Fake Boobs: Victim of bad PR?

[Realitycrash]

It doesn't take much effort in asking around the general populace to find out that silicone breasts, and those that have them, are viewed with skepticism and derision.
Women with them are instantly portrayed as vain/insecure/stupid/Alpha-bitches/Sluts/Etc.

Still, when one stops to think about it, several inconsistencies come to light. If we ignore the (hopefully) small portion of people that get fake breasts due to breast-cancer, or having suffered so much bullying/derision for their small breasts in life that the only fixing the "problem" will finally be able to calm their psyche, breast-implants are done solely to be aesthetically pleasing.
But, I ask, isn't that an arbitrary factor, one among many equal factors one can put blame on, but in reality never catch as much flack?
Here's an ample comparison: Tattoos cost a lot of money, and are (usually) done solely to be aesthetically pleasing. Up until recently, these were too object of derision and prejudice, only worn by "thugs and prisoners". Yet recent trends clearly show that society have gradually shifted its views concerning them.
Both tattoos and implants are a form of body-altering surgery. Both cost a lot of money (granted, it takes awhile to build up enough tattoos for it to rival the cost of an average boob-job, but once you do, you still don't get the same bad PR), and both are done pretty much for the sake of vanity. If body-alteration is the main issue here, then why aren't we scorning bleaching of the hair (which is bad for the scalp), or hair-removal (can be very painful)?
If it is vanity and costs that is the main motivation for why implants are seen as bad, why don't we derive those with expensive clothing? A few fancy suits equal the price of implants. Shoes and clothing (and Sex and the City hilariously proved) can cost enormous sums, but is also equally seen as "silly and quirky", yet socially acceptable to most.
And hell, don't even get me started on sports-cars..
If we are going to make snide remarks concerning implants, why not these factors?

If we are going to assume that a person with implants are of bad character, because of her vanity and or what she spends her money on, then there's a whole throng of people that should also be deserving of your scorn.
I'm guessing there's a double standard at work here, somewhere in the background.

Now, have I rattled your intuitions? Have you any comments or other insights?

 

[Daystar Clarion]

I dislike breast implants because they look fake as fuck.

The same reason I dislike bad tattoos or a bad hair dye job.

I don't dislike breast implants because they're breast implants, I dislike them because you can tell they're breast implants.

 

[Shadowstar38]

I just personally don't like them. They look stupid and are ultimately utterly fucking pointless. Their are men that will like a girl with small breasts. I equate "needing" breast implants to needing to be more titillating.

 

[Realitycrash]

I dislike breast implants because they look fake as fuck.

The same reason I dislike bad tattoos or a bad hair dye job.

I don't dislike breast implants because they're breast implants, I dislike them because you can tell they're breast implants.

Ans if you couldn't tell, you'd be alright with them? (I've seen some where I can't tell).

 

[Realitycrash]

I just personally don't like them. They look stupid and are ultimately utterly fucking pointless.

You mean they are pointless to you, because you don't like how they look, right?

 

[Smeatza]

If you can tell that they are breast implants, the surgeon has either done a bad job of it, used poor quality implants, the person in question has had several of them, or has gone too big.
Short of finding the scars, you shouldn't be able to tell.

I have no problem with people getting breast implants. If I had a problem with how I look and genuinely thought cosmetic surgery would help I would do it.

 

[Shadowstar38]

I just personally don't like them. They look stupid and are ultimately utterly fucking pointless.

You mean they are pointless to you, because you don't like how they look, right?

No. I don't like how they like and they serve no function. Not because.

 

[Realitycrash]

I just personally don't like them. They look stupid and are ultimately utterly fucking pointless.

You mean they are pointless to you, because you don't like how they look, right?

No. I don't like how they like and they serve no function. Not because.

They obviously serve a function, or people wouldn't be getting them. They are considered attractive (by enough people), thus they serve a function to attract. Since they are considered attractive, they raise self-esteem in some, and might also garner favorable jobs (attractive people have an easier time finding employment than the unattractive, there have been studies. Now, if it is worth the backlash of having a boss that values your appearance more than your knowledge, well..That's another question)

You might claim that they shouldn't serve a function. But in reality, they clearly do, and you are in error.

 

[Thaluikhain]

I think there's a bit of doublethink going on here.

On the one hand, boob jobs are icky, women should be natural. On the other hand, women should fit an arbitrary beauty standard, and women who don't are icky. And the beauty standard often requires being unnatural.

...

As the OP says, you have other body modification done for aesthetic reasons, I don't see why boob jobs are picked on more than tatts or piercings or whatnot.

I remember seeing a pic of Victoria Beckham, and there were many comments along the lines on "two grapefruit halves stuck on a lamppost"...I could see where the comparison comes from, but I bet you could stick grapefruit halves on an actual lamppost and say it's modern art.

If there is societal pressure for women to get boob jobs, that's a problem, but if it's their choice, I don't see the issue.

...

Also, if I was a Tzimisce vampire, I'd totally get at least one set of boobs to go with my horns and spikes.

 

[Shadowstar38]

I just personally don't like them. They look stupid and are ultimately utterly fucking pointless.

You mean they are pointless to you, because you don't like how they look, right?

No. I don't like how they like and they serve no function. Not because.

They obviously serve a function, or people wouldn't be getting them. They are considered attractive (by enough people), thus they serve a function to attract. Since they are considered attractive, they raise self-esteem in some, and might also garner favorable jobs (attractive people have an easier time finding employment than the unattractive, there have been studies. Now, if it is worth the backlash of having a boss that values your appearance more than your knowledge, well..That's another question)

You might claim that they shouldn't serve a function. But in reality, they clearly do, and you are in error.

If someone has to get plastic surgery just to make themselves attractive that person comes off as vapid to me. Same as if you get jobs based on the fact that your boss likes to stare at tits all day rather than through your own work.

And there is probably far better(read: non invasive) ways to raise a person's self esteem.

 

[IndomitableSam]

Daystar is right... you can tell when they're fake. As a woman, you learn really quickly how things move and fit into clothes and how gravity works on them... and when they deny any of those thins listed, they're fake. It's easy to tell on a lot of women - probably not all, but most.

If you're a tiny little thing and got big boobs slapped on, I will think less of you. If you're normal looking and have normal ones, I won't judge. Other women know full well how uncomfortable we can be with our boobs. Could be they were really different sizes so they got evened out, or they were a really weird shape so they got that fixed. Could be they got ruined after a pregnancy and they wanted to look normal again. Cancer or non-cancerous lumps can ravage them, too. An accident could have damaged them... anything.

If they look like they're supposed to look on someone, I'm fine with it. If you're a size 2 with DD's and don't have the posture of someone who's lived with them and hates them... then I will judge. And think "Well, mine would be nice if they were shaped like that... but that's way too fucking big and you look like you have no self esteem."

 

[Aaron Sylvester]

I dislike breast implants because they look fake as fuck.

The same reason I dislike bad tattoos or a bad hair dye job.

I don't dislike breast implants because they're breast implants, I dislike them because you can tell they're breast implants.

Can you really? 100% of the time? Then you must have some kind of x-ray vision going on. When you say "the same reason I dislike bad tattoos or a bad hair dye job", the keyword was "bad". But you've assumed 100% of boob jobs turn out "bad" which is absolutely not the case. Sure a big chunk of them look unnatural, but not always.

Boob jobs that turn out great (and assuming the woman goes for a reasonable size and not watermelons), in many cases it's impossible to tell and the woman in question simply comes off as a rather fine specimen - which is the entire POINT of fake boobs, because even in today's society a tremendous amount of pressure is placed on women to look "good". They were judged by it in ancient times and they are still judged by it today. Why else would women spend so much goddamn time looking in the mirror, doing their hair, applying make-up, wearing uncomfortable heels, etc etc? For themselves, because it makes them "feel" beautiful? Or for others? They don't even ask themselves these questions, they just do it instinctively like it's in their DNA. (Perhaps it is!).
Often a wife will never bother looking good for her husband, but the moment it's time to go out to any party/dinner on her own, ta-daa! Make-up, blush, hair, heels, etc galore!

Something like 70-80% of women today are unhappy with their bodies, it's nothing short of alarming. The majority of girls I've known will start freaking out if you call them fat (as a joke!), even the ones shaped like sticks. I as a guy am happy to tell my weight to anyone who asks (73kg tee hee) but if I dare I ask a girl they get tight-lipped...actually it's EXPECTED that you never ask a woman her weight, or even an older woman her age. It leaves me scratching my head at times.
The overwhelming majority of beauty products are aimed at women, the entire beauty industry is considered a girl thing, without women there wouldn't BE a beauty industry.
Sometimes I thank the heavens for being a man, because society tends to be far more interested in what I can DO instead of judging me on how I LOOK. With women it seems to be the other way around and the last thing I would want is be placed under pressure to use beauty products or always look presentable outside, christ what a money-sink/time-sink. I just wouldn't be able to handle it

Anyway back to the main question, why are fake boobs disliked? Because the technology isn't there yet to make 100% of them flawless, there is a far higher chance of a boob-job going wrong than say...a tattoo, an expensive hair-do, a nice dress, or a sports car. The last two are GUARANTEED to score points, but boob jobs are far from guaranteed.
It's the flaws which the media will focus on, the flaws which people will be quick to notice. Those horrific photos of women who have received unfortunately-bad boob jobs or didn't age too well? Yeah, those are the ones which grab the most attention for the wrong reasons. BECAUSE they are ugly and showcase what can happen over time, or when it goes wrong.

But eventually technology will iron out the flaws (ironically most of this tech is researched/innovated by men) and surgery/augmentation will reach a level where it becomes impossible to tell what is fake and what is real. That's when things will get really interesting, then I would like to hear people say "yuck that looks unnatural" and end up offending the crap out of a woman who is actually completely natural

 

[Phasmal]

Everyone gets all judgy over fake boobs, I couldn't care less.
I mean, I've heard bad things about the surgery, and that the sensitivity kinda goes away (and one woman who lost her nipple from the surgery, ewww!).
But loads of things carry risk and who am I to judge.

I mean, you usually can tell fake from real, but if someone wants to do it, why should anyone give a damn?

 

[Rastien]

Everyone gets all judgy over fake boobs, I couldn't care less.
I mean, I've heard bad things about the surgery, and that the sensitivity kinda goes away (and one woman who lost her nipple from the surgery, ewww!).
But loads of things carry risk and who am I to judge.

I mean, you usually can tell fake from real, but if someone wants to do it, why should anyone give a damn?

The fuck kind of surgeon looses a nipple! how does that even happen >_> now i'm no surgeon but after implanting some plastic into some boobs and sewing them back together looking at my work and only seeing 1 boob without a nipple 1 with i know something went wrong somewhere :S

 

[Phasmal]

Everyone gets all judgy over fake boobs, I couldn't care less.
I mean, I've heard bad things about the surgery, and that the sensitivity kinda goes away (and one woman who lost her nipple from the surgery, ewww!).
But loads of things carry risk and who am I to judge.

I mean, you usually can tell fake from real, but if someone wants to do it, why should anyone give a damn?

The fuck kind of surgeon looses a nipple! how does that even happen >_> now i'm no surgeon but after implanting some plastic into some boobs and sewing them back together looking at my work and only seeing 1 boob without a nipple 1 with i know something went wrong somewhere :S

Hahaha, no, I didn't mean they misplaced the nipple.
It just got all infected and went black and fell off.
But that was from one of those cheapo `go-abroad to get your boobs done` scams with crappy surgeons, which ladies should stay away from.
I was watching something about surgery horror stories (god knows why).

 

[Realitycrash]

I just personally don't like them. They look stupid and are ultimately utterly fucking pointless.

You mean they are pointless to you, because you don't like how they look, right?

No. I don't like how they like and they serve no function. Not because.

They obviously serve a function, or people wouldn't be getting them. They are considered attractive (by enough people), thus they serve a function to attract. Since they are considered attractive, they raise self-esteem in some, and might also garner favorable jobs (attractive people have an easier time finding employment than the unattractive, there have been studies. Now, if it is worth the backlash of having a boss that values your appearance more than your knowledge, well..That's another question)

You might claim that they shouldn't serve a function. But in reality, they clearly do, and you are in error.

If someone has to get plastic surgery just to make themselves attractive that person comes off as vapid to me. Same as if you get jobs based on the fact that your boss likes to stare at tits all day rather than through your own work.

And there is probably far better(read: non invasive) ways to raise a person's self esteem.

So you agree, it does have a function?

Doesn't the same apply for anything that you do to make you more attractive? Why should the moral relevances be applied to just surgery?

 

[Realitycrash]

I think there's a bit of doublethink going on here.

On the one hand, boob jobs are icky, women should be natural. On the other hand, women should fit an arbitrary beauty standard, and women who don't are icky. And the beauty standard often requires being unnatural.

...

As the OP says, you have other body modification done for aesthetic reasons, I don't see why boob jobs are picked on more than tatts or piercings or whatnot.

I remember seeing a pic of Victoria Beckham, and there were many comments along the lines on "two grapefruit halves stuck on a lamppost"...I could see where the comparison comes from, but I bet you could stick grapefruit halves on an actual lamppost and say it's modern art.

If there is societal pressure for women to get boob jobs, that's a problem, but if it's their choice, I don't see the issue.

I specifically made this post in the Off-Topic section in order to get a more nuanced order of comments from people ot normally visiting the R&P, and what do I get?
Comments from people normally visiting the R&P..
Damnit.

Also, if I was a Tzimisce vampire, I'd totally get at least one set of boobs to go with my horns and spikes

Psh, Vicissitude is such a bother. Appearance is a simple matter of perception. Therefor, I'd invest in Obfuscate and go Nosferatu.

 

[Shadowstar38]

So you agree, it does have a function?

Doesn't the same apply for anything that you do to make you more attractive? Why should the moral relevances be applied to just surgery?

Yes. The ones you gave made sense.

And I draw the line here probably because it's...well, like you said. It's surgery. New clothes and make-up, fine. Have at it. Once your cutting your body open and making heavy modifications like that, you've gone too far. It's not morally objectionable. I just end up thinking vanity and insecureity internally.

 

[Realitycrash]

So you agree, it does have a function?

Doesn't the same apply for anything that you do to make you more attractive? Why should the moral relevances be applied to just surgery?

Yes. The ones you gave made sense.

And I draw the line here probably because it's...well, like you said. It's surgery. New clothes and make-up, fine. Have at it. Once your cutting your body open and making heavy modifications like that, you've gone too far. It's not morally objectionable. I just end up thinking vanity and insecureity internally.

So you think the same about tattoos, I take it? Piercings? It's still surgery, after-all.

Surgery (from the Greek: χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via Latin: chirurgiae, meaning "hand work") is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.

- Wikipedia

 

[Shadowstar38]

So you think the same about tattoos, I take it? Piercings? It's still surgery, after-all.

Surgery (from the Greek: χειρουργική cheirourgikē, via Latin: chirurgiae, meaning "hand work") is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.

- Wikipedia

That's when things get weird.

Earrings aren't a problem for me. Nose, lip, and genital rings? Fuck off. It's actually making their face uglier at that point(the genital one hate for different reasons). If someone has one or two tattoos, I'm not too bothered. But a fuck ton of them all over the place is a turn off.