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Women fooled into hoax free breast implant site
http://www.canada.com/topics/bodyan...ceaf%20&k=47695
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Credit cards boobs were really fake fakes
Misty Harris, CanWest News Service
Published: Wednesday, April 05, 2006
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In just one month, a credit card offering free breast implants as a sign-up bonus attracted hundreds of female applicants and more than 130,000 visitors to its homepage, www.plasticassets.com.
Marketed using the slogan ``Invest in your breasts,'' the card also promised free lip injections for every referral, discounts on surgery consultations, and ``FeelGood Points'' that could be redeemed for operations such as tummy tucks and liposuction.
Although Plastics Assets was revealed to be a hoax this week, its mastermind Canadian media critic Shari Graydon says the fact so many people were duped underscores a real crisis.
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``Women who are willing to undergo breast implant surgery and to play Russian roulette with their health are relying on information that's pervasively available but not very credible,'' says Graydon, author of In Your Face: The Culture of Beauty and You.
``The degree to which our site was believed to be credible despite how over the top it was underlines the fact that people aren't bringing critical thinking skills to what they read on the Internet.''
On Monday, Plastic Assets was declared the March winner of the Contagious Festival a monthly Internet contest that rewards catchy social commentary communicated through spoof websites after receiving more than five times the traffic as its closest competitor.
Graydon and her co-conspirators, New York-based feminists Katie Marsh and Leba Haber Rubinoff, are both pleased and saddened by their victory.
``It was quite depressing to see how many people bought into it some of them extremely educated people who you'd think would've brought greater skepticism to what they were looking at,'' says Graydon, who has spent the past few days e-mailing everyone who signed up for the credit card.
The site now directs visitors to a top-10 list of ``reasons to avoid breast implants like the plague,'' and a database of information on breast augmentation hosted by the National Research Center for Women & Families.
Dr. Jaggi Rao, an associate clinical professor of medicine at the University of Alberta, confirms there's a problem with medical misinformation on the Internet, particularly in the way unlicensed practitioners present themselves.
But he also says it's ``hypocritical'' and ``naive'' to condemn plastic surgery, which he believes can have a positive influence on self-esteem.
``Like wine, it can be good when taken in small doses,'' says Rao, whose specialties include cosmetic surgery. ``What's the difference between (getting implants) and getting a haircut or highlights? It's all along the same spectrum of wanting to feel good, to look good.''
Other reactions to Plastic Assets have ranged from delight to disgust.
An Alberta woman posting on Rabble.ca praised the site as ``a rather startling statement about how low our expectations have become,'' remarking that it was an ``excellent piece of satire.'' Advertising critic Steve Hall wrote of Plastic Assets: ``In all seriousness, it's not a bad idea for an actual business.''
But Vanessa Valenti, editor of the popular blog Feministing, dubbed the parody ``disturbing'' and ``gross.''
Jonah Peretti, one of the Contagious Festival's organizers, says this type of online chatter was key to the website's landslide win.
``Having something that's a little bit shocking, but also humorous something that touches on issues people care about in a way that's unexpected contributes to an entry people want to pass on to their friends,'' Peretti says.
``The real draw of Plastic Assets was that it interested both a frat boy and a feminist.''
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© CanWest News Service 2006 |
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| quote: | Originally posted by chinamon
not true. i say "ugh"
but i am a tranny. |
| quote: | Originally posted by kotsy
lol colour me retarded |
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