So a few minutes after arriving in Buenos Aires, I noticed some woman with a broken nose sipping coffee at a cafe. A day later I saw another broken nosed woman chatting with a well coiffed tough looking guy; I wondered if she was a domestic violence victim. Then yesterday I saw another one, and thought, wow, are the men here abusive? Maybe its all that hot Mediterranean blood. Then today I saw another one, and thought, okay, something is up; all of the broken noses have the same exact bandaging. Later, we met a tour guide who started cracking jokes about the "lions" here in the BA jungle -- she pointed out plasticated boobulation examples everywhere; she said the national health insurance even covers it. So I did some searches, and a bunch of weird things showed up. I don't typically follow the Miss Universe news, so I missed the fact that Miss 1994 Argentina died recently from a botched buttocks implant. And this freaky woman has issues with hers as well. Apparently though, this is all old news. This 1999 Newsweek article has a punchy quote:
In "The Masks of Argentina," author Luis Majul estimates that one in every 30 Argentines has undergone cosmetic surgery. And with prices plummeting, face-lifts and nose jobs are becoming "democratized," says plastic surgeon Maria Cristina Zeaiter. But the country's elite sets the tone; everyone from Diego Maradona to President Carlos Menem has gone under the scalpel. Menem's ex-wife, former First Lady Zuelma Yoma, is a frequent client of cosmetic-surgery clinics. But few Argentines are put off by such dangers. "Mankind suffers two great ills: aging and ugliness," says cosmetic surgeon Jose Juri. "Plastic surgery can treat them both."
So, it turns out that, not only do folks here get a lot of plastic surgery, but BA is actually a major plastic surgery "medical" "tourist" destination. Here's a rather disturbing CNN expose.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
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3 comments:
Thamks deep I enjoyed your blog and CNN esque commentary on plastic surgery in BA I didn't realize it was so common and covered...I guess BA putscosmetic beauty on par with good health.hi to ameen for me. Baljit
Argentina also tops the list for psychiatric visits, at least some years ago, everyone had a shrink, and suicide was higher than elsewhere. aging and looks, you are now in "JL Borges" labyrinth, he refuted the existence of time and he was ugly. Deep, Your selection of world destinations is intriguing. Please follow up with the best Tango dive and current state of Diego Maradonna
re: JL Borges labyrinth -- did he refute the existence of time or simply clarify that our time line is but one of many? Borges is an interesting guy, I had no idea he was behind my late night high school sci fi time travel geek conversations.
Here's a snippet from Wikipedia regarding his labyrinth/time idea for the uninitiated (think "Choose your own adventure" stories, "Run Lola Run" and I'm sure a few Star Trek episodes):
Due to the praise of "The Garden of Forking Paths", the term "Borgesian" has been coined to fulfill the meaning of non-linearity within the world of digital media. This 1941 short story presents the idea that there are forking paths through networks of time — none of which are the same, all of which are equal. In regards to the organization of information, Borges imagines "a labyrinth that folds back upon itself in infinite regression" making the reader of his Garden of Forking Paths "become aware of all the possible choices we might make."
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