Boob-Job Sales Slump

January 12, 2009 / 12:07 pm • By Dr. Melissa Clouthier

The pendulum has swung, folks. Perky breasts, like hemlines, are going down–reflecting the economic slump. Plastic surgeons are quite confident the problem is economic. Women just can’t afford to do what they want to do which is to have glorious, hard, round, mounds of silicone. Well, that’s the theory:

But now the society reports a 62 percent overall decrease in cosmetic surgery from 2007 to 2008. Business has plunged in regions with the largest home foreclosures, from Florida to Southern California. Forget about Ohio. Until the financial crisis hit, the theory and practice of cosmetic surgery encountered virtually no impediments from medical or mental health professionals, or media enablers

I don’t think it’s entirely the economy and I don’t think it’s that big companies convinced women that they needed huge mammaries that made women buy boob jobs to begin with as Maura Moynihan asserts in the above article. I think it’s simpler than all that: As time has gone on, women have seen the long term consequences of plastic surgery including boob jobs. Except in rare cases like Demi Moore, plastic surgery makes women (and even worse, men) look weird.

Cases in point Madonna, Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Jerry Jones, etc. A person reaches a certain threshold where the risks outweigh the benefits and a person looks not young and fresh but old and stretched. Smooth, maybe, but still old.

The Hollywood insiders might all be lying to themselves, but those on the outside peering in see the plastic surgery crazy and make economic choices based on evidence. What used to be trendy and helpful, is now seen to be a slippery slope to weird town.

Now, I think that as doctors refine their techniques, make them less obvious and invasive and more believable, not to mention less risky for a person’s health and less expensive, people will turn back toward plastic surgery. Humans will always be vain as long as mirrors exist. And people will always spend money to feed their vanity. But there’s no point to spending money on a product of questionable benefit.

Never fear, plastic surgeons, there will be an upturn in breasts again.

Posted in Corrupted Culture • Show Me The Money
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  • http://www.rpgohmy.blogspot.com John F Not Kerry

    As much as I admire the female form (hardwired in me, after all!), I’m always disappointed when I hear of a female celebrity getting breast augmentation (apart from post-cancer surgery). While they are free to make the choice, it is sad that they feel compelled to so drastically alter their bodies. Until they are happy with themselves on the inside, no woman (or man) will be truly happy just because of changes on the outside.

    I am very happy with my wife’s 34B’s. If they grew naturally to C’s, I would gladly embrace the change (so to speak!). But I would never ask her or even suggest that she change them to satisfy me or anyone else. On top of that she is a runner, and is quite content to not get black eyes when running!

  • Trish

    John, you are a treasure. I hope your wife appreciates you!

    I cringe when I hear of a celeb having cosmetic surgery. Such surgeries have their place, but I believe its major place should be to help people who have suffered disfigurement through injury, disease or birth defects. Celebrities already tend to be prettier than the average bear; why paint the lily? And you risk ending up looking like Michael Jackson in the end.

    Melissa–you are right, humans are vain, so there will be an upturn as soon as the next “revolutionary” procedure is discovered.

  • Chalmers

    Two examples:
    Newly Asian Kenny Rogers
    Newly creepy Meg Ryan

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  • the asset

    poppycock! store-bought hooters are proof god loves and wants us to be happy, men and women both. once upon a time i had a job in which i dealt with many thousands of letters written by women who’d had breast augs. letter after letter, time after time, they said the implants made them happier, more confident, more feminine. the phrase “changed my life” came up a lot. if you’d read those letters, you certainly wouldn’t sniff that implants were of “questionable benefit”. just as a wild guess, i’d say that for every woman with a sad boobjob tale, there are 20 satisfied customers.

    as an added bonus, men like ‘em too!

  • http://www.rpgohmy.blogspot.com John F Not Kerry

    Asset, I wonder how those women will feel 20-30 years after. Of course, after spending thousands of dollars and getting admiring looks and comments, women will feel great about themselves. But when that passes, what are they left with? That they were admired for how they filled out a sweater? If you depend on the reactions of others for your happiness you will always end up disappointed.

    And to your line about stroe-bought hooters being proof that “god” loves us and wants us to be happy: “May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. A loving doe, a graceful deer – may HER (emphasis mine) breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love.” Proverbs 15: 18,19

    God’s (big ‘g’) plans are much bigger than ours, and His vision is much clearer.