'Skip the boob job, keep the house'
Posted
Jun 24 2008, 03:17 PM
by
Karen Datko
Here's news from Slate: Fewer American women are having *** augmentations and tummy tucks because of the worsening economy. Vanity hasn't totally taken a back seat to reality/gravity. Women are turning to cheaper, nonsurgical alternatives like Botox.
What's next? A bailout plan for plastic surgeons?
It's a trend that William Saletan of Slate's Human Nature blog has noticed -- and applauded -- before. He says its existence recently got additional confirmation from a little New York Times project, in which reporter Natasha Singer anonymously called the offices of 48 "prominent" plastic surgeons earlier this month to ask about scheduling cosmetic surgery.
She learned that the once common two-year waiting list is no more. Consultations could be had in three weeks or less, and the actual surgery could be done in June or July. Other sources support her findings, as well as a movement to less expensive procedures.
The trend may not be universal. In fact, a Reuters story cited by Saletan suggests the opposite. It says that Britain's biggest cosmetic surgery provider has seen a 59% increase in tummy tucks and a 40% increase in *** augmentations in the last 10 months.
(This reminds us of a blog we recently read about a woman who decided to remodel her game room because the family was going out less to save money.)
Maybe one reason for the slowdown in the plastic surgery trade in the U.S. is the tightening of credit. Saletan writes, "One plastic surgeon tells Singer that in previous years, he had clients 'refinancing their homes and using them as ATMs' to pay for *** augmentations and liposuction." Good grief.
While some women consider perkiness an investment, one straight-talking plastic surgeon told Singer it's a "luxury item."
Shelter, Saletan observes, is not. He writes, "Skip the boob job. Keep the house."
