I was watching the news the other night and saw something that caused me to raise an eyebrow and shake my head.
A woman was being interviewed who was promoting a Web site that, she claimed, was funding breast augmentation surgeries for women who couldn't afford them. (Naturally, the set she was sporting were in the XXL range.)
She went on to claim that she had always wanted a breast augmentation but couldn't afford the procedure. But luckily, a search on the Internet turned up this particular Web site, where all you have to do is post your picture and sit back while strangers donate money to you out of the goodness of their hearts - so you, too, can realize your (or at least your boyfriend's) fondest dream. Hmmm.
Then they flashed the site's URL on the TV screen, surrounded by hundreds of women's photos with the dollar amounts donated so far to each woman. Donations are apparently made by credit card and the funds are used to pay the plastic surgeon doing the procedure.
(And no, I didn't visit the Web site because I don't need any more spam coming my way.)
What on earth would prompt someone to donate money to a stranger so she can get a cosmetic procedure when you could instead sign up to pay for surgeons to fix, say, a child's cleft palate?
Well, next thing I knew, a man was being interviewed and he explained his reasons. He said he wasn't ashamed of having supported women in this way and doesn't find anything ethically or morally wrong with it. Interestingly, he chose to be interviewed sitting in the dark, with his voice altered. My left eyebrow went up even further.
Then the man added that, in exchange for his donation, the lucky woman is required to send him, via the Web site, a post-op photograph of herself in the nude. And, he went on, if the woman is willing, he also has the opportunity to "meet" her.
Well, ladies, what does all this smell like to you? I for one am not in favor of this particular brand of exploitation. If a woman whose surgery's been paid for should then choose not to email a picture of her nude self to her benefactor, do the masterminds behind this offer send out the Repo Man? And if she declines a face-to-face get-together, what then? Worse, if she agrees to meet her creep, what expectations will each have regarding what happens at, or immediately after, their face-to-face? Where does her unspoken obligation end? Good grief, people!
I have no problem with women having breast augmentation. It's a matter of personal choice. I do think, however, that if a woman wants it done, then she should save up the money herself instead of signing up for a program in which her nude photo could potentially end up anywhere, including on Web sites where she might not want to make an appearance.
Keep in mind that this type of surgery is expensive, typically around $18,000 to $20,000. But unless millionaires are scrambling to play this game, many donors would have to contribute smaller sums of money to provide funding for one woman to have her surgery. And every one of those boys is going to expect to receive a photo. And some will want to get to know her up close and personal, after the incisions have healed, of course. What do you think?
