Barbie-plasty

If you thought reality TV hit bottom when a group of trashy New Jersey lowlifes (most of whom aren't really even from NJ!) ascended to star status because of their sexcapades, big hair (Snook-It, anyone?), 4 letter word vocabulary, and tanorexia, you seriously underestimated the depths to which television and its viewers will sink in the name of "entertainment."  May I present Exhibit A: Bridalplasty. In this despicable derivation of reality TV, brides-to-be compete for a celebrity-style dream wedding and the dream body to go along with it. Does this mean that they engage in a series of physical challenges meant to whip them into shape before the big day? Heavens no! These brides-to-be compete with each other in order to win nose jobs, implants, lipo, and botox! As the show's advertising says, it's "the only competition where the winner gets cut." How sick is this?!!

These women, who I should say are normal looking, if not attractive, are competing for surgery! Let me reiterate: this is purely elective plastic surgery. There is not one cleft lip or extra limb among them. I became aware of this hideous show as I was channel flipping and saw what looked like a house full of car wreck and burn victims gathered around an attractive host. I soon discovered that these were some of the previous weeks' "winners," who had gotten one or more of their "wish list" surgeries by winning a challenge. It was morbid! These women trash talk each other from under their mummy wraps in the recovery room! Let's meet one:

Kristen Sciacca, 21

a nanny from Orange, CA, was crowned Miss Anaheim in 2005

Wish List

• breast augmentation
• liposuction of chin
• liposuction of cheeks
• laser hair removal
• teeth straightening
• liposuction of abdomen
• liposuction of flanks
• liposuction of outer thighs
• liposuction of knees
• Botox between eyes 

I know what you're thinking. What a heifer, right?!!  This girl certainly needs work before any guy would marry her!

And what about the surgeon who performs all of these operations? Who the hell is he? Dr. Terry Dubrow is supposedly a board certified plastic surgeon. Wherever he went to medical school, I think he must have slept through his medical ethics class because doctors are prohibited from giving away procedures as prizes for contests. I'd love to have a gander at the medical release form these Barbie wannabes must have to sign before appearing on this show!

It's bad enough that women and girls face such enormous societal pressure to have "perfect" bodies. We go on ridiculous diets, starve ourselves into anorexia, puke ourselves bulimic, and destroy our self-esteem in a futile effort to reach someone else's notion of perfection. Now, plastic surgery is being added into the mix as an option for women other than the rich and famous. Will the pre-wedding lipo become as common as the pre-wedding manicure? Botox parties are already cropping up in suburbia, where party goers are offered facial injections with their apple martinis. Does this scenario remind anyone else of the Stepford Wives or is it just me? Only now, it's we  who are offering ourselves up to be carved into walking, talking Barbies. Is that progress? I don't think so.