'Women like Morgan who died after Turkey surgery are under so much pressure'

23 January 2024 , 19:19

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Morgan Ribeiro's boyfriend said she had been researching the surgery before she booked it

To those of a different generation, it may seem like a baffling decision. A 20 year old, with her whole life ahead of her, taking the risk of having complicated abdominal surgery abroad, in a country where she doesn’t speak the language and won’t be able to stay for the months of necessary aftercare.

Morgan Ribeiro died as a result of that decision. And yet, the surprising thing isn’t that she made it, it’s that more young women manage to resist. When you consider the enormous pressures piled on them nowadays, it’s not hard to understand why a quick fix op in Turkey seemed like the answer to Morgan’s prayers.

The female human brain doesn’t fully develop until around the age of 25. And these days, as it is evolving, impressionable girls are fed a constant diet of perfection. Take, for example, the latest trend - as worrying as it is depressing - of tweens as young as 9, begging their parents for expensive anti-ageing products that dermatologists warn are damaging their skin, because they’ve seen them on TikTok. To clarify: they’re terrified of getting wrinkles before they’re even in double digits. That’s the power of social media.

Morgan was willing to make the flight abroad for the operation

Morgan had been bullied because of her weight

And while many older people, lucky enough to grow up without it, might think oh just don’t look at it then, unfortunately it’s not that simple. In 2024, not looking at it is not an option. Their mobiles are a constant, not being involved would be like going to school, or anywhere else their peer group is, blindfolded with ear defenders on. Phones are how they interact. Sad but true. iPhone therefore I am.

Being a teenage girl was hard enough back when I did it, well before you had to validate your existence with ‘Likes’. And if constantly see (photoshopped, filtered) thin, beautiful girls with perfect, poreless skin, luscious lips, button noses and thick, glossy hair, of course you’re going to end up believing that you should have all that too.

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It’s not just social media, obviously – how many of the female participants of the current Love Island All-Stars cast (and every cast before them) have had some kind of cosmetic procedure or ‘tweakment’? Probably quicker to list the ones who haven’t. Same with actresses and pop stars, whether they admit it or say it’s down to good genes and drinking lots of water.

Young people are relentlessly exposed to one acceptable version of who they’re meant to be and what they’re meant to look like, from every angle. Imagine spending weeks, months, years feeling like you’re wrong, ugly, abnormal, and then factoring in lengthy NHS waiting lists. If this was poor Morgan’s mindset, no wonder she went to Turkey for an overnight miracle cure. Of course she pushed the dangers out of her mind, didn’t compare the Turkish virtual consultation with the NHS psychological screenings, nutrition classes, health assessments, medical tests which take months to perform, and the years of check ins and support they provide afterwards. And didn’t let herself question why UK clinics charge up to ten thousand pounds for the operation, but this one was only £2,500. When the genie appears and asks you what you wish for, you don’t quibble over the terms and conditions.

It’s incredibly brave of Morgan’s mum, Erin Gibson, to tell the world what happened to her, to raise awareness of the reality of making this kind of decision, to make the next young woman considering doing the same think twice. In her darkest hour, in unimaginable pain, she’s speaking out. She couldn’t save her daughter. Here’s hoping she might be able to save yours.

Polly Hudson