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Chavez rails at teen-age breast implants gift fad
Reuters on Yahoo ^
| 9/24/07
| Saul Hudson
Posted on 09/24/2007 8:22:50 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
CARACAS (Reuters) - President Hugo Chavez railed against a new trend in beauty-conscious Venezuela, giving girls breast implants for their 15th birthday.
"Now some people think, 'My daughter's turning 15, let's give her breast enlargements.' That's horrible. It's the ultimate degeneration," Chavez said late on Sunday on his weekly TV show that lasted a record eight hours.
Venezuela is well known for its beauty queens, who have regularly won world crowns, and many women have plastic surgery in the oil-rich country where there is widespread spending on consumer items that would be considered luxuries elsewhere.
But Chavez, the anti-U.S., self-styled revolutionary who came to office in 1999, is seeking to change those attitudes to create what he calls the "new man" to build a socialist society in this South American nation.
Chavez complained about the new fad of giving the plastic surgery operation at 15 -- when Latin Americans celebrate a girl's coming-of-age -- during a diatribe against what he says are Western-imposed consumerist icons such as Barbie dolls.
While breast implants are advertised on TV and banks offer special credit lines for such operations, if girls do get the enlargements they are not expected to become sexually active afterward.
Venezuelans' have a habit of avid consumerism since the 1970s oil boom in the OPEC nation. They have won the nickname of the "Give-Me-Twos" in the tourist destination of Florida for buying double the amount of typical consumers.
Breast implants cost thousands of dollars in Venezuela.
Chavez's answer? He has told his supporters to give away any extra goods they do not need, urging them to leave out in town squares items such as fans or refrigerators.
"I am calling on your conscience, fathers of this country, mothers of this country, they are our sons, they are our daughters," Chavez said.
Still, Chavez, who happily describes himself as ugly, may struggle to change Venezuelans' mind-set to spending on plastic surgery.
In elevators, at huge, jam-packed shopping malls, women can be overheard openly boasting about their recent, conspicuous operations.
(Additional reporting by Patricia Rondon)
TOPICS: Culture/Society; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events; Your Opinion/Questions
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To: Cletus.D.Yokel
If that is Charo, she is Spanish.
21
posted on
09/24/2007 8:35:24 AM PDT
by
3AngelaD
(They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
To: NormsRevenge
You’re right, Hugo.
I still hate you, though.
22
posted on
09/24/2007 8:35:44 AM PDT
by
ArrogantBustard
(Western Civilisation is aborting, buggering, and contracepting itself out of existence.)
To: NormsRevenge
Commies are usually against beauty contests because, lets face it, beauty contests are for commercial reasons. Beauty products are big business and can’t have that in a communist nation.
23
posted on
09/24/2007 8:36:03 AM PDT
by
sagar
To: dfwgator
So, it’s warm in Venezuela all year. I don’t need clothes. So we’ll all run around naked in Caracas..............
24
posted on
09/24/2007 8:36:09 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(ALL that CARBON in ALL that oil & coal was once in the atmospere. We're just putting it back!)
To: Cletus.D.Yokel
Charo was born in Murcia, Spain. I’ve been there and they grow them like that.
25
posted on
09/24/2007 8:36:11 AM PDT
by
org.whodat
(What's the difference between a Democrat and a republican????)
To: Tax-chick; Teacher317
It’s funny, the only woman I saw in the Bahamas with a g-string swimsuit was from Venezuela. She was nice.
26
posted on
09/24/2007 8:36:35 AM PDT
by
Perdogg
(Join the NCAA basketball thread - Freemail me)
To: Izzy Dunne
Careful! THAT’S how they “get” you. One issue at a time! For you it’s this, for others, it that. A little bit here, a little bit there............
27
posted on
09/24/2007 8:37:42 AM PDT
by
Red Badger
(ALL that CARBON in ALL that oil & coal was once in the atmospere. We're just putting it back!)
To: JackRyanCIA
Hummmmmmm. I have to agree with him. Now lets hang him.Good thinking.
28
posted on
09/24/2007 8:37:45 AM PDT
by
marvlus
To: NormsRevenge
Well Hugo, you have a point, but that’s one of the “downsides” of free speech, like porn.
29
posted on
09/24/2007 8:38:40 AM PDT
by
theDentist
(Qwerty ergo typo : I type, therefore I misspelll.)
To: NormsRevenge
I guess he liked Cindy Sheehan cause she’s real and swing free most of the time from what I can tell....
30
posted on
09/24/2007 8:38:43 AM PDT
by
Badeye
(You know its a kook site when they ban the word 'kook')
To: NormsRevenge
To: ElPatriota
I can never agree with a leader telling people how they should spend their own money.
32
posted on
09/24/2007 8:39:11 AM PDT
by
dfwgator
(The University of Florida - Still Championship U)
To: NormsRevenge
"I am calling on your conscience, fathers of this country, mothers of this country, they are our sons, they are our daughters..." The sons are getting breast implants, too? Why do I suspect the sons actually appreciate the implant trend. I think 15-year-old girls are too young for this kind of surgery, but I don't think the government needs to control it.
33
posted on
09/24/2007 8:39:16 AM PDT
by
3AngelaD
(They screwed up their own countries so bad they had to leave, and now they're here screwing up ours)
To: NormsRevenge
We can’t have all that freedom.
34
posted on
09/24/2007 8:40:06 AM PDT
by
Tolkien
(There are things more important than Peace. Freedom being one of those.)
To: NormsRevenge
2007:
To: Teacher317
![](http://u.univision.com/contentroot/uol/art/images/tv/utv/2006/01/060131_aliciaDonph12.jpg)
Alicia Machado...SCHWING!!!
36
posted on
09/24/2007 8:42:03 AM PDT
by
dfwgator
(The University of Florida - Still Championship U)
To: Teacher317
2006:
![](http://www.laprensahn.com/var/laprensa/storage/images/ediciones/2007/09/02/quien_se_quedara_con_el_trono/2023019-1-esl-ES/quien_se_quedara_con_el_trono_titularseccion.jpg)
(could be...)
2005:
![](http://www.missosology.org/missuniverse06/mv15ma.jpg)
(almost certainly...)
2004:
![](http://www.voote.com/images/00001/Reg.134.10.jpg)
(seems natural)
To: NormsRevenge
You'd think Hugo would approve.
He looks like he's had them.
38
posted on
09/24/2007 8:43:50 AM PDT
by
E. Pluribus Unum
(Islam is a religion of peace, and Muslims reserve the right to kill anyone who says otherwise.)
To: NormsRevenge; Froufrou
"Now some people think, 'My daughter's turning 15, let's give her breast enlargements.' That's horrible. It's the ultimate degeneration," Chavez said late on Sunday on his weekly TV show that lasted a record eight hours.
As if Chavez is one to be talking about morality. But I guess this proves the old adage about broken clocks being right twice in a day.
39
posted on
09/24/2007 8:43:55 AM PDT
by
JamesP81
To: NormsRevenge
Truly saddening, that our youth’s self worth can be so tied to their personal appearance.
40
posted on
09/24/2007 8:44:25 AM PDT
by
zencat
(The universe is not what it appears, nor is it something else.)
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