My Beautiful Mommy - WTH

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 18:49:57 GMT

A little bit insecure about your body; get some plastic surgeries then find a way to give a fairy tale to your kid with a book on how you turned from a pumpkin to a beauty. I’m being facetious of course but this is no joke with the story Newsweek broke last week about the new picture book explaining plastic surgeries to kids. Newsweek had an exclusive with plastic surgeon who wrote the book and no the surgeon is not from Beverly Hills but from Bal Harbour, Florida – why am I not surprised? I’m not surprised because that’s around my neighborhood; South Florida.

According to some fun facts by Good Morning America when they taped their show in South Florida a few years ago, Florida leads the nation in surgeries performed. Since then, the statistics changes from number one to number three – but you get the point; don’t be surprised when you take a trip down here seeing inflated breasts, pulled faces, and pumped lips on the streets. I have always held the opinion, “to each, his own” when it comes to plastic surgeries. However, I wince when such message of quick fixes to one’s insecurities is passed to the next generation; especially girls.

The notion that “mommy” wasn’t already beautiful but needs surgeries to accomplish such feat is unbecoming to say the least. A question of one’s true beauty has been shown to affect young boys and girls as young as four or five – anyone remember the black/white doll test? I get the fact the plastic surgeon wants to explain why mom’s face is swollen or her body is wrecked in pain that she’ll have to stay in bed for some days. But could you not just say she becomes “beautiful” and explain it another way?

The Dealbreaker is not you . . . It's your books

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:01:57 GMT

Ok guys and girls, you've heard the "It's not you, it's me" okey doke for breaking up with a significant other but how about if that saying is reversed by saying "It's not you, it's your books." Would you really break up with someone because of his/her taste (or lack thereof) in books? That was the subject of an essay in Sunday's New York Times that's generating a lot of buzz.

I've said it before on my musings of "things I don't get" postings that I don't get a guy who doesn't read; and no, King and Playboy Magazines don't count - you really can't get off with that excuse of reading those magazines for the articles. But the essay has generated a lot of discussion around the web and the radio (NPR) of whether you would snob a potential date for his literary tastes. The floor is all yours . . . what are your deal breakers with potential or current dates?

Afro-America Writer's space: Books

My Beautiful Mommy - WTH

The Dealbreaker is not you . . . It's your books