Why Breast Implants Are Deflating Along with the Economy

By Vanessa Richmond, The Tyee. Posted August 22, 2009.

The latest consumer item to be downsized this recession is breasts. It's not just that fewer women are shelling out ten grand for a pair of silicone cups, but that some women are going under the knife to have large implants turned into smaller ones.

The Daily Beast has a gallery of celebs who've remodeled their busts, called "A-List B-Cups," with the most high profile case being that of Victoria Beckham. Most people agree she has had three surgeries (though she denies it), and her most recent change was from a 34DD to a 'more manageable' 34B. Tabloids report that everyone from Lindsay Lohan to Drew Barrymore to Jennifer Connelly is diminishing her dimensions.

There are a few theories as to why women are going down to get a leg up. The first is specific to A-list circles -- many celebs are migrating to the fashion industry and appeasing the 'size zero demands' of its fickle and demanding god. As the UK-based Sun wrote, when Beckham first appeared with her new, smaller orbs, "Posh, 35, felt her mega chest didn't fit in with her new role as an upmarket fashion designer. A source said, "Victoria has wanted her implants taken out for a while. She felt that was part of her old 'WAG' image -- the big hair, big boobs, fake tan -- and that she has moved on since those days."

In the article 'Is downsizing one’s boobs the new Hollywood upgrade?' the Frisky blog says, "We're not sure which is worse -- women feeling the pressure to get implants, or feeling like weirdos if they're not an A- or B-cup? Could this have anything to do with all the celebs that are moonlighting in the stick-figure-dominated fashion biz?"

But I know several non-celeb women who're also contemplating getting reductions, and have heard even more people, of late, discussing how ridiculous oversized implants are. So this isn't just about a few irrelevant Hollywood starlets flirting with fashion.

Theory one

A friend of mine has a theory. Her three friends with implants are all miserable, because each ended up with bigger implants than they wanted. All asked for B- or C-cups, but the surgeons, supposedly wanting them to feel sufficiently transformed, (and feel like they got their money's worth) pushed them into getting D-cups. Now all three feel like they have porn boobs, are self-conscious, and want reductions. My friend suggested implants have been around long enough that the initial thrill of them is over. And that because enough women have complained to their friends about being pressured into a 'one (oversized) size fits all' approach, women are now starting to demand what they actually want, or are getting them changed into what they wanted in the first place.

Theory two

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Tyee Contributing Editor Vanessa Richmond writes the Schlock and Awe column about popular culture and the media. She is also the former managing editor of the Tyee.

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