When Oprah high fived Kate Winslet and proclaimed “God bless your real breasts!” I smiled and felt a little bit prouder for women with real breasts everywhere. Not everyone has huge, perky, volleyballs on their chests and it’s about time someone recognized it. Maybe it’s silly that it took a reminder from Oprah Winfrey that breasts move, but after the article in the New York Times yesterday, it looks like more women need to be reminded.

The latest figures show that “the number of cosmetic surgical procedures performed on youths 18 or younger more than tripled over a 10-year period, to 205,119 in 2007 from 59,890 in 1997.” That is an astronomical number!

I know I shouldn’t be surprised being I can name more than a few people who have been offered a pair of silicone implants wrapped in a red bow come graduation day, but that number really shocks me.

I understand that beauty and perfection have been something that women have constantly strived for and I also understand that cosmetic surgery has become more acceptible in our society. I mean, just turn on the television and I bet you can find at least three makeover shows on right this minute, and at least one re-run of Dr. 90210. Still, maybe we should be wondering why young girls are inceasingly begging and pleading for new noses, breasts, chins, teeth, ears, tummies and every other resize-able, reshape-able body part. Read More »

It seems that the traditional standard of beauty is forever evolving into an impossible ideal. The natural female form has fallen victim to a fleeting trend. In today’s tabloids public figures seem to be plagued with the very same insecurities that their readers are struggling with at home. As a culture of excess and extremes, we hold vulnerabilities on a pedestal, fascinated with emaciated socialites and their whimsical journeys through anorexic rehab.

Some stars have ventured far beyond public eating disorders, even taking to plastic surgery to have photos permanently taken in the best possible light. Ashley Simpson, Kathy Griffin, Courtney Love, and even Howard Stern have confessed to going under the knife. Popular shows like Dr. 90210, Nip/Tuck, and MTV’s I Want A Famous Face thrive on graphically depicting the realities and results of augmentation. It seems that more than ever surgery has become an accepted solution to an epidemic of insecurity. Is it because of new innovations and advancements or has it become this seasons hottest new trend?

In 2005 11.5 million cosmetic surgical and non-surgical procedures were performed in the United States. Botox is of course the most popular, while liposuction is also frequently requested. Since 1997 the overall number of procedures has increased 444%. While our visions of plastic surgery were allotted to extremists like Joan Rivers or Pamela Anderson the more subtle and significant changes were slowly becoming more trendy than a Fendi purse. Once a taboo subject for those in the limelight to deny, society now applauds their new plastic look. Read More »