BREAST IMPLANTS AS BEAUTY RITUAL: WOMAN'S SCEPTRE AND PRISON

Abstract

In the past several years, various publications, including medical literature, television reports, newspaper articles, and even a book written by a physician and editor of a prestigious medical journal, have delivered roughly the same message to the public about silicone gel breast implants: they do not cause disease. According to these publications, the issue is all but closed. They claim that the earlier litigation documenting the dangers of silicone and the misdeeds of surgeons, as well as exposing greedy and fraudulent behavior of corporations such as Dow Coming, was apparently either in error or was itself a fraud perpetrated upon the public by greedy, profit-seeking lawyers and physicians, and by the media, hungry for the latest sensational story. Some of this literature paints a picture of breast implant recipients as gullible, unwitting participants in this fraud, while other reports describe implant recipients as extortionists looking to exploit the deep pockets of manufacturers and surgeons.