So, I was recently asked to model lingerie for a Canadian Cancer Society fundraiser and while I was there, I was fortunate enough to meet a very inspirational woman. This lady, let’s call her Sheila, was also modeling and somehow Jon and I began talking to her about her career path and life. It seems that at around 40, she had gone through a tough divorce and had to transition from being a full-time mom to the full-time supporter of her children.
When she went for career guidance and divulged that she had always wanted to get into fitness, she was shot down, told that fitness was a young person’s game and was guided toward social work. Believing that the individual dispensing advice couldn’t possibly be wrong, Sheila went ahead and worked hard to earn her certificate for social work and when we met her, was diligently looking for a position.
I’m still not sure how we got into these topics, I think we started out by talking about her 16 year old son and his interest in boxing (funny how conversations lead you into unexpected areas..) Anyway, Jon and I were both appalled to hear that this woman was trying valiantly to put aside her own ideas of a great career and conform to someone else’s ideas of a successful career option. After much discussion, we were able to convince Sheila that fitness was an attainable goal for everyone, in every walk of life and if that is true, then fitness professionals should come from every walk of life, not just ripped 20-somethings or knowledgeable thirty-something’s.
During the conversation we were able to point out that her recent education wouldn’t necessarily have to go to waste. Sheila lives in a rural area of Ontario where being a regular personal trainer may not make sense financially, but she can look at filling a niche for the individuals who live in rural areas but are perhaps not as mobile. She can work with families and groups in mid-low income areas live healthier lives while also helping them get their career choices in order.
Sheila seemed amazed that not everyone agreed that there should be an age limit for fitness professionals. To my way of thinking, I would much rather have a fit person training me, whether they are 25 or 64 as opposed to some of those ‘Master Trainers’ you see eating donuts and trying to hide their beer bellies under lose fitting athletic shirts.
If anyone at any age can get fit and change their lives, then why can’t there be a trainer at any age who can share their inspirational story?
I’ve considered this a lot recently, as I get a little older, I remember how I used to look at my mid-twenties and feel that if I hadn’t made some major decisions and started along my final career path, I would be a failure. Luckily, I get to meet amazing people like Sheila who remind me that you can have, do or be anything you want, at any age!
People used to have one-two careers in a lifetime, today, the average person goes through five different careers in their lifetime. I figure if I am already heading down my first career path, I must at least have SOMETHING working…right?
So don’t stress…your life can change at any time and with that, your goals may change, and that’s ok. I intend to mess up a number of times in the next few years, let alone in the next few decades and if I can’t pick up and start again, I’d be in deep trouble…but then again, so would millions of people. Didn’t Ben Franklin mess up thousands of experiments before finally getting some electricity into that key? If he’s allowed, then so are we, and I wish ‘Sheila’ all the best. Jon and I send her our love and encouragement, she is an amazing woman and all she needs to do is remember that!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
What's Wrong with This Face?
As the final step in my investigation ( See previous post, Looking For Change in All the Wrong Places Pt 1), I set up consultations with two local (GTA) cosmetic surgery clinics. I posed as a 23 year old aspiring lingerie model who felt that perhaps larger breasts would jump start my career.
I told the interviewers that I had enough money saved to cover the whole cost of the initial surgery, but that I was also open to any suggestions they may have in terms of improving my overall look and appeal. I have included a picture of myself on the left. To the right is a photoshopped version of me done courtesy of my good friend, Daniel Kahn who took pity on my lack of technical savvy. My natural measurements are 34-25-34. I am 5’6, a natural blonde and I have natural C cup breasts.
Both clinics were more than happy to help me with my augmentation dreams, despite the fact that I admitted that my family doctor did not think I was completely finished growing and developing (the average female doesn’t settle into their full adult shape until their mid-late twenties). Neither clinic asked me any psychological questions to ascertain whether I had realistic expectation, was sufficiently prepared mentally or whether I was likely to be one of those individuals who become addicted to plastic surgery and aesthetic procedures.
However, both clinics felt strongly that with their help, I could be a successful lingerie model, but I may just need a little more help than I had initially anticipated.
Here is a list of the other procedures that were recommended to me…
Rhinoplasty (nose job) - Both clinics felt strongly that this should be my next step. One woman even went so far as to say that she felt my nose was holding me back more than my breasts (‘ I mean, stylists can always hand you some chicken cutlets to slip in your bra, but she can’t cut off a slice of your nose for a shoot.’).
Chin Implants - One consultant felt that my chin was too weak and that I needed a more ‘commanding’ presence.
Hair Line Adjustment - One consultant felt that my forehead was more of a ‘five-head’ and that undergoing a painful procedure that would pull my hair line lower and effectively shrink my enormous forehead to a more appealing size.
I am now lamenting my lack of skills in photoshop because it would have been amazing to include a shot of me with all of these ’minor’ changes and see what I would look like. Luckily, Daniel Kahn, a friend of mine, kindly made the appropriate adjustments to my image and you can look again knowing exactly what has been changed. Both clinics offered to create a ‘before’ and a projected ‘after’ shot, but only if I returned for my first paid visit where they begin the actual measurements and plans. Needless to say, after leaving the second clinic, I promised myself to never darken their doorstep again.
So, this is me, my opinions, the information I found intriguing and horrifying at the same time. An interesting thing to note was that neither clinic shared in-depth information with me during our consultation about the risks of the procedures. One consultant mentioned capsular contraction, but not by name; she simply mentioned that some implants end up looking ’…like Pam Anderson boobs’ if they are done incorrectly, but she destroyed that moment of possible concern by immediately adding ’ …but our doctors are better than that, so don’t worry!’
So I guess what I am trying to share with all of you is to look at WHY you think you want to change your looks. Will it make you happier? Will it make you a better person? Will it make you more successful? I assure you that if you think the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you need to re-read this article and start counting your blessings. If you spent a little more time thinking about what you DO have and a little less time thinking about what you WISH you had, before you know it, you’ll be happier, more successful and more fulfilled and you won’t have spent $40,000.00.
I look at that changed image every time I check my blog and it is creepy. It is almost me, but not quite, and I can't image seeing that in the mirror every morning. The saddest thing about that picture is it is me, without any of my unique features, I've become generic and I'm not entirely sure when mediocre became beautiful. I also lost all of the features that I got from my mom. She's gone now and I love looking in the mirror everyday and seeing her nose and her chin and her smile, it seems to me that there is a certain cost for changing your image and maybe it can only be paid with emotional currency... just something to think about.
Looking for Changes in All the Wrong Places (Pt 1)
So, you have $10,000.00 saved from your job, from birthday gifts and maybe with a little help from your boyfriend (he’s so supportive!) and you are ready for your boob job. Oh, well, I guess the politically correct term for a boob job is now breast augmentation, but let’s be honest, the crass term is a little more appropriate at this point.
What was once a savior for women who underwent full mastectomies has now become a fad, and it’s not just older women and porn stars who are interested. Girls as young as 16 are beginning to beg their parents not for their first car, but for their first set of breasts!
Now, I remember when I was 16, flat as a board and looking around me at all those ‘blessed’ girls. I remember being so jealous, wishing that if only I could be half their size, the boys wouldn’t make fun of me anymore. I watched Maury and Montel and saw all those girls who were ‘geeks’ in school, coming back with brand new (plastic) bodies and rubbing it in the faces of their teenage tormentors. I was envious. I imagined the day when I could come back to my hometown and face down all of those bullies who laughed at my -A cup chest, who called my ‘Breadboard’ and ‘chicken legs’. But you know what, I got over it.
I developed when I turned 18, one of those weird, overnight anomalies. It was like I went to bed with the body of a twelve year old boy and awoke with the body of well, a 16 year old girl. It wasn’t as significant to everyone else as it was to me, but that didn’t matter. Suddenly I was no longer a negative bra size, I was a small B! Hurray! Never before had that letter had such magic connotations in my life!
Funny thing is, after the boys at school realized that they couldn’t pick on me for that anymore, they found something else to torment me about. It was around then that I realized it wasn’t my breasts (or lack thereof) that made me one of their targets, it was that I was different in countless ways. I was a tomboy, a dancer and I’ll admit it, pretty mouthy.
So, all that time I spent wishing and hoping for bigger breasts was actually me wishing and hoping to fit in, and in the end, my breast size had nothing to do with how well I fit in. I could have been a D cup at 14 and still would have continued to create friction with certain groups of kids in my school. My development changed nothing about my life or friends, all it did was force me to go bra shopping for the first time, which is another traumatic experience that I will save for another day…
So, fast forward to today, breast augmentations are exploding as the new facials…something that is not considered a surgery so much as a minor personal improvement. When I was growing up, boob jobs were easy to spot, basketball-size lumps of flesh attached to a woman’s chest. Obscenely perky breasts sitting on women who could have granddaughters with larger breasts.
But is this trend really a good idea? Should we be playing God with our own bodies? Just because we are able to lift, fill, adjust or suck out the things we are unhappy about in our bodies, does that mean that we should? I decided to look into the risks and advantages this particular surgery and even investigate some proprietors in my community to see what I could find out.
The Risks:
Let’s start by assuming that you have already had the surgery done, that the doctor you saw was impeccable, that there are no complications at all and you are ecstatic with the results. Well, surprise, the manufacturers of the implants themselves admit that each implant is only constructed to last between seven and ten years.
Let’s do the math;
Average cost for breast augmentation- $6,000.00 - $12,000.00 (avg. $8,000.00)
If you have your first surgery in your mid-late twenties and you live to be 80, maybe stopping the breast augmentation when you hit 70 (maybe!)
20’s - $8,000.00
30’s - $8,000.00
40’s - $8,000.00
50’s - $8,000.00
60’s - $8,000.00
Grand Total - $40,000.00!
Now remember, this is not calculated to account for inflation, and this is in the best case scenario, where there are no complications, no adjustments required and no additional health problems associated with every one of these surgeries. Every time you go under the knife for an implant replacement, you are going in for major surgery and all of the risks associated with that are present for each and every procedure. Look at the recent stories in the media, Kanye West’s mother recently died on the table while undergoing cosmetic surgery, not exactly a glowing review for the safety of cosmetic surgery.
Capsular Contraction
This is the most prevalent complication with breast implants and is basically what happens when the shell of the implant contracts around the contents and cause the silicone or saline to harden. This is what causes those hard lines around the implant that you can see on women with blatant implants. The unfortunate reality is that this condition can happen to anyone who gets the procedure done, even those who only increase their bust by a single cup size.
The reason that this complication is so prevalent is because it is caused primarily by the body’s reaction to a foreign object lodged in living tissue. The body has tried to absorb the implant (a foreign object), failed, and now begins to build a wall of tissue around the implant to keep it separate from the rest of the body. The additional pressure on the implant causes the shell of the implant to contract, thus beginning the process of capsular contraction.
Doctors are beginning to find that placing the implant behind the pectoral muscle instead of on top of it can help to decrease the frequency of the issue, but does not solve the problem completely by any means.
Some other risks include
Making mammogram scans harder and making it more difficult to see and diagnose breast abnormalities including tumours.
Saline poisoning
Silicone poisoning
Deflation of the implant
Ruptured implants
Nipple numbness (15% of those who underwent the surgery found this to some degree)
Potential difficulty producing milk for breast feeding
On top of these risks, women with breast augmentations are;
Twice as likely to end up with brain cancer
Three times as likely to contract lung cancer
Ten times as likely to commit suicide
For further risks and more information about the aforementioned risks, please see
www.healthcanada.ca
www.thebreastsite.com
www.breastaugmentation-resource.com
Canadian Law Journal - Citation Hollis v. Dow Corning Corp
Dec. 21, 1995
Docket # 23776
www.asaps.com (the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)
A few final statistics to leave with you before foraying into the next section of this journey to aesthetic perfection: according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 51% of women who undergo a breast reconstruction or breast augmentation are forced to undergo additional surgeries due to complications from the initial surgery. Ultimately, 40% of women decide to remove all traces of their implants. If almost half of the women who thought that the surgery was a great idea decide to remove the very thing that they saved thousands for, underwent anaesthesia, medical surgery and a painful recovery for, would they think today that it was all worth it? Is it?
What was once a savior for women who underwent full mastectomies has now become a fad, and it’s not just older women and porn stars who are interested. Girls as young as 16 are beginning to beg their parents not for their first car, but for their first set of breasts!
Now, I remember when I was 16, flat as a board and looking around me at all those ‘blessed’ girls. I remember being so jealous, wishing that if only I could be half their size, the boys wouldn’t make fun of me anymore. I watched Maury and Montel and saw all those girls who were ‘geeks’ in school, coming back with brand new (plastic) bodies and rubbing it in the faces of their teenage tormentors. I was envious. I imagined the day when I could come back to my hometown and face down all of those bullies who laughed at my -A cup chest, who called my ‘Breadboard’ and ‘chicken legs’. But you know what, I got over it.
I developed when I turned 18, one of those weird, overnight anomalies. It was like I went to bed with the body of a twelve year old boy and awoke with the body of well, a 16 year old girl. It wasn’t as significant to everyone else as it was to me, but that didn’t matter. Suddenly I was no longer a negative bra size, I was a small B! Hurray! Never before had that letter had such magic connotations in my life!
Funny thing is, after the boys at school realized that they couldn’t pick on me for that anymore, they found something else to torment me about. It was around then that I realized it wasn’t my breasts (or lack thereof) that made me one of their targets, it was that I was different in countless ways. I was a tomboy, a dancer and I’ll admit it, pretty mouthy.
So, all that time I spent wishing and hoping for bigger breasts was actually me wishing and hoping to fit in, and in the end, my breast size had nothing to do with how well I fit in. I could have been a D cup at 14 and still would have continued to create friction with certain groups of kids in my school. My development changed nothing about my life or friends, all it did was force me to go bra shopping for the first time, which is another traumatic experience that I will save for another day…
So, fast forward to today, breast augmentations are exploding as the new facials…something that is not considered a surgery so much as a minor personal improvement. When I was growing up, boob jobs were easy to spot, basketball-size lumps of flesh attached to a woman’s chest. Obscenely perky breasts sitting on women who could have granddaughters with larger breasts.
But is this trend really a good idea? Should we be playing God with our own bodies? Just because we are able to lift, fill, adjust or suck out the things we are unhappy about in our bodies, does that mean that we should? I decided to look into the risks and advantages this particular surgery and even investigate some proprietors in my community to see what I could find out.
The Risks:
Let’s start by assuming that you have already had the surgery done, that the doctor you saw was impeccable, that there are no complications at all and you are ecstatic with the results. Well, surprise, the manufacturers of the implants themselves admit that each implant is only constructed to last between seven and ten years.
Let’s do the math;
Average cost for breast augmentation- $6,000.00 - $12,000.00 (avg. $8,000.00)
If you have your first surgery in your mid-late twenties and you live to be 80, maybe stopping the breast augmentation when you hit 70 (maybe!)
20’s - $8,000.00
30’s - $8,000.00
40’s - $8,000.00
50’s - $8,000.00
60’s - $8,000.00
Grand Total - $40,000.00!
Now remember, this is not calculated to account for inflation, and this is in the best case scenario, where there are no complications, no adjustments required and no additional health problems associated with every one of these surgeries. Every time you go under the knife for an implant replacement, you are going in for major surgery and all of the risks associated with that are present for each and every procedure. Look at the recent stories in the media, Kanye West’s mother recently died on the table while undergoing cosmetic surgery, not exactly a glowing review for the safety of cosmetic surgery.
Capsular Contraction
This is the most prevalent complication with breast implants and is basically what happens when the shell of the implant contracts around the contents and cause the silicone or saline to harden. This is what causes those hard lines around the implant that you can see on women with blatant implants. The unfortunate reality is that this condition can happen to anyone who gets the procedure done, even those who only increase their bust by a single cup size.
The reason that this complication is so prevalent is because it is caused primarily by the body’s reaction to a foreign object lodged in living tissue. The body has tried to absorb the implant (a foreign object), failed, and now begins to build a wall of tissue around the implant to keep it separate from the rest of the body. The additional pressure on the implant causes the shell of the implant to contract, thus beginning the process of capsular contraction.
Doctors are beginning to find that placing the implant behind the pectoral muscle instead of on top of it can help to decrease the frequency of the issue, but does not solve the problem completely by any means.
Some other risks include
Making mammogram scans harder and making it more difficult to see and diagnose breast abnormalities including tumours.
Saline poisoning
Silicone poisoning
Deflation of the implant
Ruptured implants
Nipple numbness (15% of those who underwent the surgery found this to some degree)
Potential difficulty producing milk for breast feeding
On top of these risks, women with breast augmentations are;
Twice as likely to end up with brain cancer
Three times as likely to contract lung cancer
Ten times as likely to commit suicide
For further risks and more information about the aforementioned risks, please see
www.healthcanada.ca
www.thebreastsite.com
www.breastaugmentation-resource.com
Canadian Law Journal - Citation Hollis v. Dow Corning Corp
Dec. 21, 1995
Docket # 23776
www.asaps.com (the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery)
A few final statistics to leave with you before foraying into the next section of this journey to aesthetic perfection: according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 51% of women who undergo a breast reconstruction or breast augmentation are forced to undergo additional surgeries due to complications from the initial surgery. Ultimately, 40% of women decide to remove all traces of their implants. If almost half of the women who thought that the surgery was a great idea decide to remove the very thing that they saved thousands for, underwent anaesthesia, medical surgery and a painful recovery for, would they think today that it was all worth it? Is it?
First Blog Ever!!
Alright, so this is my first blog ever, I am oh so excited!
So, for those of you who don't know me, my passion really is healthy lifestyle and helping everyone find the balance in their life so this blog is a place for me to try out new ideas and throw my two cents into the cyber-pot if you will.
Today I'll start out quick and simple;
Try kelp next time you reach for the salt shaker.
Scientists have recently begun to agree with raw foodists that sea salt is a healthier alternative to salt, but kelp goes above and beyond, so why not give it a try?
A great source of many of your required minerals, kelp is a delicious little kick to add to any meal.
Go on, give it a try!
Cheers!
So, for those of you who don't know me, my passion really is healthy lifestyle and helping everyone find the balance in their life so this blog is a place for me to try out new ideas and throw my two cents into the cyber-pot if you will.
Today I'll start out quick and simple;
Try kelp next time you reach for the salt shaker.
Scientists have recently begun to agree with raw foodists that sea salt is a healthier alternative to salt, but kelp goes above and beyond, so why not give it a try?
A great source of many of your required minerals, kelp is a delicious little kick to add to any meal.
Go on, give it a try!
Cheers!
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