“Kid-Friendly” Plastic Surgery Apps Pop Up On Apple, Google Stores

While “Plastic Surgery for Barbie” might have been taken down, its clone “Girl Makeover” is still available on Google Play.

Because there’s nothing children love more than animated fat-shaming and liposuction, a supposedly youngster-friendly plastic surgery app has popped up in various forms (and has also been taken down) on both Google Play Store the and Apple App Store.

Judging by screenshots (because as much as I love the search for the truth, there’s not a chance in heck I’m downloading any of these apps), all the apps appear to be the same, even though they use different names.

The version getting the most publicity was labeled Plastic Surgery for Barbie, which had apparently been listed as suitable for children aged 9 and over. Players perform all manner of fun plastic surgery procedures on the initially overweight animated character until she’s been sliced, diced, molded and vacuumed into a different woman.

“This unfortunate girl has so much extra weight that no diet can help her,” read the description of the game. “In our clinic she can go through a surgery called liposuction that will make her slim and beautiful.”

The Plastic Surgery for Barbie game was pulled earlier this week from the Apple store, with toy-maker Mattel issuing a statement that the app had nothing to do with its line of Barbie products, which merely imply that women should have unrealistic figures but doesn’t outright demonstrate how to achieve them via surgery.

Other versions of the “game,” titled Plastic Surgery for Barbara or just Plastic Surgery, have shown up and subsequently been removed by Apple and Google. One app that is either a clone or is just the same app using yet another title is still available on Google Play under the name “Girl Makeover.” This one has actually been up since Christmas day and contains the presumably Google Translated description:

Very classic plastic game! Lara is a very cute and sweet girl，she 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 look. She is afraid of all of this, but I know you will check that everything is over normally.

While this particular version of the app is listed as for mature users, the same developer has made apps like “Ugly Girl Makeover,” which involves prying the braces off a young woman’s teeth, which Google lists as appropriate for “Everyone.”

Plastic surgery game for kids removed from iOS, Android stores [Joystiq]

Plastic surgery app game aimed at children taken down [BBC]

Apple and Google pulls cosmetic surgery game aimed at children [Polygon]

by Chris Morran via Consumerist