.

‘Plastic Surgery for Barbara’ contains a description stating….. ‘Barbara likes to eat a lot of burgers and chocolates and once she found out that she looks ugly. She can’t make it up with this situation any additional second. And today plastic surgeon is going to make operation on her body and face in order to return cute Barbara’s look.’

According to the Bodywise , a national voluntary organisation supporting people affected by eating disorders in Ireland, the Department of Health estimates that up to 200,000 people in Ireland may be affected by various differrent types of eating disorders such as Anorexia and Bulemia. It is estimated 400 new cases emerge each year, representing 80 deaths annually.

Worldwide there is a proliferation of Thinspo or Thinspiration websites also known as Pro-Ana which specifically focuses on slim extremes and encourages and provides tips on how to loose extreme amounts of weight or maintain a weight below that recommended for healthy living. Today it is maintained that more than ever before younger and younger our children are bombarded with images from all aspects of the media promoting unattainable body-types and negative body image content.

Please go to Everday Sexism and retweet their tweet or email Apple or Google directly and let them know that this is both offensive and irresponsible and has no place being promoted to young and impressionable children.