Size Yourself Up
"One who knows that enough is enough will always have enough." --Lao-Tzu
Just before I met my husband Brian, I dated a guy from Aspen. He said I was great in many ways, but if only I got breast implants, I would be perfect. I said if he would get a penile implant, I'd consider it. He was offended. I was kidding!
All kidding aside, as I write, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering lifting restrictions on sales of silicone implants. In 1992, silicone gel-filled implants for breast enlargements were banned. The FDA was concerned that silicone leakage harmed women's health. Since then, silicone has been available to only cancer survivors. Saline implants replaced them, but they are believed to be inferior; they don't look or feel as natural. As natural .
The ban hardly affected sales. Breast augmentation has risen seven-fold since 1992. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, there were 32,607 surgeries in '92, and 225,818 in 2002. Removing restrictions on silicone could help grow the U.S. market from $240 million in 2002 to $494 million in 2006.
Breast implants are out of hand. It's even become trendy in wealthier high schools to give implants as graduation presents. Whatever happened to a string of pearls?
In a past column ("Forever Young" 6/28/01), I wrote about a friend whose sister-in-law had cosmetic surgery. My friend didn't know what to tell her daughters about why her aunt looked different. That column engendered more letters than just about any other, save for those about my mother and deadbeat dads. Most of the readers expressed gratitude for expressing what they felt, which essentially was: Accept the body you have. Yet, one writer berated me and called my husband a liar for saying size didn't matter.
Since that column, my friend has undergone breast augmentation. She seems happy about it and she and her husband like her body more. Other women I know who've had breast enlargements look great and seem happy, too--except for the few who've developed autoimmune diseases and suspect implants as the cause or those whose relationships are just as bad now as before.
So if women are happy with bigger breasts, why am I so down on implants?
Because the aim of the multi-million dollar cosmetic surgery industry is to make women believe if you're not endowed with large breasts, that you aren't good enough the way you are, that small breasts mean yo are somehow lacking in character. Also, that a larger cup size will interest more men. (Honestly, how many men do you need?) I also don't like the message this gives to girls, that it's not enough to be smart and good. They had better have a big bustline, too.
Interestingly, the most common form of plastic surgery in Brazil is breast reduction. Companies selling silicone implants have a miniscule market in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia.
How about this: If you want to improve yourself, first invest in your mind. It's what we tell our kids. Get a degree in something you've dreamed of, or pursue an avocation you love. There's no better boost for self-esteem than to succeed at something--be it astronomy, teaching or mothering, for that matter. Your brain will be with you long after your boobs and skin have sagged.
And if you're going through surgery for a man, seriously consider if he is truly worth having.
___________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2004 by Barbara DeMarco-Barrett
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.