Body parts are in the news. I’m not talking about crime stories about severed fingers in the mail or cooked parts of meat and fowl. I’m talking about human body parts that people are selling, buying and exhibiting for profit.
It used to be the idea of buying and selling body parts was linked to scary stories about people being kidnapped for their kidneys. Or a heart being yanked out of a body for a cult ceremony. On the humanitarian side, people donate kidneys to save patients in renal failure and eyes to rescue sight. Heart transplants have been one of the greatest medical advancements to save lives.
But some body part stories I read lately make me wonder: Do we focus too much on the parts versus the whole person? And are we baring and sharing too much about those parts? Sometimes it works well; sometimes not so.
A few examples:
Parts for profit: Hand and foot models make a solid living. Body doubles stand in for nude scenes. Porn star John Holmes profited from his big package. And then there’s fit-to-be-fab Jen Selter who posted Instagram photos of her well- shaped derriére. After the photos went viral Jen landed a sports management deal. She knows which end is up for her! Story: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2014/01/22/instagram-fitness-sensation-jen-selter-next-jillian-michaels-agent-says/
Parts and recreation: Athletes take steroids and other performance enhancing drugs to build up their bodies. They puff up to profit…until they are caught and deflated. This article on Business Insider shows what some athletes looked like before after taking steroids. http://www.businessinsider.com/what-athletes-looked-like-before-and-after-they-used-steroids-2013-6?op=1
Parts for parts: Actors and actresses have breast implants, nose jobs, lip and cheek augmentation and other physical enhancements to land more roles. I love the song “Dance Ten. Looks Three” from the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line” by a female performer whose touts how her breast and butt boosts improved both her job prospects and her sex life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YW21y7dDfIs
Parts to depart: The media reports former Olympian- turned- reality -star- husband Bruce Jenner had a procedure to shave his Adam’s apple as a step toward transforming from a man to a woman. I shudder to imagine what’s next. Seeing him on TV “as is” is painful enough. http://www.extratv.com/2014/01/22/bruce-jenner-having-sex-change-to-become-a-woman-shocking-plastic-surgery-reports/
Professional musicians, surgeons and dancers insure their body parts. It makes sense when you rely on a physical part for your career. Here, Huffington Post reports on celebrities who insure their body parts. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/21/celebrity-body-insurance-parts_n_2721783.html
Some people want to change their body parts to look like someone else. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/16/fashion/Plastic-surgery-celebrity-makeover.html?_r=0 Who would you want to look like if you underwent a surgical makeover?
As we age we have to have parts replaced, like hips and knees. Or they become diseased and need to be removed. Like breasts.
Judi Henderson-Townsend of Oakland, CA. makes money selling body parts in the form of recycled mannequins: http://boss.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/turning-body-parts-mannequin-body-parts-into-a-business/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0
When I was a young girl, I was teased about my crooked nose. I thought I was ugly, so, I had a nose job. I was teased for my bad skin and spent a fortune on finding remedies and covering up. When I started to develop curves and was taunted by the boys, I starved myself to look more like a model. It took years to regain my confidence. Parents need to teach their kids not to tease other kids about their looks. Instead we should teach them to focus on taking care of their bodies inside.
When people ask me: What body part do you like most about yourself? I respond “tongue- in- cheek.” I know I can count on my mind and my wit to lift my spirits and face whatever comes along when all my other body parts go to pot.
And when someone calls and asks if they can “pick my brain” I quote them a fee. Yes, that part is for sale.
How about you?
