In our consumer culture, money is everything and everybody wants it. A lot of it. Enough of it to buy gold and diamond plated teeth. But according to a recent poll, it looks like money may not be people’s top priority anymore.

According to the too-good-looking newscasters on CNN this morning, when people were asked whether they’d rather have a million dollars or the perfect body, over 20% of people chose the perfect body.

Pretty crazy, right?

To me, the answer seems obvious. And it’s all about the dolla dolla bills. I mean, money is everything in today’s world, right? Even if you didn’t have a perfect body, with all that cash money you could easily look up the best plastic surgeon in Hollywood and buy yourself a perfect bod. Just ask Heidi Montag! Not to mention, you’d still have a large chunk of change to spend on other rich cheap tricks (cars, designer handbags, ponies, etc…).

But then again, it’s kind of crazy how obsessed our culture has become with achieving perfect body status. Every time you turn on the TV or open a magazine, there’s an ad for some new weight loss pill (“I lost 275 pounds with Xenadrine MAX!”) or some new celebrity workout DVD. Plus, when you have a perfect body, you tend to attract a lot more attention (models, reality show stars, or ANYONE Hugh Hefner dates) and you’ll probably score yourself at least a few free dinners and at most, a reality TV show on E! (and multiple spin-offs) with your family and all the crazy shenanigans they get themselves into.

So if a genie popped out of nowhere and offered you one or the other, which would you choose: one million bucks or the perfect body you’ve always wanted?

[It's pretty obvious that the average CollegeCandy reader has some very strong opinions. Opinions that she likes to share with everyone on the site. We love a strong woman (unless she happens to be charging at us with her fists raised), so we thought we'd give her a real forum to discuss her thoughts, feelings, and perspectives. Every Friday I'll be featuring a hot topic (like socks with sandals!) and leaving it up to you, the readers, to duke it out. So, read it and get your debate on in the comments section below!]

In case you’ve been living in a hole for the past week (or, you know, busy paying attention to important world events), Heidi Montag got plastic surgery… like seriously! While we and pretty much everyone else has been clear on what we think about her new “look,” it got me thinking. One of the big things people have pointed out about Heidi’s work (aside from the sheer number of surgeries) is her age – specifically that she seems incredibly young to be having work done.

Now we’re not talking about medically necessary surgeries or reconstruction here, I’m talking the pure “make me pretty because I want it” type of thing, and I admit, I can see the appeal. While I have always been a proponent of the “love yourself the way you are” mentality, there are definitely days where I have wished I could wake up with a smaller nose or bigger boobs or a magically flat tummy – and I know I’m not alone. I was always taught that self-esteem is important, and most of us wouldn’t think twice about, say, coloring our hair or getting a gym membership to boost our self-image.

Isn’t plastic surgery just an (admittedly extreme) extension of that? 

And the truth is procedures like these cost a pretty penny so if you’re going to invest in them, why not do it early and get you’re money’s worth? Should you have to wait years and years to do something you know you want just because you seem too young for it? If you have the will and the means, is it fair for other people to tell you that you shouldn’t do something that will make you happier?

The flip side, of course, is that the risk of buyer’s remorse goes up the younger you are. I mean, I know a lot of people who got tattoos just a few years ago and already regret it, so dropping that kind of cash on something you may want to get reversed down the road isn’t a real appealing thought. Also, we women have spent a long time just trying to be accepted for the bodies we have, so going the other way to make yourself seem more “perfect” seems counterintuitive to that idea. (Especially when Heidi goes on TV and says her message is that “beauty comes from within.”)After all, (as my mother loves to tell me) it’s the little flaws that make us the most beautiful – where would Lauren Hutton have been without that gap in her teeth or Beyonce without her bootyliciousness (I can’t believe I just put those two in the same sentence). It might take a long time to finally make peace with the way you look, but wouldn’t it be better to be special than generic?

OK, now you tell me – what do you think about getting some work done? Would you do it if you could? Would you hold it against someone if she did? And should age be a factor in the way we look at it?

Duke it out, ladies!

Leonardo DiCaprio.

The man is smoldering on the red carpet…and pretty much everywhere else you find him with clothes on.  However, the beach (and we’re not talking the movie)?  Leo is a bit heavy on the man boobs and whatnot.  He should stick to the jeans + tee shirt rule at the very least.

Daniel Radcliff

Everyone’s favorite wizard is a bonafide cutie patootie.  He’s got the eyes, the hair, the smile, and the accent to pull any girl he likes – but watch out!  The minute Daniel strips down, you better put on some shades because that kid is paler than I am.  Yes, he’s got a pretty sweet body from all those nude plays and Harry Potter fight sequences, but you won’t be able to see it beyond the glare his freakishly white skin produces.

Chris Noth

Oh, Mr. Big.  Just like Carrie, I have a love/hate relationship with you.  I love when you wear deliciously tailored suits and crack a smug smile or two.  I hate when you take your clothes off and obliterate any sexy time imaginings I may have been having about you.  Put the gut away – you look too sexy in clothes to be seen without any.

Pierce Brosnan

James Bond = Sex.  That’s just the way it goes.  Any 007 is pure sex walking around in a Gucci suit or whatever he feels like pulling off at that moment.  They can wear anything and I’ll be all over it (well, not literally…stupid restraining orders).  When they wear nothing, even better – oh wait, no.  Not true.  Throw a shirt over that thick mass of gray chest hair, please, Pierce.

Steven Tyler

As a rock legend, Steven Tyler has been workin’ it for decades.  He’s the original hipster, rolling with the skinny  jeans and scarves.  He represents the epitome of rock and roll and all the strange and fascinating fashion choices that come with that title.  He’s also really skinny and kind of scary looking without any clothes on.  Really scary.  The word “skeletor” comes to mind.

Russell Crowe

I love my gladiator sandals, but a real gladiator…now that I could get on board with.  Who didn’t want to be locked up with Russell Crowe, wearing a toga and some sweet sandals?  The man is cut…sort of.  Well, he was, anyway.  Now he’s in need of some serious Man Spanxx and clothing at all times.  And even he thinks so – he won’t be seen without a shirt anywhere. Way to be considerate, Russy.

Val Kilmer

If you can make a suit of black spandex, latex, and a cape look good (especially when you throw a pair of bat ears on top), then you deserve the title of “sexy pants.”  Val Kilmer has shown us over and over again why we adore him.  Unfortunately, when he goes out without his clothes on, he also gives us reason to team up with The Riddler to take him down.

When you see a perfectly sculpted star on the cover of a magazine, don’t let yourself be fooled. They may look like they pray to the treadmill gods each day, but they are also just as human as we are. These ladies have curves, dimples, scars, warts and all the other things we pick at ourselves for. But thanks to the magic of Photoshop, their flaws can be hidden with the click and drag of a mouse.

Every so often, a brave celeb comes forward and acknowledges her body for the beautiful reality that it is. Recently, photos from a Complex magazine shoot with the bootylicious Kim Kardashian were accidently leaked onto the magazine’s website. In this assortment of pics were a couple shots of KK, pre-Photoshop, in all her luscious glory. A side-by-side comparison reveals the extent of her photo’s retouching:

-Her arm was thinned
-Her waist was whittled
-Her skin tone had been lightened
-Her thighs were slimmed and smoothed
-Her bust had been decreased and lifted
-Even her top and belt were shortened and shrunk

The mag realized its blooper and promptly removed the un-retouched photos, but not before Kim posted them on her own website to prove she is not ashamed:“So what: I have a little cellulite. What curvy girl doesn’t!? How many people do you think are photoshopped? It happens all the time!”

Kim stood up for herself on her site, proving that not all women feel they should apologize for the way their bodies look naturally. And you know what? Kimmy looks amazing in the un-retouched shot! That waist, that complexion, that badunk! I applaud our girl for demonstrating what it means to be a real woman of confidence. Photoshop may smooth out a wrinkle or two, but no computer program can give you the glow that comes from loving yourself as you are.

“I’m proud of my body and my curves and this picture coming out is probably helpful for everyone to see that just because I am on the cover of a magazine doesn’t mean I’m perfect.”

Bravo, Kim. You da (wo)man!

Nothing says classy quite like a comforter featuring a naked, headless chick — or dude.  Obviously, someone thought this was a good use of material and sewing machines, but we can’t quite figure out who in their right freaking mind would purchase it.

But wait — there’s more.