# Breast Implants for Graduation Gift? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 15, 2004, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547 "2004-06-15T21:30:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/21 "2004-06-16T12:51:13Z")
My daughter wouldn’t even consider the concept, but I’d never do such a thing to her even if she did. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/22 "2004-06-16T14:31:03Z")
If it were for college graduation? Sure. A kid that old probably wouldn’t be all that swayed by “messages” that I sent concerning self esteem. People should be happy with their bodies, and if they’re not and can change it then it’s okay with me (as long as it’s nothing weird like wanting to be an amputee or something). I’d see no reason to make my daughter wait until she could afford the procedure to get it done. ---
**Author:** ![badmana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@badmana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badmana)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/23 "2004-06-16T15:23:02Z")
If I may ask **stately plump buck mulligan** why are you planning on this sort of surgery for a C to D change? To me it seem a rather trivial “upgrade” for that sort of money. As a male with a GF with “Cs” I don’t need her to get any bigger than what my hand could hold 😃 Of course her body sports “Cs” perfectly. What is the size difference between the two anyways? As for me, I’d like to think I would raise my daughter in a way to make sure she knew boobs weren’t needed to get anywhere. Of course if she was in someway unusually shaped I might shell out for it (of course it would be ultimately up to my wife and daughter, I couldn’t comment on something like that without feeling like a sicko!). ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/24 "2004-06-16T15:32:53Z")
For the daughter? No. For the wife? Sure. “Honey, the kids are off to college. Woo hoo! We get our lives back! We finally have the house to ourselves, and plenty of catching up to do. Wanna buy me new boobs? We’ll have plenty of alone time to enjoy them.” ---
**Author:** ![Shirt\_Ninja\_13](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@Shirt\_Ninja\_13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirt_Ninja_13)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/25 "2004-06-16T16:31:11Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I just read a quick headline that states that breast implants are becoming a popular graduation gift for girls. > > Would you buy implants for your daughter? Why or why not? No, not really. I’m all about that whole “be happy with yourself as you are” (within healthy limits, of course), and if I had that kind of cash to throw around, I’d rather drop it on a good used car…or a semester of college…or just about anything else, honestly. Granted, if she had her own money and wanted to spend it on that, that’d be up to her, but I wouldn’t pay for that. _bamf_ ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/26 "2004-06-16T16:55:31Z")
I knew _T_-Bonds had been a popular graduation gift for awhile, I’d just always figured that’d stood for _Treasury_. While there’s nothing wrong with Magna Cums being lauded, my little girl will receive from us something far more germaine to insuring her future intellectual success than something that suggests her present appearance needs surgical correction. If when she’s grown she decides to go that route, fine, but she’s going to be hard pressed to receive encouragement from us until she’s well into adulthood. ---
**Author:** ![zephyrine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/35a633/32.png) [@zephyrine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zephyrine)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/27 "2004-06-16T17:52:36Z")
If the size of my daughter’s breasts affected her self-esteem to the extent that she wanted surgery, I would seriously question the values I had passed on to her, as well as wonder why I had given her so little sense of self-worth. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/28 "2004-06-16T18:04:22Z")
What I find funny here is the posters saying that parents should not send their kids that kind of message, when I’m sure if the girl were buying them for herself, it would be perfectly okay. The message is still, “You’re not good enough, but an expensive and risky procedure will set you right.” I am very ambivalent about this issue, as I have struggled to accept the smallness of my breasts all my life. On the one hand, it’s a terrible thing to have to go through in order to fit in. On the other hand (and I am not exaggerating here), my whole life could have been better if I had not gone through most of it feeling ugly and worthless. So, in closing, I am horrified that this message is coming to these girls from their parents and their society, yet realistically, boobs could possibly be far more beneficial to them than any car. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/29 "2004-06-16T18:06:00Z")
> [@phall0106](#): > > Speaking as a former rather…um…large busted gal Same here, though I think you were bigger. But I’m darn short to begin with. I was thinking that the implant idea would only be fair if parents of overly-largely-breasted girls would fund reductions for them if they wanted. Being really big is a major pain – literally! ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/30 "2004-06-16T20:20:39Z")
This story was just mentioned in an e-mail newletter I receive called “Bizarre News”. The newsletter writer, at the end of the story, asked, “Does America need more 18 and 19-year-old D cups?” My reply to him was as follows: > [@](#): > > Good lord, no! This just proves to me that it is women, not men, who are obsessed with large breasts. Sure, some men may be attracted to big ones, but it’s not going to be their final criteria for picking a woman. And it seems to me that more men than women are aware that big ones are going to be slapping their knees years down the road. Big boobs are not a substitute for personality. To update a quote from the late, great Jane Mansfield (I think), “More than a great pair of [breasts], a man is most interested in a woman who is interested in him.” Gimme a pair of B-cups any day. I was very impressed several years ago with supermodel Tyra Banks who, when asked if she would consider plastic surgery, replied, “I’d like to have a breast reduction.” ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/31 "2004-06-16T20:52:23Z")
Gosh, I feel like such a geek. I didn’t even want the car, whether or not breast implants! _hugs her laptop_ :wally: ---
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/32 "2004-06-16T21:10:14Z")
> [@badmana](#): > > If I may ask **stately plump buck mulligan** why are you planning on this sort of surgery for a C to D change? To me it seem a rather trivial “upgrade” for that sort of money. As a male with a GF with “Cs” I don’t need her to get any bigger than what my hand could hold 😃 Of course her body sports “Cs” perfectly. What is the size difference between the two anyways? I’ve thought for a long time now that a fuller bustline would suit me well, but not _too_ full, and I think the augmentation from a C to a D would look best on my body. I would like to even out the “hourglass” of my body just a bit more, and slightly larger breasts would strike a good balance with my hips. I don’t think huge tits would look good on me at all, but a full D would look great on my (very tall) frame. My boyfriend loves my breasts just as they are, but doesn’t see a problem with my possibly getting implants as long as the procedure doesn’t go horribly wrong. I suppose it’s the same idea behind women who get nose jobs that are so subtle as to go unnoticed by the majority of their friends and family: the outside world may think “why bother?,” but the surgery is for _yourself_ and it can make a world of difference. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/33 "2004-06-16T21:21:35Z")
But how often does a parent get to boast “When she graduated, she was an A student, but now she’s a C”? ---
**Author:** ![stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/858c86/32.png) [@stately\_plump\_buck\_mulligan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stately_plump_buck_mulligan)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2004, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/34 "2004-06-16T21:29:28Z")
… And after reading all the rather anti-implant sentiments in this thread, I thought I should just make clear that my self esteem is perfectly fine, if not a little over-inflated (uhhh no pun intended) at times. I don’t think that larger breasts will get me farther in life (I’m going to be a high school English teacher, FFS!), I don’t think they will buy me happiness, and I don’t think I’m any less of a woman without them. It’s the same way I think I’m beautiful without makeup, but still put it on most mornings just because I think it makes me look just a little bit better, a little more polished. Breast implants may often be a sign of low self esteem or warped values, but this isn’t always the case. I still stand by my assertion that 18 year old girls should not be getting implants. Sure, we may consider it as a future option, but actually having the procedure done at such a young age is not smart and should not be condoned, much less financed, by parents. On preview: 😃 @ Finagle’s comment! ---
**Author:** ![Mercury](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mercury](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mercury)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/35 "2004-06-17T01:47:48Z")
I’m graduating (college) in December and would _love_ breast implants. A new car would be sweet, too. I have to agree with **Dung Beetle** here. My parents were all about self-esteem and values and loving myself for who I am, but the kids at school were all about how ugly and fat I am. Guess which message _still_ influences my life? ---
**Author:** ![Jurph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/50afbb/32.png) [@Jurph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jurph)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/36 "2004-06-17T01:59:28Z")
> [@stately plump buck mulligan](#): > > I’ve thought for a long time now that a fuller bustline would suit me well, but not _too_ full, and I think the augmentation from a C to a D would look best on my body. I would like to even out the “hourglass” of my body just a bit more, and slightly larger breasts would strike a good balance with my hips. I don’t think huge tits would look good on me at all, but a full D would look great on my (very tall) frame. Spend a long time deliberating, SPBM. Odds are good that unless you work out regularly, college (and the “freshman 15”) will add a little to your bust. Also, realize that the bigger they are, the more likely you are to experience back and neck problems; waiting until your backpack carrying days are over is smart! I know two women who had absolutely lovely sets of D-cups, who had them _reduced_, and both of them are roughly your height. I absolutely understand that you want “just a little more,” but consider clothing that shapes your figure, like corsets or padded or push-up bras, or any of the myriad fashion tricks like cap sleeves and V-necks that create the illusion of fuller breasts without the surgery. Please please please think long and hard before making permanent changes to a good thing (or two). Have you seen _The Princess Bride_? Good, then you know the quotation I’m trying to avoid using here. Take it to heart. ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/37 "2004-06-17T02:48:40Z")
Based on the other thread, **spbm** , y’ain’t got nuthin’ lackin’ from where I’m sitting. Just sayin’, is all. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/38 "2004-06-17T02:53:33Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > Whatever. > > [http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/Breast\_Implants\_Graduation\_040615-1.html](http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/Breast_Implants_Graduation_040615-1.html) > > Does this subject really require the snarky smilie because I didn’t post a cite? I swear! I wasn’t making it up! Geez, a bit touchy are we? The smile wasn’t snarky, it was a wink. The cite, I would guess, was an attempt at humor, possibly a humorous suggestion of seeing some “implants” first hand, if you get my meaning. Your knee jerk reaction to his joke shows you probably don’t get my meaning, but whatever. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/39 "2004-06-17T03:07:39Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > Yeah, I know. I was just trying to compose the Hallmark card to go along with the gift. 😉 “When you care to send the very breast.” ---
**Author:** ![Shaolinrabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Shaolinrabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shaolinrabbit)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547/40 "2004-06-17T03:38:57Z")
> [@DanBlather](#): > > “When you care to send the very breast.” 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/breast-implants-for-graduation-gift/250547.md?page=3)