Dec

30


In 2009, the transferring of the Miss Universe crown from one Venezuelan to another, from 2008 winner Dayana Mendoza to Stefania Fernandez, caused a sensation in the world of beauty pageants. It was the sixth time Venezuela had won the Miss Universe crown in the 59-year history of the pageant. It was also the first occasion that the same country had claimed the title twice in a row.

Miss Venzuela Stefania Fernandez Wins The Presitigious Miss Universe 2009 Crown

Venezuela’s afterglow from winning yet another Miss Universe crown has definitely spurred its women to the more widespread application of cosmetic surgery. Surgical enhancement of the body has become such a norm in Venezuela these days that it has emerged as a top destination for “scalpel tourism” by foreigners looking for a lift or new contours at relatively cheaper prices.

“There are patients who come from Colombia, the USA, Ecuador, the Caribbean islands. They have surgery and then spend a few days on vacation,” explained Rosi Oyon, head of a French subsidiary selling silicon breast implants.

Denials that their beauty is anything but natural is par for the course in the beauty pageant world, but for plastic surgeons there was no doubt that Fernandez had a little help.

“I didn’t operate on her, but I am sure that she has had work. They all have,” Daniel Slobodianik, a plastic surgeon who has helped several Venezuelan celebrities better fill out a bikini, said.

Vanessa Brito, a 27-year-old Caracas resident who had breast implants fitted five years ago, explained that surgery was common for women from all walks of life.

“I think there’s a social pressure in Venezuela, a beauty ideal that can be seen in contests like the one for Miss Universe. And seeing that, everyone wants to look the same,” she said.

Laura Gonzalez, a 19-year-old student, agreed. Over the past four years she has had a nose job and breast enlargement.

“This goes beyond the Miss Universe contest. Venezuelan women love to look good. We love to get our hair done, to dress well. A woman needs to feel good about herself, and it’s something that has really influenced me,” she said.

“Venezuelan woman are among the most vain in the world. Beauty is considered a basic necessity,” Arturo Rojas, the head of another breast implant supplier in Venezuela, said.

Girls barely in their teens sometimes receive plastic surgery as a gift from their parents, as in the case of Yudnara, a 13-year-old who made a pre-op trip to a doctor’s office accompanied by her mother.

Even the risk of infection, which can lead to a mastectomy in the case of silicon breast implants, does little to dissuade adolescents from wanting to get plastic surgery done. Breast enlargement surgery is by far the most popular procedure in Venezuela, with an estimated 30,000 breast augmentations carried out each year, according to specialists.

“Mammary prostheses are the backbone of Venezuela’s beauty market,” Oyon said.

In this segment of the market, French-made silicon sacs are considered more reliable and smoother and tend to dominate over rival US, Chinese and Brazilian products. They account for around 80 per cent of the enhanced busts created. For foreigners visiting to improve their neckline, the difference in cost can be significant. In Caracas, breast enlargement goes for around $US2500, compared to several thousands of dollars more in other countries.

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